Borden Trailhead - Moulton, Alabama

Jared T.

Great hike! The road getting in was pretty rough, there had apparently been a wind storm At some point that hadn’t been fully cleared.

My kids loved going through fat man squeeze, a little tunnel/cave you have to navigate as part of the trail.

The hike follows the creek, there are a few very small waterfalls, but other trails in here have better views and better falls.

Overall it was fun.

Mary W.

Trail 200 aka the Borden Creek Trail, was in all its splendor today with flowing waterfalls and abundant wildflowers. We even found a few of the last Virginia Bluebells blooming. Also in bloom were foam flowers, trilliums, violets, and Solomon seal. We started our hike at the Borden Creek trailhead, and hiked through to the Sipsey Picnic Area. The creekside opening of the “Fat Man Squeeze” is badly eroded, so please be very careful. Also, with the water levels up, we had water over our boots in Cranal Creek. The banks are muddy and slippery, so again, please be careful. We enjoyed our day in the gorgeous Sipsey Wilderness area, and please Leave No Trace.

William P.

This trail is pretty stunning. However, it is not marked, and you cannot rely on google maps to get you to where you need to go. I would recommend bringing a paper map, or just using your common sense. If you walk along the river, you won't get lost.

There are primitive campsites everywhere, with a first-come, first-serve basis. I would say there is a campsite once every 15 minutes each spaced between each other, give or take a few minutes.You do not need a reservation, or need to pay.

The trail I took went along the Borden Trailhead to the Sipsey River trailhead. For early March, the trail was fairly crowded. Many people camped at each trail start by the river. There's one spot along this trail where many sites are located, about halfway through this trail. Keep in mind when you come here that there are no bathrooms, and you are a good 15 minute walk from your car, at least, when you first start on the trail.

I came from Decatur, and the road is pretty uneventful. However, the gravel road you must take to get to the Borden Trailhead does seem suspicious to drive down, with fallen trees and huge bumps in the road. As long as you take it slow, it should be fine. There are even trees that have fallen over the road, but trust me, this is still open and can be taken all the way down to the trailhead. Also, google maps shows that this road goes all the way to the river, but it does not. There is a gate (along with parking areas) and you have to walk about 1/4 of a mile down to the river.

This trail is completely worth doing. I honestly did not have high hopes for it, especially in early March, but it was very pretty. There's a waterfall just about at every turn, and caves you can explore and look into (they aren't big ones). The water looked crystal clear, and I'd imagine that it's a great place to swim in the summer. Huge rock formations and boulders are formed by this river as millions of years of erosion has formed a sort of canyon that you trek through. All in all, this is a pretty unknown spot and a hidden gem in my opinion. Come here if you can!

Vanessa P.

Just another beautiful day in the forest. This trail is definitely closer to fat man squeeze. Down to the Sipsey and back is 6 miles.

victor D.

A couple miles of grave road and reasonable parking
Graded down hill from parking to near creek and trailed

A Very quiet area
Remote so plan water, clothing and snacks

Auguste R.

This trail has a ton to offer and is perfect for beginners. We started on trail 200 and did a portion of 209. It's got a fat man squeeze, lots of little waterfalls on the way, and a big 90 ft one about a mile into trail 209 after you cross the creek. We saw everything we wanted to in a solid 2 day, 8 mile trip.

Cecily C.

Love the improvements to the parking area, didn't get to explore the trail as much as I had hoped, but found a waterfall near.parking area!

Alex P.

At this trailhead, first you park then you walk on a long gravel road to a closed bridge. Then you veer to the left to get on the hiking trail. About a half of a mile down is a "cave" which is called the Fat Man's Squeeze. If you are hiking from this parking lot, it is on your left and you can't miss it. You can go through the squeeze or walk around it. The squeeze is not pitch black like one hiking book told me.
The foliage is very pretty and the trail is almost entirely shaded.
There are no services at this trailhead and the road to drive to the parking is just in OK shape. If I could do it again, I would skip this trailhead. There are much better Bankhead Forest hiking options.