The City of Gadsden’s Park and Recreation Department will resume hosting tours of the Black Creek Trail system at Noccalula Falls, with the first tour scheduled for Saturday, September 3rd at 9 a.m. Additional tours will be held September 17th and October 1st, 15th, and 29th.
The Black Creek Trail, completed in 2011 is a 1.7 mile crushed-stone path that winds from the Wedding Chapel at the Noccalula Falls Campground down the Black Creek gorge to Black Creek Road. In 2014, the City completed several more miles of multi-use trails that interconnect with the main trail. The trails are becoming popular with events like the Barbarian Challenge and the Noccalula Falls Spring Trail run using large sections of the trails in their races. Mountain-bikers are frequenting the trails as well, including the Etowah County Composite Team, a team of high school student mountain-bikers who use the Black Creek Trails for their practices. Hikers, fitness enthusiasts, and outdoor lovers are also among users of the trails. The color-coded trails are marked with kiosk signage with a trail map at strategic entry points and with arrows at various intervals and intersections. Trail maps can be obtained at the Campground office, the Parks and Recreation office at the Senior Activity Center, at the Greater Gadsden Area Tourism Visitors Center at 90 Walnut St. in Gadsden, or can be downloaded from the “Download” section of the tourism website at www.greatergadsden.com
The tour will cover several sections of the trails and will involve about 2.5 miles of walking and take approximately 1.5 hours. Ed Whatley will lead the tours. Appropriate shoes and clothing for the walk should be worn. The tours will start at 9 a.m. Check in at the Campground office prior to 9 a.m. Bottled water will be provided. For questions, please call the Campground office at 256-543-7412