One of the longest river trails in the country has just added more than 200 miles, giving paddlers days worth of trips in east Alabama.
The Alabama Scenic River Trail, which had previously included a 650-mile river corridor from Weiss Lake in Northeast Alabama to the Gulf of Mexico, has now added the length of the Tallapoosa River within the state.
The Tallapoosa, which starts in Paulding County, Georgia, snakes through the side of Alabama, including Lakes Martin, Wedowee, Thurlow and Yates, as well as a loop through Horseshoe Bend National Military Park.
The new Tallapoosa section of the trail includes four dams managed by Alabama Power. The utility donated 13 campsites and portages for the trail.
“The portages and the campsites open up probably the most spectacular part of the river as far as unencumbered, beautiful, stunning paddling,” said Jim Felder, executive director of the ASRT, in a statement.