North Region - Hiking Alabama: A Guide to the State's Greatest Hiking Adventures - page 358

Trail contact: Alabama State Lands ADCNR, 64 N. Union St., Montgomery, AL
36130; [phone]; www.alabamaforeverwild.com
Nature Conservancy, 4245 North Fairfax Drive, Suite 100, Arlington, VA
22203-1606; [phone]; www.nature.org
Finding the trailhead: From Scottsboro take AL 79 North for 26 miles. You will
pass the Walls of Jericho Equestrian trailhead on the left. Just after that the hiker
trailhead will be on the left. If you cross over into Tennessee, you've gone too far.
GPS: N 34 58.62' / W 86 4.82'
The Hike
There are many words to describe the Walls of Jericho: Breathtaking, awe-inspir-
ing, awesome—and they're all true. The name comes from a combination of the
high-walled canyon that is the highlight of this trail and the nearby town of
Jericho.
The state has pined for this piece of property for quite some time, not for its po-
tential as a hiking destination, but for its ecological significance. Within the tract
are the headwaters of the Paint Rock River. The river is home to more than one
hundred species of fish and mussels, seventeen of which are on the Endangered
Species List. A wide diversity of animal life can be found out of the water as well,
including unique species of bats and rare birds like the cerulean warbler once be-
lieved to exist only in the Bankhead National Forest.
The land was once owned by Texas oilman Harry Lee Carter and his family. As
soon as the Forever Wild program was established, the state began pursuing this
property to preserve its unique and fragile environment. It wasn't until 2001, ten
years after the formation of Forever Wild, that the Nature Conservancy convinced
the family to sell. In turn, Forever Wild purchased the property from the Nature
Conservancy to place it under state control and management.
Since it was purchased by the state, the Walls has become one of the most pop-
ular hiking destinations in Alabama, and it's no wonder. As you hike down the