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Intro:
Tannehill State Park is the most visited civil war site in the state of Alabama. In the 1860s it served as an ironworks facility producing iron needed by the Confederate army. The hiking trails here will take you by the 1860s era furnace and cabins and you will experience what the area was like during the civil war.
Trail Head:
The trail head is located on park property
To access the trail head:
The trail heads are located just across the creek from the furnace. When you enter the park at the entrance gate just tell the attendant
that you are there to hike and they will give you a trail map and also a map of the whole park.
Difficulty:
The trail is easy with the exception of it being a little lengthy and having some hills.
Hiking the Trail:
As you make your way towards the main trail head you walk upon a furnace used during the civil war. Before starting your hike I suggest walking into the furnace building and looking around.
You will get a great view from atop the furnace. After enjoying the furnace area just walk across the creek via a foot bridge.
Here you will see the Iron Road trail. Start on the Iron Road trail. The Iron Road trail will go for about 1.5 miles before connecting
with the Stage Coach trail. Take the Stage Coach trail until you reach the Grist Mill trail. The Grist Mill trail will take you near Farley Field
and to a Pioneer Farm (you can also drive up to it if you don't have time to hike to it). After walking the Grist Mill trail
you can comeback to the Stage Coach trail. Continue on the Stage Coach trail until you reach the Slave Quarters trail. This will take you back to
the trail head near the furnace. Each of these roads where actually used back in the 1800s. They all have historical significance to the
Tannehill area. You can also hike by on old cemetery while completing the loop. This loop should be around 4 miles in length.
Note: There are several other mountain biking and hiking loops that have been added to
the park. I did not hike any of these, but it seems some of them look quite hilly. There is a kiosk near the Collins cabin
with trail maps to each of them. I believe if you include the main trails with these it's over 11 miles. Also, you may want to leave early
enough to enjoy the features the rest of the park has to offer. Their is a really neat iron works museum you will want to check out.
Their is also several old cabins to look at, some of them having arts and crafts at certain times.
Scenery:
You will see old 1800s style cabins, a civil war era iron works furnace, woodlands, creeks, and more.
Trail Maintenance:
The trails are well maintained
Facilities:
The park has restrooms, a cool museum, playgrounds, camping for RVs and much more. There is a $4.00 fee for entering the park that you pay at the gate, a $2.00 fee for the museum.