Sipsey Wilderness
Encyclopedia
The Sipsey Wilderness lies within Bankhead National Forest
around the Sipsey Fork of the Black Warrior River
in northwestern Alabama
, USA. The Sipsey Wilderness is the third largest wilderness area east of the Mississippi River
. Designated in 1975 and expanded in 1988, the 24922 acres (10,085.6 ha) Sipsey is the largest and most frequently visited Wilderness
area in Alabama and contains dozens of waterfalls. It was also the first designated wilderness area east of the Mississippi River
.
The wilderness consists of the low plateau of Brindley Mountain
which is dissected into a rough landscape by several creeks
and river
s. Due to the layers of limestone and sandstone that make up the area, waterfall
s are very common in the wilderness. This feature has earned the wilderness the nickname "Land of 1000 Waterfalls."
The wilderness is in the Appalachian mixed mesophytic forests
ecoregion. Much of the wilderness was once logged
, but new growth forests have now taken hold in the logged areas. Some old-growth forests can also be found in the wilderness. The most significant are about 260 acres (105.2 ha) along Bee Branch Gorge and Buck Rough Canyon, which include old Eastern Hemlock
, American Beech
, Sweet Birch
, White Oak, and Tulip Poplar.
The Sipsey Wilderness Hiking Club promotes hiking in the Sipsey Wilderness.
made it essentially impossible to designate a wilderness
area anywhere east of the Mississippi River
.
Mary Ivy Burks of Birmingham worked to establish a Sipsey Wilderness Area in the Bankhead National Forest at a time when many believed that "The Wilderness Act" should apply only to the western part of the United States.
She was in the forefront of what became known as the Eastern Wilderness Movement. Her work to secure the Sipsey Wilderness in the Bankhead National Forest was her crowning achievement. Alabama would be the agent of change, as a strange union of environmentalists, loggers, bird watchers, and others joined together to push to change the Act to allow for the designation of Sipsey as a wilderness area. Thanks to a bill introduced by Senator John Sparkman
, the Eastern Wilderness Areas Act of 1975, the wilderness was finally designated with an original size of 12000 acres (4,856.2 ha). The wilderness would be expanded in 1988. Thanks to the changes made to the Act, dozens of wilderness areas have been designated across the United States. The Sipsey Wilderness helped to show that a smaller plot of restored land in the eastern US could be a wilderness just as much as a larger tract of virgin land in the west.
Directions to trailheads are available from the Sipsey Wilderness Hiking Club.
Trail maps are available from the U.S. Forest Service, and from Briartech.
William B. Bankhead National Forest
The William B. Bankhead National Forest is Alabama's largest National Forest, with , and is home of Alabama's only National Wild and Scenic River, the Sipsey Fork. It is located in northwestern Alabama, around the town of Double Springs; it is named in honor of William B. Bankhead, a longtime U.S...
around the Sipsey Fork of the Black Warrior River
Sipsey Fork of the Black Warrior River
The Sipsey Fork of the Black Warrior River is a river located in Alabama, USA, and is formed by the junction of Thompson and Hubbard creeks in the Sipsey Wilderness of Bankhead National Forest. The Sipsey Fork discharges into the Mulberry Fork. The Sipsey Fork below Smith Lake is one of the few...
in northwestern Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
, USA. The Sipsey Wilderness is the third largest wilderness area east of the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
. Designated in 1975 and expanded in 1988, the 24922 acres (10,085.6 ha) Sipsey is the largest and most frequently visited Wilderness
Wilderness
Wilderness or wildland is a natural environment on Earth that has not been significantly modified by human activity. It may also be defined as: "The most intact, undisturbed wild natural areas left on our planet—those last truly wild places that humans do not control and have not developed with...
area in Alabama and contains dozens of waterfalls. It was also the first designated wilderness area east of the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
.
Brindley Mountain
Brindley Mountain is an isolated portion of the Appalachian Plateau in northern Alabama. It occupies significant portions of Cullman, Morgan, and Marshall Counties and extends into Winston and Lawrence counties. The plateau is formed by a sandstone cap-rock overlying limestone....
which is dissected into a rough landscape by several creeks
Stream
A stream is a body of water with a current, confined within a bed and stream banks. Depending on its locale or certain characteristics, a stream may be referred to as a branch, brook, beck, burn, creek, "crick", gill , kill, lick, rill, river, syke, bayou, rivulet, streamage, wash, run or...
and river
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
s. Due to the layers of limestone and sandstone that make up the area, waterfall
Waterfall
A waterfall is a place where flowing water rapidly drops in elevation as it flows over a steep region or a cliff.-Formation:Waterfalls are commonly formed when a river is young. At these times the channel is often narrow and deep. When the river courses over resistant bedrock, erosion happens...
s are very common in the wilderness. This feature has earned the wilderness the nickname "Land of 1000 Waterfalls."
The wilderness is in the Appalachian mixed mesophytic forests
Appalachian mixed mesophytic forests
The Appalachian mixed mesophytic forests are an ecoregion of mesophytic plants west of the Appalachian Mountains in the southeastern United States.-Setting:...
ecoregion. Much of the wilderness was once logged
Forestry
Forestry is the interdisciplinary profession embracing the science, art, and craft of creating, managing, using, and conserving forests and associated resources in a sustainable manner to meet desired goals, needs, and values for human benefit. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands...
, but new growth forests have now taken hold in the logged areas. Some old-growth forests can also be found in the wilderness. The most significant are about 260 acres (105.2 ha) along Bee Branch Gorge and Buck Rough Canyon, which include old Eastern Hemlock
Eastern Hemlock
Tsuga canadensis, also known as eastern or Canadian hemlock, and in the French-speaking regions of Canada as pruche du Canada, is a coniferous tree native to eastern North America. It ranges from northeastern Minnesota eastward through southern Quebec to Nova Scotia, and south in the Appalachian...
