Cahaba River Canoe Access
Points in 2006
US 11 in
Trussville -
At the Municipal Park. Unimproved, but not difficult. Good parking
available. 7 miles to County Road 10.
County Road 10
- Unimproved and difficult
access. Parking is limited and hazardous. 8.4 miles to Lovick.
Lovick -
"Unofficial"; a trailer park and private property. Parking is limited.
Probably not suitable for public access. Put-in on the river is not difficult.
5.9 miles to Grants' Mill Road.
Grants' Mill
Road - Official
Jefferson County Canoe Launch. Access is steep but paved. Parking is excellent.
One of the most heavily used put-ins on the Cahaba. 6.9 miles to Old Overton
Road.
Old Overton
Road - Official
Jefferson County Canoe Launch. Access is great, paved. Parking is excellent. One
of the most heavily used take-outs on the Cahaba. 5.3 miles to Highway 280.
Highway 280 -
"Unofficial";
Property of Birmingham Water Works. They neither forbid nor encourage access at
this spot. The access is heavily used. Unimproved. Not too difficult. 4-wheel
vehicles drive to this spot causing significant erosion problems. Parking is
limited and hazardous.
The BWWSB, Malcolm Pirnie, and Energen are developing a plan for better access
at this general location.
Rocky Ridge
Road - "Unofficial";
cul de sac of residential development. Very steep and rough. Parking is
ok, but limited. 5.2 miles to next take-out.
Lorna Road -
Official Jefferson County Canoe Launch. Access is steep, but good.
Parking is hidden from view (That's good and bad). 9.8 miles to Highway 52
Bridge.
Buck Creek - "Unofficial";
On Highway 261 across from
"Incahoots" bar/restaurant. Access is good,
parking is abundant. 5.0 miles to Highway 52 Bridge.
Alabama Small
Boats - Private property
of canoe outfitter. It has always been accessible to us and their customers.
Access is steep and difficult. Parking is good and spacious, but rather far from
the take-out. 19.4 miles to Booth's Ford take-out.
Booth's Ford
- Good access from Highway
13 side, abundant parking. Poor road access from the County Rd 251 side. The area is heavily used by ATV
enthusiasts, much to the detriment of the river. 13.7 miles to Piper Bridge
take-out. 5.9 miles to the Marvel Slab.
Marvel Slab -
"Unofficial";
Gulf States Timber property. Frequently used by fishermen and drinking
enthusiasts. Roads to this spot are rugged and impassible during rainy periods.
Access is difficult. 7.8 miles to Piper bridge take-out.
Piper Bridge -
A dirt road from Bibb County Road 24 is maintained by Bibb County
Commission. This is the put-in for many Cahaba lily trips. Access is excellent.
Parking is limited. 7.6 miles to River Bend Bridge take-out.
Bulldog Bend
Bridge (on Little Cahaba River) - On Bibb
County Road 65 crossing the Little Cahaba River. River access is excellent.
Parking and turn-around space is tiny. 4.2 miles to Six-mile Creek take-out, a
private access available through Limestone Park Canoe. Or, 6.9 miles to River
Bend Bridge.
River Bend
Bridge - On
Bibb County Road 26. Parking is limited and far from the river. Access is
moderately difficult because it is steep and far from the parking area. 8.8
miles to Cecil Crews Park.
Schultz Creek
Bridge -
On Highway 219. Parking is limited and hazardous. Access is steep
and difficult. 5.0 miles to Cecil Crews Park.
Cecil Crews
Park - A private park,
which is generally open to the public. River access is a boat launch adequate
for small powerboats. Abundant parking. The park is locked up at night. 11.7
miles to Harrisburg Bridge.
Harrisburg
Bridge - Dirt
road off Highway 5. River access is a steep mud bank. Parking is adequate. The
location is remote and isolated. It is a popular drinking spot. 11.3 miles to
Jericho (Heiberger) Bridge.
Heiberger or
Jericho Bridge - Dirt
road off Highway 5. River access is a steep sandy bank. Parking is limited
unless vehicles are left at the Heiberger Methodist Church nearby. 11.5 miles to
Sprott Bridge.
Sprott Bridge
- On State Highway 183.
A paved launch is used for small powerboats. Parking is generous and has been
perfectly safe, so far. 7.3 river miles to Radford take-out.
Radford -
A Perry County dirt
road off State Highway 14. An iron bridge has collapsed into the river at this
spot, creating a bit of a hazard at the take-out. River access is a very steep
muddy bank. Parking is limited to about 4 vehicles. 9.1 river miles to Suttle
Bridge.
Suttle Bridge
- County Road 6. River access is a moderately steep sandy bank.
Parking is adequate. 9.7 miles to US 80.
US 80 Bridge
- Parking
is no problem. River access is a rather steep mud bank. 12 river miles to
Highway 22 Bridge.
Highway 22
Bridge - Abundant
parking. River access is a moderate sandy bank. About 7 river miles to a
take-out proposed by the Olde Cahawba Park. 8.5 or 9 river miles to the boat
ramp at the Olde Cahawba Park.
Proposed Olde
Cahawba Park Access - River
access is a short, steep, sandy bank. Parking is unlimited. This site has been
used as a camping spot for Boy Scout Troops.
Olde Cahawba
Park Boat Ramp - The
paved launch has been used by small powerboats to gain access to the Alabama
River and the mouth of the Cahaba River. This access may be closed due to
concerns about disturbing archeologically significant artifacts, which have
recently been detected adjacent to this spot.
Put-ins/Take-outs
noted in blue
are public property.