Alum Bluff

The view from Alum Bluff

At 1.3 miles, the trail veers left down a forest road and passes between two posts. Look off to your left to see another ravine, which you can traverse on the return trip. Sporadic plant identification markers start here, helping you to understand the complex botany on this bridge. At 1.4 miles, you emerge at an unexpected viewpoint— Alum Bluff, with its vast panorama of Apalachicola River, even better than the views at Torreya State Park. Standing 135 feet above the river where a Confederate gun emplacement once assisted in protection of the arsenal at Chattahootchee, you have a decision point—retrace your route for a 2.6 mile round-trip hike, or continue along the loop to do the full 3.3 miles.

I’ll admit, the day I visited, I’d already spent most of the day hiking at Torreya and had to turn back after reaching Alum Bluff because it was going to get dark at the pace we were doing...I had no idea the hiking would be so rugged! But I’ll return and finish the full loop so I can give you the rest of the story. Be warned … my friend “Earthworm” says the ravines along the far loop are deeper and steeper than the ones you’ve encountered up to this point. The loop returns you back into the second sandhill area, nearest the bluffs. From there, you retrace your route through the first two ravines back to the parking area.