Piedmont Plateau | Clay | Best Seasons: Fall | Spring
Lake Chinnabee Recreation Area offers first-rate resources for nature-loving visitors: A beautiful lake, interesting plants, numerous birds, along with essential amenities. This is perhaps the “birdiest” site in this entire unit of the Talladega National Forest. Watch for a variety of woodland birds, including Red-eyed Vireo, Scarlet Tanager, Northern Parula, and Yellow-throated and Hooded Warblers.
The 17-acre lake and small, heavily forested recreation area are tucked into a pastoral valley of peacefulness, suitable for hiking, picnicking and fishing. The lake has marshy areas good for shore birds, Great Blue Herons, Great Egrets and Wood Ducks. Red-shouldered and Red-tailed Hawks nest in the area, and a variety of ducks are routine visitors in winter months. The Recreation Area provides access to several hiking trails:
CHINNABEE SILENT TRAIL, which connects to the 7,245-acre Cheaha Wilderness Area, is 6-miles and goes by waterfalls near the Lake Chinnabee Recreation area and the Talladega Scenic Byway.
LAKE SHORE TRAIL is a two-mile trail around Lake Chinnabee. All part of the Talladega National Forest.
Be sure to visit nearby Cheaha State Park when visiting.
GPS: 33.4600939 -85.86664
Talladega Ranger District
Mailing Address:
1001 North Street
(Highway 21 North)
Talladega, AL 35160
256-362-2909
Leave Cheaha State Park and turn right. At 1.4 miles, turn right. See signs that you are leaving Cheaha State Park and entering Talladega National Forest. Go 5 miles, and turn left to Lake Chinnabee.
Amenities Available:
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