With summer quickly approaching I can feel my desire to get outside ramping up, which got me thinking about all our area offers for outdoor recreation.
In short, with all that lies within an hour’s drive, I have to say that we are rich in recreation.
I’ll start with some of the biggest ones. Lakes Logan Martin, Neely Henry, and Lay certainly top the list. All 3 reside in the Coosa River valley from which our great electric cooperative derives its name, and all 3 offer an abundance of opportunities to enjoy wildlife, fishing, and watersports.
Logan Martin sits in the heart of our service area. It covers 17,000 acres along its 48.5-mile official length and offers 275 miles of shoreline. Lay Lake is south of Logan Martin. Its 12,000-acre expanse offers 289 miles of shoreline. Neely Henry Lake is located north of Logan Martin. By surface area, it is the smallest of the 3 lakes, covering only 11,200 acres, but it offers an astonishing 339 miles of shoreline.
As a side note: Lay Dam, which was constructed in 1914 to create the Lay Lake reservoir, has the distinct honor of being Alabama Power’s first major project.
While the lakes are certainly impressive, they are not the only things on the list.
Talladega National Forest borders the eastern side of our service area. Nearly 400,000 acres make up this natural area, including the southern tip of the Appalachian Mountains. Within its boundaries are the Cheaha Wilderness, which includes Cheaha State Park, and the Dugger Mountain Wilderness.
The national forest offers many miles of hiking trails, including the southern end of the 335-mile-long Pinhoti Trail. The Pinhoti connects with the great Appalachian Trail, which extends nearly 2,200 miles all the way into the state of Maine. The Cheaha Wilderness features Alabama’s highest point at 2,407 feet above sea level.
If that’s not enough, we also have the Talladega Marksmanship Park. This 500-acre facility is located about 4 miles from our office. Built and maintained by the Civilian Marksmanship Program, it is the most technologically advanced marksmanship facility in the United States and features a 600-yard rifle range with targets at 200, 300, and 600 yards, a 100-yard multi-purpose range, and a 50-yard pistol range. It also offers 15 action pistol bays, a trap field, a 5-stand field, and a 15-station sporting clay field, all with automated trap machines.
If getting a little muddy piques your interest and you own an off-highway vehicle, you can try out Top Trails OHV Park. Located along the Hwy 275 bypass on the north side of Talladega, this 2,836-acre park features more than 100 miles of off-road trails offering challenges for every skill level.
If you’re looking for something a little more civilized, then the Anniston Museum and Gardens may be just the ticket. Featuring the Anniston Museum of Natural History along with the Berman Museum and the Longleaf Botanical Garden, the Anniston Museum and Gardens can provide visitors with an easy escape among its short nature trails as well as an educational afternoon thanks to its numerous museum exhibits.
Some other points of interest include Lincoln’s Landing, which hosts outdoor events and offers some of the area’s nicest boat-launch facilities, Pell City’s Lakeside Park, Ohatchee’s Janney Furnace Park, and Oxford Lake in Oxford.
I have definitely missed some things, but if local attractions aren’t enough, we are an easy drive to the Gadsden, Birmingham, and even Montgomery areas, all of which offer hundreds more opportunities to get out and about.
We are very fortunate to live in an area so rich with outdoor recreation. I hope that as our weather turns warmer and more accommodating, you will have the opportunity to take advantage of some of the things I’ve mentioned.
Please be sure to visit our website and Facebook pages for Coosa Valley Electric Cooperative (CVEC) as well as Coosa Valley Technologies and Coosa Valley Propane to stay up to date on everything we have going on. We will most likely be visiting an event near you soon with 1 of our many pop-up events to help spread the word about the many services we offer.
We wish you a happy and healthy start to your summer.