Walls of Jericho revisited

OwenM

OwenM

Joined
Oct 26, 2000
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My fifth time going to this place, and I posted threads about two overnighters the past couple of years that were both in May. Bit of a drive, but I still like to go here occasionally when I don't have tons of time, because the hike is only 6 miles round trip, and a good workout doing the uphill return trip nonstop.
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/850014-Walls-of-Jericho-5-2011
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/742717-The-Walls-of-Jericho-AL-TN --lots of info and pics in that one.
The plan changed several times for this trip. I was going to take a rim trail that deadends, bushwhack along the canyon on private property, and rappel down next to the waterfall, but decided I needed another look at it to make sure my 150' rope was long enough(only 75' to retrieve it without a pull-cord). Then I was going to hike in, play around, and hike out after dark, but left my headlamp in my backpack when I switched to my lumbar pack. Since I only had about 4hrs. of daylight, it ended up being a quick dayhike, straight in to see the falls, and straight back out after stopping at the falls to eat, but I still had more fun than usual.
Brought water shoes and wetsocks, and for the first time, the waterfall at "The Grotto" was flowing when I was there.
I haven't been taking many pics this year. Mostly making videos, but they take forever to load to youtube, so I rarely bother.
Sorry there's a bald-headed guy interfering with so many of the few pics, but I'm finding the ones that "take me back there" the most are pics with me in them, so the 10sec timer has been getting a workout.
My other threads had pics of the hike in, and the Walls themselves, plus a couple of short videos.
That part is less than a mile, but I hiked both in and out of the canyon at the end of the hike in the water, instead of on the trail.

This video is from last year, showing the outer amphitheater of the Walls, and back to The Grotto.
[youtube]FbxZIK1S0hE[/youtube]
Pics from today:
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I likes the water...
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Wish the hike was longer, but I love this place.
 
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Looks like a great trip Owen and I really enjoyed the videos; I'm sending it to my wife to watch. It's only about 6 hours from Augusta and told her it would be a good summer trip for a few days once I get from Afghanistan and our trip to WA state. Hows the water later summer? I'm assuming it's a lot less. Also, it looks like some good bouldering; we haven't been rock climbing in couple years, but I know my wife would enjoy it. Oh, just wondering if it looked like any trout were in there? Looks like my kind of small river for fly fishing!

ROCK6
 
Great scenery. Nice distance for a hike to, 6 miler is just about right for a quick day out in the wilds to recharge the batteries. Thanks for posting.
 
Thanks, guys.
ROCK6 said:
It's only about 6 hours from Augusta and told her it would be a good summer trip for a few days once I get from Afghanistan and our trip to WA state. Hows the water later summer? I'm assuming it's a lot less. Also, it looks like some good bouldering; we haven't been rock climbing in couple years, but I know my wife would enjoy it. Oh, just wondering if it looked like any trout were in there? Looks like my kind of small river for fly fishing!

ROCK6
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It's likely to be drier later in the summer, but I'm sure it will depend on whether we have a wet one or not. Been pretty dry the last couple summers, though, and right around now is always the time for water flow.
I don't know how long a trip you'd want to take there, but it's <2hr. from Little River Canyon and DeSoto State Park.
There's a creek on the way in that you might have some luck fishing. I've seen fish and turtles there.
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The second is fed by the stream coming from the canyon, and usually dry, but was flowing this time.

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They have a campsite right by the AL side parking lot, and another with a bunch of sites just before entering the canyon. Last year they had trees down, lots of brush and undergrowth around the edges, and an adjoining meadow was fairly well grown over, but they must have bushhogged it, maybe even mowed the campsite areas, and removed the downed trees. I mean removed, not moved aside or even left for firewood. Looks almost like they want to discourage fires this year, but it was very clean and neat. It looks too...civilized, now, but would be great for a Boy Scout troop.
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Here's a map, though it really just shows the trails.
http://www.outdooralabama.com/publi...lls_of_Jericho/Walls of Jericho Trail Map.pdf
I completely forgot about that 4.7miles Bear Den Point Loop! Seems I read it's basically just a "walk in the woods", but there's the distance I was wishing for.
The South Rim Trail was nice when some of the leaves had fallen, but it might be hard to see across the canyon when the foliage is fully in. Dang, this getting old is screwing with my memory. Forgot another overnighter I'd done there. I guess going somewhere every week kind of blurs them together after awhile.
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Wow, i live less than thirty minutes from there and yet i havent ever gone! im gonna have to do that soon! are there any specific rules on pitchin a tent out there and campin for a night or two? Great pics!
 
very nice! i'm jealous of all those waterfalls. there's only a very few spots here that i know of that has a strong water source that i can overnight close to.
 
