Central Region - Hiking Alabama: A Guide to the State's Greatest Hiking Adventures - page 208

Maps: USGS Buttston, AL; DeLorme: Alabama Atlas & Gazetteer, page 39 D8;
trail map and brochure available at visitor center.
Trail contact: Horseshoe Bend NMP, 11288 Horseshoe Bend Rd., Daviston, AL
36256; [phone]; www.nps.gov/hobe
Finding the trailhead: From Alexander City at the intersection of AL 22 and
Madison Street, take AL 22 east 12.8 miles. Turn right onto Hamlet Mill Road
and travel 4.7 miles. The park entrance will be on your left. Turn left into the park
and stop by the visitor center before you start. Continue past the visitor center 0.1
mile to the Overlook parking area. The trail begins here on the north side of the
parking lot. GPS: N32 58.832' / W85 44.093'
The Hike
Horseshoe Bend National Military Park, located just east of Alexander City, is a
quiet and serene park operated by the National Park Service. The park is off the
beaten path, so for the most part you won't be encountering big crowds (the only
exception is when the park hosts its living history days), which gives you plenty
of opportunity to take your time and enjoy, and experience, the history and beauty
of the park.
The park itself is located at the elbow, or “horseshoe,” of the Tallapoosa River.
The spit of land within the horseshoe would ultimately be the site of a major battle
that brought an end to the Creek Indian War that ran from 1813 to 1814. Sadly, it
would also see the removal of many of the Creeks to the plains and the acquisition
of their land by the United States.
Before we hit the trail, a little history lesson. When Europeans arrived in North
America, they bartered heavily with the Creek Indians and began a long and trust-
ing partnership. The partnership was strengthened following the American Re-
volution, as the Creeks signed an agreement with the fledgling country guarantee-
ing their right to their land.
Through the years leading up to the Creek War, many of the tribes in the South
followed US Indian Agent Benjamin Hawkins and his programs for improving