Talladega National Forest 600-1

This was my favorite trail we did this weekend while visiting the Talladega National Forest. We stayed in the Cheaha State Park and had great access to the trails in this area. We took trail 600-1 from north to south and found no problems going in this direction. We found numerous great camping opportunities along this trail, some with a great view of the valley below. The mountains in this range are among the highest in Alabama and offer some nice views. The trail was in great shape. It is rocky in spots with some areas of ruts caused by erosion. There were also multiple water puddles along the trail that appear to hold water most of the year. This trail is a solid 3 that can be easily completed with a stock vehicle. The white Jeep in the photos is a stock Rubicon that was able to complete the trail without difficulty. I highly recommend this trail if you're in the Talladega vicinity.

Intermediate big bike off-road rider here. This trails is everything you want in an ADV ride. Running from south to north the first 5 miles are more technical than I was expecting, but nothing crazy. Engaging and flowing with lots of line options to choose your own difficulty. After some great overlooks the last few miles are mostly flowing gravel that’s a great cool down before hopping back on the road. For Adventure bikes I would call this Beginner+ or low level intermediate depending on your line.

With all the rocks and washout ruts, I think the rating is closer to a minimum of 2. Took two 4Runners up the trail from the south. One was stock TRD OR with all terrains. Puddles were not very deep, though one was a little deeper than expected. The first couple of miles is really slow going. Great fun trail, though.

Visited this trail on the last day of 2021 but didn’t go very far because it had rained hard and I was concerned I would get stuck. We’re on vacation and I don’t carry any recovery gear in our stock Subaru Outback and, since it was New Year’s Eve, there was almost no one around so getting help would have been tricky. The directions to the trail were spot on and maybe we’ll hit on our way back home next week to see the views.

This is our 2nd trip to this trail, and we loved it. We will be back!

Completed this trail today with a group. Amazing views and fun terrain. No issues completing the trail in a JKU with no lift. Was about an hour and a half from where we are in metro Atlanta but worth the drive.

Made the ride in a fully stock AWD 2020 RAV4. As others have said, coming from the south trailhead it's quite rocky with some ruts but it's easy to find your line if you're paying attention. The road has definitely washed out quite a bit from the rain we've had this year. There was one larger mud hole as you get close to the power lines, and though it seemed shallow enough I took the edge out of caution because you never know when the mud is going to sink in on you. Other than that there was maybe one place that took some serious planning to get through, and the longer frontend of the RAV4 definitely didn't do me any favors there, but otherwise I'd say the rating of easy-moderate is right for this trail. The rest is essentially a gravel road with a few rocky spots. The trail up to the microwave tower was a bit rough, but totally do-able.

Great views, went all the way down 600-1, and 600-2 in my stock '15 JK Rubicon.

Pretty solid trail. Definitely requires some articulation and choosing the right lines if you’re in a stock vehicle. I have a stock 4x4 Tacoma and pretty much did the entire trail in 2wd even after a pretty wet week. However, there were a couple trees down that I barely squeezed under, in fact got my truck’s first battle scar rubbing one being a little too confident but got a guy in an F-150 to spot me under it and made it, he however had to turn back. Definitely bringing a hatchet or something next time. Still new to overlanding but all in all solid trail that most beginners will be alright with. If you don’t have 4x4, definitely travel with another and maybe avoid some of the larger mud holes

I did this easy trail in my Ford ranger on a cross country road trip. Met and chatted with a few fellow 4-wheelers along the way. One of them was a family having lunch at waypoint 5. They invited me to have lunch and said the view was great. I asked what the view was of, his response, "Trees." Yes, lots of trees, being a south westerner, the trees really are something.

Updating my review, previous is from Nov 2019. Went up there today for a couple of hours and enjoy it, as usual. Great time of the year to go. The trail as a whole has definitely gotten a bit rougher over the past year. Especially the northern half, the gravel is washing a way. It's not any more difficult or technical, anything could just about drive up there with adequate ground clearance, but it is a bit bumpier and rougher of a ride I guess. Main thing though is the powerline lookout. It used to be grass and a bit of dirt. Apparently they haven't shut the gate in a long time, because that little bit of land has gotten a ton of abuse. It rained yesterday, otherwise has been fairly dry. I did not expect the thick red clay mud. I would definitely not recommend driving up there until that has all dried up. I have some aggressive mud terrains and they were caked. As you can see in the picture. In these conditions, someone could definitely slide off the edge if they aren't careful. It's bad! Definitely wasn't like this last time I was here, despite it also being rainy that time too. They need to close the gate. Also looks like they don't want people driving on that trail to the microwave tower anymore

This trail was excellent! The first 4 to 5 miles were quite rocky and full of ruts with a few water hazards but easy to find your line going thru. The rest is essentially a gravel road with a few surprise rocks and ruts here and there. The views are amazing and was fun to stop at all the marked areas on the map. I have a stock Jeep JKU with 33' tires. No issues at all and would do this trail again especially when the trees start changing. Took about 1 1/2 hours or so to go thru.

