Days in the Talladega Forest

Talladega Scenic Highway is a nice road. It's nice because goes through the highest mountains of Alabama. 

This is one of those so-called "scenic roads" in travel sites and paper magazines. The ones of, "the best drives in America". You know the marketing gimmick. But honoring the truth, the paved road is pretty good and low in traffic. Judge by the next photo. 

Talladega Scenic Highway or 281 through the National Forest in Alabama - Photo: Still Gravity.
The Scenic Highway through the Talladega forest - License our images here.

We came in through the Adam Gap - the southern entrance - and took a campsite at Turnipseed Campground. This primitive camp seats between Talladega National Forest and Cheaha Wilderness. Nature in both looked pretty much the same to me. It's just an administrative division. 

The campground is close to the paved road but shielded by a dense wall of trees. The access goes through a narrow dirt road that may be missed if one doesn't pay attention. There were eight sites and only one was taken. There is not potable water. 

The Chinnabee Silent Trail crosses the campground. It reaches the Cheaha Falls to the west and intersects the Pinhoti and the Odum Trails to the east. No need to drive to trailheads from our campsite. 

The Talladega name comes from a nearby city. It's said that meant "border" and "town" in the Muscogee language. The spot used to be the boundary between two Native American tribes - the Muscogee and the Natchez. 

Turnipseed Campground in the Talladega mountains - Photo: Still Gravity.
Walking the Turnipseed campground road.          

Quiet forest with mostly empty trails. There were wasps close to our site, but they behave well. No complaints. 

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