Right now is prime hiking time around Lake Martin.

We’ve had a really hot and dry autumn, but the temperatures are finally getting right to hit the trails. The other day we Coleys headed to one of the CRATA trails.  It’s the Deadening Alpine Trail.

It sounds pretty severe but it’s actually a really nice hike. The trailhead and parking area is located just west of the entrance to The Harbor subdivision on Overlook Road. The trail transitions from a red clay and pine tree stand to a deciduous forest with mountain laurel and rhododendron that makes you realize you’re on the southern end of the Appalachian Mountain Range.

The trail takes you up and over a ridge that you have seen a million times by boat if you have visited Chimney and Acapulco Rocks. In fact, the coolest part of the hike is when you hit some big boulders that are pretty high up from the water that look straight across to Lake Martin’s most infamous landmark. You can hang out on the rocks and get some selfies, or try and squeeze through the Needle’s Eye!

We just fooled around on those rocks for a while and then hiked back in time to catch some football on TV. It was lots of fun.

If you’d like to learn more about Cherokee Alpine Ridge Trails, click here for their website. They are a great nonprofit that maintains many miles of trails around Lake Martin.

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