Hiking_AL-33

Start: Kiosk on west side of boat ramp

Distance: 4.4-mile lollipop

Hiking time: About 2 hours

Difficulty: Easy to moderate with some climbs up and down ravines on the north side

Trail surface: Dirt and rock

Best seasons: Year-round

Other trail users: None

Canine compatibility: Leashed dogs permitted

Land status: State wildlife management area

Nearest town: Tallassee

Fees and permits: None

Schedule: Year-round, sunrise to sunset

Maps: USGS McCalla, AL; DeLorme: Alabama Atlas & Gazetteer, page 46 A2; online at www.alabamaforeverwild.com

Trail contact: Alabama State Lands ADCNR, 64 N. Union St., Montgomery, AL 36130; (334) 242-3484; www.alabamaforeverwild.com

Finding the trailhead: From Tallassee at the intersection of AL 14 / E. Barnett Avenue and AL 229 / Jordan Avenue, take AL 14 east 2.3 miles. Turn left onto Macedonia Road and travel 3.1 miles. Turn left onto Hicks Store Road and travel 1 mile. Turn right onto Gravel Pit Road and in 400 feet turn right onto Coon Creek Landing Road. Follow the road to the boat ramp / parking area. The kiosk and trailhead is on the left (west) side of the parking lot. GPS: N32 35.838' / W85 52.831'

The Hike

Coon Creek is a feeder of the Tallapoosa River and Yates Reservoir near the town of Tallassee (the reservoir is created by the nearby Yates Dam). Much of the land around the creek is owned and managed by the state’s Forever Wild program as the 320-acre Coon Creek Tract. Once again the program wanted to create recreational opportunities for the area such as hiking, paddling, hunting, and fishing, while at the same time protecting the natural habitat formed by the creek.

In 2009 the state built two new hiking trails on the property: the Overlook Loop and this hike, the Wood Duck Trail. The Wood Duck Trail is a 4-mile out-and-back hike (with a small loop at the turnaround) that hugs the banks of Coon Creek and the slough that feeds the wider creek. For the most part the trail is a narrow, 2-foot-wide dirt footpath with a leaf and pine straw bed, but it does use some old dirt roads to make its way around the creek. It’s an easy-to-follow trail with excellent red paint blazes leading the way.

It is an interesting, and beautiful, environment that you will be walking through. For much of the trip you will be only a few feet from, if not directly on, the banks of the creek itself, with excellent views and a chance to hear frog song, do a little bird watching, or maybe see some wildlife like white-tailed deer or turkey vultures soaring overhead, or the telltale signs that a beaver was hard at work.

As you make your way to the east, you will walk the banks of the slough that feeds the larger creek. The slough is thick with lily pads, reeds, and hyacinth beds. In spring and early summer, it is a beautiful and colorful scene. Now, as my wife and I made our way around the slough, we were greeted by a very large splash. Was it an alligator? Chris Smith with Forever Wild and the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, who lives in the area, says that he’s never seen one here, but there are gators in the Tallapoosa River so it is possible.

The forest around the creek consists of mixed hardwoods and conifers. Walking around to the north side of the creek, you will cross a really pretty, wide, swift-flowing stream over a stout wooden bridge with a steel reinforced frame. As you walk through here, be on the lookout for wood ducks and wood duck houses.

Wood ducks are unique to the duck family. They have broad wings and crested heads and are more buoyant than any other duck, so they sit higher in the water and more of their large, rectangular tail can be seen. Wood ducks are slower flyers than other ducks, but they are nimble. Their broad wings give them the ability to thread their way quickly through tree branches.

Wood ducks are found near creeks, wetlands, and swamps, and like other birds found here (such as kingfishers), they are cavity-nesting birds. They nest in abandoned woodpecker holes, natural cavities in trees, or special houses, like those you will see here, that people erect.

Unfortunately, the first 0.1 mile of this hike tends to have some trash strewn about. Whether it’s people accidentally dropping items off their boat and it washes up here or because of easy access to a hiking trail with a water feature like Coon Creek, it is disheartening to see. If you can, bring along a trash bag and take some of it out, and help keep this area as beautiful as the rest of the trail. Your efforts will be appreciated!

0.0	Start on the east side of the boat ramp across from the information kiosk. For this first section you will be walking just a few feet from the banks of the creek on your left, with numerous side trails (10 feet or less) to the creek.
0.1	Come to a footbridge that is supposed to help you across a runoff, but as of this writing was washed off to the side by heavy rains. In 100 feet a dirt road enters from the right. The trail is right on the creek’s bank. Just after the road there is a 50- to 75-foot rocky section with some quartz rocks.
0.2	The trail runs parallel to Coon Creek Landing Road on your right for a short distance and around the east end of the slough and wetland.
0.3	Come to a T intersection with a dirt service road. Turn left (northeast) onto the dirt road. In 200 feet you will have great views of the slough and wetland.
0.5	Cross a 4-foot-wide stream with a nice cascade down smooth rocks on your right.
0.6	Cross a 6-foot-wide streambed. In less than 0.1 mile, you will be walking directly alongside the wetland. The brush is a little thicker here, with plenty of smooth palmetto.
0.8	The trail turns right (east) onto an old dirt road. In just under 0.1 mile, cross a nice wooden bridge over a pretty, wide stream.
0.9	Yellow property boundary markers are painted on trees to your right.
1.2	You will be heading up and down ravines as you cross a few runoffs. This one is a deep gully. From the top of the hills, you will have nice views of the wetlands late fall through winter.
1.3	Nice view of wetland below.
1.6	Cross a runoff, then 50 feet later cross a wide bog. This could be deep in water after heavy rain.
1.7	You will be directly across the creek from the trailhead and can see it on the other side. In less than 0.1 mile, the trail is right alongside the creek with good views.
2.1	The path heads uphill on what looks like an old logging road but is now more of a runoff. In less than 0.1 mile, pass a sign on the left that reads “No Off Road Vehicles Allowed, State Lands” then come to a T intersection with a dirt road. Turn left (west) onto the road.
2.2	Come to a Y and take the left fork. In less than 0.1 mile, come to a T intersection with a dirt road. The left fork takes you to the creek. Turn right.
2.3	Come to a T intersection with another dirt road. The left fork takes you to the creek. Turn right. In less than 0.1 mile, arrive back at the Y at mile 2.2. Retrace your steps to the trailhead.
2.4	Keep your head up and watch for a right turn (it’s easy to keep walking straight past it). You will see the sign from mile 2.1 on the right.
4.4	Arrive back at the trailhead.