We had heard about this campground from a fellow camper when we were at FDR State Park – glad we decided to stop here!

About the Park

Although we were here just three nights and most of that was during the rain, it was still easy to tell that this park is certainly well cared for.

The sites themselves were in great shape – they took the time to level sites unlike other parks we’re used to. And they also had garbage cans for EACH SITE! The bathrooms were older but clean and fully functional.

Marble Mine Trail

We knew we only had one day where we could be outside due to the pending rain, so we wanted to take the most interesting trail at the park. We decided to start with the Marble Mine trail and then continue for a short while on the Pinhoti trail.

Since we didn’t have a lot of time to read about the trail before heading out, we were a bit surprised initially at the actual marble mine – we were not expecting to be greeted by a waterfall right at the mine! We were also confused since we were expecting old wooden structures from the original mine, but there was none left. Guess if a lot of the the area is made of marble, you might not need support.

It was quite cool to be able to walk underneath the waterfall. The caverns on each side didn’t look like they went in far but were cool to be able to peek in.

The trail to the marble mine wasn’t easy, but didn’t think it was awfully difficult from the campground. Yes, there was some elevation, but in reality the elevation to get from the marble mine to the Pinhoti trail was more exerting. And this area in particular made me a little concerned about being on the trail after any significant rain. I would certainly not recommend until the hill has a day or so to dry out.

Pinhotti Trail

Being a beginner in hiking, I was not aware of the Pinhoti trail and was surprised by the long through-hike opportunity here from Alabama to Georgia. I also wasn’t aware that this trail and the Appalachian trail were actually part of a much longer Eastern Continental Trail (ECT) spanning over 4400 miles!

Once on the Pinhoti trail, you’re walking a ridge line so you can see often on both sides of the trail. Since we were hiking in late February, we could still see a reasonable amount through the trees. I’m sure that’s quite different after everything begins to bloom.

Weather on the Trail

The original intention was to to hike out and back on the Pinhoti trail but we thought that trying the service road that parallels the trail might be good as a round-trip option. It would have worked but would likely have added 4-5 miles onto the full trip. We should have simply done an in-and-out trail instead of trying to make it a loop. As the humidity and pressure changed, we realized we needed to make our way more quickly back to the park and decided that we needed to get back on the Pinhotti trail to keep our mileage down – and beat the impending storm.

We did find a less-steep area to get back on the ridge and then back onto the state park trails. Always exciting when you’re racing the weather!

Since we did go off trail towards the latter part, we do NOT recommend the path we took. Either do the in-and-out option or add the extra mileage to make the longer round trip.

Our Camping Locations

If you’re interested in seeing all of the places we’ve stayed in 2022, I’m keeping a (mostly) updated list on Google Maps by Month. Enjoy!