Crow Mountain Guest Ranch in Slipoff Hollow, Ala., is shown on July 16, 2011. It has been an equestrian facility for 28 years. Current owners Carl and Katrina Hubbard have transformed part of a barn into guest rooms for horse lovers and nature lovers who want to visit. Those seeking a longer term experience can buy a ranch share. Foals run past the grown horses, enjoying hay. (AP Photo/The Birmingham News, Beverly Taylor)
Crow Mountain Guest Ranch in Slipoff Hollow, Ala., is shown on July 16, 2011. It has been an equestrian facility for 28 years. Current owners Carl and Katrina Hubbard have transformed part of a barn into guest rooms for horse lovers and nature lovers who want to visit. Those seeking a longer term experience can buy a ranch share. L-r- are Katrina and Carl Hubbard, who love to share their ranch with folks seeking a stress-busting, off-the-grid trip. (AP Photo/The Birmingham News, Beverly Taylor).SLIPOFF HOLLOW, Ala. – Sometimes a wrong turn is all it takes to end up in the right place.
That’s how it happened for Carl and Katrina Hubbard when they got lost in 2007 looking for a property in the Appalachian foothills of Northeast Alabama. Instead they found what they now call Crow Mountain Guest Ranch in Slipoff Hollow.
According to Carl Hubbard, the three founding families who settled Big Coon Valley all had beautiful daughters. Slipoff Hollow got its name because gentleman callers from Scottsboro would “slip off” and meet them in the hollow where the ranch sits now.
“I never intended to buy this much ranch,” Hubbard said. “We were looking for a small plot of land where we could have an animal rescue with no issues from the neighbors.”
The previous owner, Bill Sanders, who had used the ranch for training champion-caliber trotter horses, wanted to sell all 320 acres and all the facilities. The ranch is nestled against the 22,000 acres of the Skyline Wildlife Management Area with three artesian springs creating a creek that borders it. The Hubbards fell in love with the place and now want to “share the lifestyle” with others who might love it, as well.