That's one thing about this state, we have LOTS of falls in the northern part because of the limestone bedrock that results in under and above-ground waterfalls. Sipsey Wilderness in northwest AL got trashed by tornadoes last year, and is still being worked on, but it's called the "Land of 1000 Waterfalls", and northeast AL is full of them, too, being in the TAG region(junction of TN, AL, GA) known for it's huge amount of caves.
sisk61 said:
Wow, i live less than thirty minutes from there and yet i havent ever gone! im gonna have to do that soon! are there any specific rules on pitchin a tent out there and campin for a night or two? Great pics!
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I imagine you're supposed to use the campsites, but I've camped in that meadow, and thought about camping on top of the canyon. Since I tend to be the one that picks up after everybody else, and leave no trace myself, I don't really pay much attention to rules, however wrong I may be for that.
The campsite near the mouth of the canyon that I posted a pic of is really convenient, because that's where the rim trail starts, and you're right next to water from the canyon, and a short walk back to that first creek if the second one is dry. I've also camped at the one by the highway after dayhiking to the canyon, planning to do that Bear Den Point loop trail, but got sick, and just left the next morning.
This is from the one near the parking lot. I assume the fence is there because of a ridge that slopes down from there.
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If you're 30min from there, you're pretty close to some good places. I'd still like to spend a few days at Savage Gulf, just can't spare the vacation time.

I'd say the only downside is that it may get crowded on the weekends. There are always people dayhiking there during the week, though I usually just see people leaving when I get there, and arriving when I leave the next day. Only once have there been other people staying overnight on a Wednesday, and that was 3-4 guys staying at the campsite furthest back in the pic from my previous reply-it goes back beyond where you can see in the pic, and the only reason I knew they were there is that I walked back there to find the one most away from the trail, myself.
 
Walls of Jericho is on my short list for this fall. I am not too far away here in the Rocket City.

Also planning to camp in Savage Gulf this fall. Getting some gear up in the meantime. My Stanley camp cooker came in today. One more piece of the puzzle.
 
I had no idea about Savage Gulf! man, ive just been settling for Monte Sano! I wish i knew more trails! I usually go down to Double Springs. A very close friend to the family has about 1000 acres down there, and we go there all the time. right on the edge of Bankhead. the sipsey river runs right by it actually. I love Alabama. Interesting terrain. The humidity gets ya though!
 
sisk61 said:
IA very close friend to the family has about 1000 acres down there, and we go there all the time. right on the edge of Bankhead. the sipsey river runs right by it actually. I love Alabama. Interesting terrain. The humidity gets ya though!
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That's awesome. I have a love/hate relationship with Sipsey Wilderness, and part of me says I may never go back in the summer. Overgrown trails with lots of deadfalls to crawl under due to the trees not being able to root deeply, reputation for rattlers and water moccasins, though all I ever see anywhere are copperheads, swarms of deer ticks, biting horseflies. Turned my last overnighter year before last into a 15 mile dayhike just to get out of there, because I was all scratched up, and felt like I was being eaten alive. Love it in the winter, though. Some friends and I used to pack in and camp at the end of each year, and have a blast.
Trails 209 and 204 are still closed as far as I know, along with several others. A friend of mine took his son there this past fall, and said where the trail was supposed to be they were literally walking on the trunks of trees downed by a tornado on T206(I think?).
I say I'm not going, but probably will as soon as 209 reopens. Beautiful area.
 
Gorgeous country. Love all that running water, but your audio on the video did send my wife running to the washroom :D Thanks for sharing, looks like an amazing place to hike.
 
Yeah, a tornado a couple years back really hit them hard. they still havent gotten all the fallen trees processed, I have noticed an abnormal amount of pesty animals... but I grew up going there so i guess im just used to the ticks and everything. Still havent seen a rattlesnake out there yet. stepped on a water moccasin once, that was terrifying. i love alabama
 
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