North Region - Hiking Alabama: A Guide to the State's Greatest Hiking Adventures - page 402

Maps: USGS Pruitton, AL; DeLorme: Alabama Atlas & Gazetteer, page 18 B7;
trail maps available online at the Forever Wild website
Trail contact: Alabama State Lands ADCNR, 64 N. Union St., Montgomery, AL
36130; [phone]; www.alabamaforeverwild.com
Special considerations: Hunting is permitted on the property from fall through
early spring. Please visit the Forever Wild website for dates and restrictions.
Finding the trailhead: From Florence at the intersection of US 72 (Florence
Boulevard) and Darby Drive, head north on Darby Drive / Old Jackson Highway
south 4.4 miles. Turn left onto CR 61 (Butler Creek Road) and travel 2.6 miles. A
small sign is at the turn into the preserve on the right. Turn right and head down
the gravel road 0.5 mile to the trailhead. GPS: N34 54.437' / W87 37.233'
The Hike
Only a few miles south of the Tennessee state line and just north of the city of
Florence is a 298-acre tract of land called the Shoal Creek Preserve. The property,
managed by the Alabama Forever Wild Program (Department of Conservation
and Natural Resources), is a beautiful water-feature-filled property. Within its
boundaries are two impressive streams, Lawson and Jones Branches, and a wide
feeder creek into Wilson Lake, not to mention the tract's namesake, Shoal Creek.
The property was once facing development and would have been lost forever if
not saved by grant money and generous donations from the city of Florence and
Lauderdale County. That was in 2002. Today, three trails totaling 4.5 miles grace
the property: a 2.1-mile-long horseback-riding trail and two hiking trails, the
Lawson Branch Loop and this trail, the Jones Branch Loop.
As with the Lawson Branch Loop, the Jones Branch Loop winds its way
through several different habitats, including mature upland hardwood stands,
scenic creek bottoms, and fallow fields. And once again, as with the Lawson
Branch, there are water features. Along this path you will take in a bit of Lawson
Branch from the south side of the creek (whereas the Lawson Branch Loop fol-
lows the north side) and another wide, swift creek, Jones Branch, where the water