The Chief LaDiga Trail is a 33 mile paved multi-use pathway that is part of the Rails To Trails network of trails across the United States. It begins in Anniston, Alabama and stretches to the Alabama/Georgia border where it seamlessly meets the 62 mile Silver Comet trail, ending at Smyrna, Georgia. When ridden the entire length of these two trails combined the resulting trip is approximately 95 miles, one way.

The Chief Ladiga Trail had been on our ride list for quite a while and on this weekend we decided that we would go ride it, even though it was a bit on the hot side weatherwise. Since we do not currently have the ability to be away from home overnight, we cannot ride the full two part trail at this time, so we decided to do it in segments. This would be Segment One.

We figured out a while back that we like to ride “up and back” trails by starting in the middle. This sounds a little odd at first, but our reasons are sound. We ride these types of trails in this way because it gives us a way to be back at the “starting point” (parking lot) midway through the ride. This is great for a lunch break and it also allows us the option to stop in case of illness, injury, or bicycle malfunction.

On this day, we had an additional reason for parking midway and that was so that we could charge our bike batteries while we rested and ate lunch/snacks. We use a Jackery battery to charge our bikes and it works like a charm. This was the first time we tested that setup, though, so we were pleasantly surprised that the bikes charged just fine using this method.

We began the ride at Germania Park, just north of Jacksonville, Alabama. The park was large, just next to the road, had restrooms, and had some constant activity. We felt very safe leaving our vehicle here for the full day ride.

Germania Springs Park

The plan was to ride south to the starting point of the trail and return to the truck, charge the bikes, have some lunch, use the facilities, stretch the legs and then head north to try to make it to the border, then head back to the truck again.

The Bamboo Forest

The most pleasant surprise of the southbound portion of this ride was this bamboo forest. The day was pretty warm and we were so amazed when we came upon this stand of bamboo that the property owner had decided to embrace (you can never really get rid of bamboo once it takes hold) and carve into an oasis for bikers and hikers on the trail. There is a small sign that tells you to come on in and rest a bit. Even though it was not huge, probably a quarter of an acre, It truly was a slice of paradise in this crazy hot and humid state we live in. There are no restrooms, or trash bins, so please be sure to pack it out and be respectful. I honestly wish there would have been some type of donation box, as it would have been worth the money for the respite from the sun.

New Rest Stops

On the northern part of our ride, we came upon a new rest area right on the trail. It was fabulous. The trail going north from Germanica Park rides along the Tallasseehatchee River and at one section there is a cut through the rock that acts as a natural air conditioner. The air in this cut hits you like opening a freezer and standing in front of it on a hot day. Refreshing!

Big Clean Trail North

We made it to within a couple of miles of the border with Georgia and found a great spot to turn around and head back. On the northern section, there was a large portion that was under construction. The trail was blocked by the typical orange and white barrels, but there was enough room to squeeze through. We decided to try it and see what happened. We hit this section in the late afternoon and the workers were just finishing up filling some potholes and removing some roots for the day. We rode the entire part that was “under construction” except for about 50 yards where we walked the bikes around the side of their work trucks that were blocking the path. So happy to see that this trail is so well maintained!

Piedmont Alabama

Ride with GPS Route

Below is the embed for our actual Ride with GPS profile ride from this trip, you can click on the title for more details.