Cheaha Wilderness
From the stone tower on the summit of Cheaha Mountain, Alabama's highest point at 2,407 feet, a dense second-growth woodland stretches south across Cheaha State Park and into Cheaha Wilderness, Talladega National Forest. For a scenic peek over the area, an asphalt road leads to the top of the mountain off of Alabama Highway 281, the Talladega Scenic Drive. The Cheaha Wilderness is best known for its elevated terrain and overlooks with panoramic views of east-central Alabama and attracts hikers to the Pinhoti National Recreation Trail, Alabama's longest walking path. This stretch of the trail runs from northeast to southwest across the entire Cheaha Wilderness, a distance of 7.8 miles.
Description from Wilderness Connect (wilderness.net).
| Designation | Wilderness |
| Managed by | U.S. Forest Service |
| State | Alabama |
| Size | 7,400 acres |
| Designated | 1983, by Congress |
| Center point | 33.42° N, 85.83° W |
| Night sky | About as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 11) |
Boundary map
Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees Federal campground
The outline is the agency boundary simplified for display, so small parcels and inholdings may not show. The agency page has the authoritative map.
Weather by month
Large units span more than one climate. The station stands in for the center point, and the outer parts of the boundary can be warmer or colder.
Where to camp
None of the 1 federal campground within ten miles sits inside the boundary. Nearest first. Distances are from the campground point to the boundary edge, from the Campsite Atlas index.
Trails
6 named Forest Service trails enter this wilderness, 167 miles in all.
| Trail | Miles | Allowed uses |
|---|---|---|
| Pinhoti NRT ↗ | 149.6 | |
| Chinnabee Silent Hiking Trail ↗ | 5.8 | |
| Nubbin Creek Hiking Trail | 4 | |
| Odum Scout Trail | 4 | |
| Cave Creek Trail - Talladega | 3.7 | |
| South Connector Hiking Trail | 0.2 |
Lengths and allowed uses come from the Forest Service trail layer by way of Trailhead Atlas. This trail list was copied from Trailhead Atlas on November 1, 2026 and is copied again on each weekly run. Trails in plain text have no page there yet.
Fire nearby
- WildfirePossum Point
47 mi from the center point · 120 acres · 90% contained
Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge, and is measured from the center of a boundary that may be many miles across. Check the agency page for closures.
Explore
Nearby on the other atlases
- 14.1 miSwayne Hall ↗National Historic Landmark
- 6.5 miClay County Courthouse ↗Ashland, AL
- 7.3 miBlack, Hugo, House ↗Ashland, AL
- 10.3 miColdwater Creek Covered Bridge ↗Coldwater, AL
- 11 miOxford Railway Depot ↗Oxford, AL
- 11 miSnow, Dudley, House ↗Oxford, AL
- 11.2 miCooper, Davis C., House ↗Oxford, AL
- 12.1 miElston House ↗Talladega, AL
Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.
Guidebooks for Alabama and the South
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Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.
Reference
Questions people ask
How big is Cheaha Wilderness?
7,400 acres.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Who manages Cheaha Wilderness?
The U.S. Forest Service.
Source: Wilderness Connect
What state is Cheaha Wilderness in?
Alabama.
Source: Wilderness Connect
When was Cheaha Wilderness designated?
Congress designated it in 1983.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Can I camp at Cheaha Wilderness?
Camping inside a wilderness is usually allowed away from roads, with no facilities, and the managing agency page has the permit rules. The federal campgrounds within ten miles are listed under Where to camp.
Source: Where to camp
How do I get to Cheaha Wilderness?
A point inside the boundary is at 33.418° N, 85.833° W. Freedom Riders National Monument is 13 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Is there a fire near Cheaha Wilderness right now?
1 active incident within 50 miles as of 2026-11-01, the nearest Possum Point at 47 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.
Source: Fire nearby
Which national parks are near Cheaha Wilderness?
Freedom Riders National Monument (13 mi) and Horseshoe Bend National Military Park (28 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.
Source: Nearby on the other atlases
Are there historic places near Cheaha Wilderness?
The National Register has 50 listings within 15 miles, including Swayne Hall and Clay County Courthouse.
Source: Register Atlas
Sources
- Boundary, name, acreage, designation year, states and description: Wilderness Connect.
- Campgrounds: the Campsite Atlas index of federal campgrounds, matched to this boundary at build time.
- Trailheads and sites: the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer, points inside the boundary.
- Trails: the Trailhead Atlas open-data file of Forest Service trails, matched on the wilderness each trail enters.
- Night sky: NASA Black Marble (VIIRS, 2016 composite) sampled at zoom 6 around the center point.
- Weather, alerts, air quality, river flow and earthquakes load live in your browser from NWS, AirNow, USGS and iNaturalist when you open the page.