Chief Ladiga Trail:
Alabama
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Description:
In northeast Alabama, the nearly 33-mile Chief Ladiga Trail is a regional playground that passes through welcoming towns and pastoral landscapes. Following a former CSX railroad corridor, the rail-trail is named for the Creek Indian leader who signed the 1832 Cusseta Treaty, surrendering the tribe's remaining land in the area.

Remarkably flat and smooth, the trail arcs from Woodland Park in Anniston northeast through small towns and quiet countryside to the state line with Georgia, where it connects to the Silver Comet rail-trail. It begins on a slightly raised rail bed before entering open fields, passing beneath canopies of pine, dogwood and other native trees and alongside enchanting wetlands. You'll find numerous access points along the way.

The first stop is Weaver, where you might want to pop into the nearby grocery store for snacks. Back on the trail, twin stone foundations of a railroad trestle flank the route. Five miles along, in Jacksonville, you'll pass an old train depot, restored in 2010 and now providing, among other things, a resting place for trail users. You'll also find the Jacksonville State University campus. Just off the trail is the historic town square, which boasts several shops and restaurants (climb Mountain Street and turn right on Route 21).

Keep alert over the following nine miles, as you may catch a deer or fox watching you. You'll soon reach central Piedmont, a quaint community that embraces the trail with a welcome center, benches and a sandwich shop just steps away.

From Piedmont the scenery begins to change. Duggar Mountain and the southern Appalachians provide a backdrop to fields that transition to forests. Terrapin Creek skirts the trail, and soon a bridge carries you over it. Here, the trail travels through protected wilderness within Talladega National Forest. Equestrians, please check the trail website and contact the trail manager to inquire about equestrian use on the trail.

At the Georgia state line, the Chief Ladiga Trail becomes Georgia's Silver Comet Trail, which stretches for another 62 miles, making the trails (combined) among some of the longest pedestrian paths in the country.

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Parking & Trail Access:
Directions: From I-20, take Exit 185 and head north about 10 miles through Anniston on Route 1/Quintard Avenue; bear right on McClellan Boulevard/Route 21 on the north side of town. A few miles past the split, turn left on Weaver Road; continue about a mile, then turn left again on Holly Farms Road to the well-marked Woodland Park trailhead.

Contact:
Jacksonville State University
Environmental Policy & Information Center
700 Pelham Road North, Suite 246
Jacksonville, AL 36265
(256) 782-5681

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Reviews: [6 trail ratings]
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Chief Ladia, 2 days
By jnchristophermom in September, 2011
My husband and I enjoyed a ride from Piedmont to the Georgia state line. It was great. Along the way we saw 5 turkeys, a squirrel, a great blue heron, turtles, a salamander, 3 puppies and a bobcat. The bobcat crossed the trail in front of us. We finished the day at the Solid Rock Cafe in Piedmont. In our opinion, they have the best fruit smoothies ever.
The next day, we returned to the trail w/ our son and two of his friends. Another trip to the state line and more smoothies.
It was truly a great weekend. We are looking forward to another trip further into fall.
Chief Ladiga Ride
By dgt101 in May, 2011
Just rode the trail from Cedartown to Anniston this Memorial Day Weekend. Seven of us from Columbia, SC took to the journey and had a wonderful time. The trail is in excellent shape (some tree roots have rumpled the ashphalt in places), but overall good surface. We stayed at the Holiday Inn in Cedartown, and had a very accomodating staff. Clean rooms, nice pool, good place to stay. Had dinner at the BBcue restaurant (BYOB). Headed out for Anniston the next day. Stopped for lunch at the Solid Rock Cafe in Piedmont. Excellent peanut butter, banana and honey sandwich. Super staff, we all had excellent sandwiches and great milkshakes. Arrived at the end in Anniston, a bit anticlimatic though, all of a sudden a small street sign says the end of the Chief Ladiga Trail. We celebrated with a picture and headed back to Jacksonville to stay at the Hampton Inn. The Hampton is about a mile from the trail and a very nice place to stay after a long ride. The staff was excellent, the pool was very inviting, and the rooms were large and very clean. The perfect ending was a free shuttle bus to a restaurant called Heroes. They were prompt to pick us up and took us to the restaurant. The food was excellent, Ahi Tuna, Baby back ribs, fish, steak, anything you wanted and 37 beers to choose from. The next day we headed back to Cedartown where we had left our car at the hotel. Quickly cleaned up and drove to Frankies in Rockmart for lunch. Great Italian food, very tasty hot bread sticks and garlic sauce. Bicycle friendly and only a mile from the trail. I would reccomend this trail to anyone...very well maintained, safe, flat and scenic!!
Nice ride, but into a strong wind
By hhubbs in April, 2011
Our group of 12 rode this trail starting at Esom Hill and riding west to Jacksonville State University April 2nd. This direction is slightly downhill but that's barely noticeable. Highly recommend stopping at Solid Rock Cafe in Piedmont for lunch. The food is excellent. She had just made a fresh batch of chicken salad when we arrived, and it was awesome. Good variety of sandwiches, drinks, and also ice cream. Also has a large room for dining if you have a large group. And its locally owned. Except for the wind, a nice trail winding through woods and farms. Two people in our group couldn't ride, so they did the car shuttle for us. I would recommend this trail.
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