Fun trail, and easy/non-technical for the most part. The first 1/3 is mostly rocky with a few areas that you have to more carefully plan your line but nothing crazy and the back-half is just gravel. A few mud holes but all allowed for a less 'splashy' route if you wanted to keep clean. My 200 series is stock, except for 33" tires, and my friend's 20yr ML is the same, tires being the only modification... Neither one of us had any worrying moments. And the views are fantastic!

Took the family on this trail for a half day trip before going to cheaha state park. Great ride and views!!!

Took out Toyota Tundra SR5 crew max on 600-1 today. I have 5100 Bilsteins all around and coachbuilder shackles in back. Equates to about a 3" level. 35” Toyo M/Ts. Everything else is stock. First time trail riding. Would agree with some reviews that the bottom 5 miles is a bit more washed out and more challenging in some sections than as described above. Not very technical (I am a rookie and didnt get into any trouble). But, definitely had to slow down on the rocks and deeper ruts. Couple good mud holes that we had to do more than once :) Trail narrows in parts, but only a couple times did I come close to scratching the truck on branches hanging over, and this is a full size pickup. Overlooks were great! Especially the high power line lookout - almost breathtaking. After the high power lines, the road for the rest of the way North is gravel and easy. Made up a lot of time in this section. Took about 2 hours to go from southern entrance off HWY 148 to northern entrance at AL-77. Recommend stopping and eating at Pizza and Pint in Sylacauga if you are passing through that town.

The road is washing out quickly and will be more challenging for rigs with low ground clearance etc.

The Talladega National Forest trail 600-1 a moderate easy trail that will fit a Ford Raptor as long as you don't mine some branches hitting the truck in some areas. I took a out new off roader with me in their stock Gen1 Raptor and he has no issues. We ran the trail North to South, but seems most people run it South to North, the trail is both directions. There are several lookout points to pull over grab lunch or camp with breath taking views of what Alabama has. Great beginner trail or to take the family out on.

Great trail! Not very technical but enough to make it exciting. I went out in my JKUR while it was raining and had no problems. Took about 2.5 hours to complete. Unfortunately it was extremely foggy so didn't get to see the excellent views so will have to go again!

Awesome weekend great beginners trail. Great overlooks of Talladega national forest.

We just went up on Sunday and I agree with everything that 18jk said. The scenery was fantastic. We did see about 8 hunters off the sides of the road. Recommend using caution.

summary: great trail for any vehicle. I drive a sock base model wrangler didn't need 4WD, plenty of clearance. This is a great time of year to go. Highly recommend visiting this trail around this time of the year as leaves are changing colors. Because as others have said, it's 90% trees on either side. Lots of little outlooks you wouldn't be able to see with leaves still on the trees. Notes: they have done lots of work to the northern half of this trail, up to the main outlook/old radio tower. This portion of the trail isn't a trail at all and could be done in any vehicle. Honestly just a road. Many hunters around this half of the trail this time of year. People get going 20-30 MPH on this portion and it's a one lane road basically...so can be dangerous if you aren't paying attention. The southern portion of the trail is bumpy. Couple of "difficult" lines you could take, but every obstacle is avoidable. Traction isn't an issue even if it has been raining but you will still want to probably air down and go slow so you don't break your neck. Crossovers must be careful as a good portion of the trail is covered with leaves this time of year, plenty of rocks I didn't see and hit a little too hard. Could easily bounce and bash something underneath a crossover/low clearance vehicle All gates were open. Camping: most spots seem to be right off the trail. It's a fairly busy trail this time of the year with hunters. Maybe there are spots that I don't know about. Worth considering if you plan on spending the night

Total length is 14 miles. The first 5.2 miles from the south is mostly rocks, grables, washout. The first 9 miles from the north, the road condition is just like unpaved country road. So, if you drive from north to south, you can drive with a 2wd sedan upto 8 miles (best overlook site to see the sunset, #7) and 9 miles (high line power line, the best overlook to see the sunrise, #4). If you drive with high ground clearance vehicle, you can drive 30-35 mph, max 40 mph. But, if you drive from south to north, you need a 4x4 or high ground clearance vehicle, you can drive 5-10 mph, max 15 mph.

Great spot to wheel and camp! Full size rigs can fit and we saw a few trucks heading through. We took our wrangler and had a blast spending the night on the ridge.

