A Hike at Clear Creek, AL
While spending a few nights at the US Forest Service's Clear Creek Recreation Area we enjoyed some easy hiking along the lake shore and up among some ravines.
Our walk started off along an almost-mile long paved bicycle path along the shore.
Two bridges carry the path across ravines; this one is a very interesting curved one.
At the far end of the bike trail, one can follow one of several teails back towards the campground. We chose a middle path that climbed uphill a ways and then followed a contour line around the several ravines. At the head of several ravines one finds high rock overhangs with some water trickling over the edge.
The final rock-face on the path was the largest, with a lot of sheltered space underneath.
Although hard to see here, there was some water trickling over the edge anf falling about 40 feet.
This shows how much of an overhang there is. Archaeological work here has shown that native Americans took shelter here up to 10,000 years ago. In more modern times it served as a hide-out for bad guys, and more recently a shelter for hikers and hunters.
Water coming over the rocks.
This is a view of Clear Creek Falls before the dam was built that created Lake Lewis Smith and flooded the falls.