, American Beech
American Beech
Fagus grandifolia, also known as American Beech or North american beech, is a species of beech native to eastern North America, from Nova Scotia west to southern Ontario in southeastern Canada, west to Wisconsin and south to eastern Texas and northern Florida in the United States. Trees in the...
, Sweet Birch
Sweet Birch
Betula lenta is a species of birch native to eastern North America, from southern Maine west to southernmost Ontario, and south in the Appalachian Mountains to northern Georgia.-Characteristics and habitat:It is a medium-sized deciduous tree reaching 20 m tall with...
, White Oak, and Tulip Poplar.
The Sipsey Wilderness Hiking Club promotes hiking in the Sipsey Wilderness.
History of creation
Faults in the 1964 Wilderness ActWilderness Act
The Wilderness Act of 1964 was written by Howard Zahniser of The Wilderness Society. It created the legal definition of wilderness in the United States, and protected some 9 million acres of federal land. The result of a long effort to protect federal wilderness, the Wilderness Act was signed...
made it essentially impossible to designate a wilderness
Wilderness
Wilderness or wildland is a natural environment on Earth that has not been significantly modified by human activity. It may also be defined as: "The most intact, undisturbed wild natural areas left on our planet—those last truly wild places that humans do not control and have not developed with...
area anywhere east of the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
.
Mary Ivy Burks of Birmingham worked to establish a Sipsey Wilderness Area in the Bankhead National Forest at a time when many believed that "The Wilderness Act" should apply only to the western part of the United States.
She was in the forefront of what became known as the Eastern Wilderness Movement. Her work to secure the Sipsey Wilderness in the Bankhead National Forest was her crowning achievement. Alabama would be the agent of change, as a strange union of environmentalists, loggers, bird watchers, and others joined together to push to change the Act to allow for the designation of Sipsey as a wilderness area. Thanks to a bill introduced by Senator John Sparkman
John Sparkman
John Jackson Sparkman was an American politician from the state of Alabama. A conservative Southern Democrat, Sparkman served in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate from 1937 until 1979. He was the Democratic Party's nominee for Vice President as Adlai Stevenson's running mate in...
, the Eastern Wilderness Areas Act of 1975, the wilderness was finally designated with an original size of 12000 acres (4,856.2 ha). The wilderness would be expanded in 1988. Thanks to the changes made to the Act, dozens of wilderness areas have been designated across the United States. The Sipsey Wilderness helped to show that a smaller plot of restored land in the eastern US could be a wilderness just as much as a larger tract of virgin land in the west.
Official trailheads
- Sipsey River Picnic Area
- Randolph Trailhead
- Thompson Trailhead
- Borden Creek Trailhead
- Braziel Creek Trailhead
- Gum Pond Trailhead
- Flannigin Trailhead
Directions to trailheads are available from the Sipsey Wilderness Hiking Club.
Official trails
- FT 200: Borden Creek Trail, 2.7 mi (4.3 km).
- FT 201: Rippey Trail, 2.6 mi (4.2 km).
- FT 202: Randolph Trail, 3.4 mi (5.5 km).
- FT 203: Lookout Trail, 4.3 mi (6.9 km).
- FT 204: Bee Ridge Trail, 2.7 mi (4.3 km).
- FT 206: Thompson Creek Trail, 3.7 mi (6 km).
- FT 207: Braziel Creek Trail, 4.6 mi (7.4 km).
- FT 208: Northwest Trail, 7 mi (11.3 km).
- FT 209: Sipsey River Trail, 6.7 mi (10.8 km).
- FT 210: Mitchell Ridge Trail, 7.3 mi (11.7 km).
- FT 223: Gum Pond Trail, 1.8 mi (2.9 km).
- FT 224: Bunyan Hill Trail, 4.8 mi (7.7 km).
Trail maps are available from the U.S. Forest Service, and from Briartech.
Places of interest
- Saltpeter Furnace: Located not far from the Bee Branches, a small cave is hidden by a waterfall, and that cave was once so important that a small skirmish was fought at the nearby Hubbard Mill during the American Civil WarAmerican Civil WarThe American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. The cave is a source of saltpeterPotassium nitratePotassium nitrate is a chemical compound with the formula KNO3. It is an ionic salt of potassium ions K+ and nitrate ions NO3−.It occurs as a mineral niter and is a natural solid source of nitrogen. Its common names include saltpetre , from medieval Latin sal petræ: "stone salt" or possibly "Salt...
, a major ingredient in the manufacture of gunpowderGunpowderGunpowder, also known since in the late 19th century as black powder, was the first chemical explosive and the only one known until the mid 1800s. It is a mixture of sulfur, charcoal, and potassium nitrate - with the sulfur and charcoal acting as fuels, while the saltpeter works as an oxidizer...
. - Sipsey River Picnic Area: Where Cranal Road crosses the Sipsey RiverSipsey RiverThe Sipsey River is a swampy low-lying river in west central Alabama. The Sipsey is surrounded by some exceptional wetland habitat. It originates near Glen Allen, and discharges into the Tombigbee River near Vienna....
, a day-use area has been constructed to allow for picnicking and to serve as a parking area for hiking in the area. A $3 per vehicle day use fee is charged.
External links
- Sipsey Wilderness Hiking Club - Sipsey Wilderness Hiking Club including Trailhead Directions and Trail Descriptions.
- Sipsey Wilderness - USDA Forest Service
- Wilderness - Wilderness.net
- TopoQuest map of region
- Alatrails.com - Alatrails discussion section for Sipsey Wilderness
- Trail Map - USDA Forest Service
- Borden Creek Hiking Trail
- Sipsey River Hiking Trail
- Bee Branch Trail