Really nice trail overall. The sights are very specific to what it shows on the trail overview. The rest of the time is mostly trees on both sides 80% of the time. The overlooks are gorgeous and much better to capture on video than pictures just for the perspective. Definitely worth visiting for anyone interested in a trip that some can't make it through. Cons: The issues I had with this trail is mostly the rating system. It does say easy to moderate but this trail is definitely more on the moderate side. Heavy divots and washouts that could easily take out smaller vehicles. Won't stop most people but something to consider for sure. The second issue isn't the trail but while camping, some locals will be riding into the trail late at night. I wouldn't go in expecting to be alone in the more popular camping spots. The pros FAR outweigh the cons but they are worth mentioning. Still an awesome trip and for sure worth taking.

Beautiful trail with grand views. The look out a great. Really simple trail the any stock vehicle can make it to the look outside if you from the north side. After the power lines the gravel road end and it becomes a dirt toads with rut nothing bad. There is some turn off to crawl up.

Nice trail. Can't wait to see it in the fall or winter! I'm a newbie. This trial was great to learn what works and what was a waste of time and money. I picked this trail because it was classified as "Easy." I have only had my Tacoma for a few months and wanted to learn how it handles on a trail. I bought it used so there are a lot of unknowns. I used 4WD a few times mainly as a precaution as my wife and I were tracking alone and except for an axe and shovel, I dont have recovery gear yet. Some nice views; saw turkey buzzards nesting in the rocks on the West side ridge. Road turned to gravel 2/3rds into the trail; before that it was slow going. All in all a nice easy going, yet fun trail. Definitely a trial for cautious beginners to enjoy or someone whose truck is fairly stock like mine and your not sure what it can negotiate. LESSONS LEARNED: Styro coolers suck. Old truck batteries will get you stuck in the middle of nowhere. A wife can be a fun trail partner. Recovery gear even if not needed, brings peace of mind to the ride. Middle of the week rides are peaceful. Mud Flaps are gonna scrape! Next time I'll bring trash bags to clean up after the people who don't care...

This is a really great Trail for all levels of Trail Riders. It is an amazing view once you get near the halfway point. We went after a lot of rain and it did not spoil anyting or make anything too rough. AT&T signal is great on the south and west side however once you get toward the Northeast side you lose signal altogether. The trail to be repaired recently but there is still quite a few spots you need to be careful at with your four wheel drive.

Had a blast: first time the new JL has gone off road and this was a great trail to break it in:

I chose 600-1 for my wife's first trail ride. It had rained the night before, so one washout was pretty muddy, but we made it through fine in the Jeep.- only place we needed 4wd. We entered from the South, this is the roughest section, but not too bad. The northern section is a gravel road. Views from overlooks were great.

I rode 600-1 back in May 2018 and it was a completely different experience from what it is today. The "repairs" have wiped out the character of the trail. It's still a very nice scenic ride but it's not the off-road fun it once was.

The entire trail is gravel except for the southernmost 5 miles which was still no problem for a stock F150. I didn't have to switch to 4 wheel drive. The trail offers very nice scenic views and is a great beginner trail for someone who is wanting to look into overloading.

There were some amazing views along the trail. Part of the reason I made the drive up to Talladega National Forest was to do some trail riding regardless of the views. 600-1 was no challenge at all, but while the off-roading itself may not be very difficult or “exciting” the views certainly were. We drove a little under four hours to get here and I would easily do it again. Be sure to bring back some pictures from this one.

As others have cited, the section from 143 to Waypoint 4 is probably too rough for non-4WD vehicles or those without sufficient clearance. I have witnessed some folks I was following in regular front wheel drive SUV try it and get a lot of serious scuffs where they had no skidplates, not sure how much damage. The part from the power lines at waypoint 4 to Hwy. 77 is easy enough for most any highway vehicle. Mid summer we took my 96 year old Mother-in-law up that way to waypoint 5 for a picnic. She loved it!

Took the family on a day trip. The first part is rocky but a pretty easy ride. My Jeep is stock and had no trouble. There are some great views and everyone enjoyed the trip! We got a late start so we will be going back to do a run of 600-2.

A couple of buddies and myself drove in from Mississippi to run this trail and 600-2 and do some camping. we came in from the south headed north. the beginning of the trail had just been graded by a bulldozer but was still pretty interesting. Right before waypoint 04 the road improved substantially, at this point it is easily doable by most any vehicle. We ended up boon-docking at waypoint 05 and it was AWESOME to say the least. It is literally on the edge of a westward facing cliff, perfect for sunset. The rest of the trail is well graded and easily doable by most any vehicle.

great time , kids love it nice ride , some ruff spot but my stock jeep eat it easy

Took the kids (ages 3 and 6) out for a ride through 600-1. Went in off the 143 side and was surprised by how rough this side is. People have posted that 2wd was possible (maybe in a stadium truck), but I found use for 4wd within a couple miles of the start. Running 31" tires on '04 Xterra. Any stock 4wd is capable of trail with common sense driving (rare, I know). Good time..