DIRECTIONS TO SEE THE CAHABA LILIES

  1)      Take I-59 south from Birmingham (or north from Tuscaloosa) for 30 miles to the Centreville/West Blocton Exit 97.  Turn south on Highway 5/Highway 11.

  2)      After three miles on the four-lane, Highway 5/ Hwy 11 merges back to 2 lanes and separate.  Turn left on Hwy 5 where it turns abruptly south and separates from Hwy 11.

  3)      Travel 10 miles south on Hwy 5 to a blinking yellow light that is just past a large Church of Christ.  Turn left there onto County Road 24 into West Blocton.  There is also a large wooden sign welcoming you to the “Cahaba Wildlife Management Area” at that turn.

  4)      You come to a stop sign.  Go straight through.  You will pass West Blocton High School and West Blocton Elementary School.  It is 5 miles from the stop sign to the Cahaba River.

  5)      You will see a US Fish & Wildlife Refuge sign on the right.  Turn right on a dirt road marked with a “River Trace” street sign.  That road runs along the west side of the river for about two miles.

  6)      There is a good stand of lilies just under one mile down the road.  Two miles down that road is Caffee Creek. Please do not ford Caffee Creek; If you park and walk another half mile, you will see Hargrove Shoals, the largest single stand of lilies to be seen in the world.

Please: do not pick the lilies or remove the bulbs for transplantation. The plant might survive as long as 1-2 years out of its proper habitat, but the prospect for long-term survival is very slim.  The most beautiful place to see the Cahaba Lily is in its natural habitat. 

Besides that, the Game Warden might arrest you if he catches you taking them.