Fall Creek Falls via Trail 209 Bankhead National Forest

There has probably been no hike that has brought me greater joy than a simple 2.2 mile round trip hike to Fall Creek Falls in the Bankhead National Forest.  This hike starts & ends at the Sipsey Wilderness Recreation Area parking lot.  From the parking lot you head north on Trail 209, aka the Sipsey River Trail.  Depending on recent rain levels you may be greeted by a few random unnamed waterfalls along the trail to the right in the first few minutes of hiking, while getting gorgeous views of the Sipsey River on your left.  The Sipsey River if you’re not familiar has gorgeous blue and turquoise waters that’ll impress you.  You’ll hike perhaps a half mile before running into a signpost indicating that Trail 209 is joined by Trail 200, where Borden Creek intersects the Sipsey River.

This is where I absolutely decided that I adored this hike.  The day I was doing it there was lots of rain and in the lower 60 degree range outside.  I knew from what I’d read before visiting that the Bankhead National Forest is composed of “Social Trails”, which means that aside from a few sign posts and trailheads, there’s no real effort to build bridges or other amenities and whatnot on the trails.  So this point at Borden Creek is where you have to wade across in order to continue on Trail 209.  If you don’t, then you’re going to find yourself forced onto Trail 200 instead which is a wonderful trail in itself and heads to Fat Man’s Squeeze.  That not being the goal at the moment though, I forded Borden Creek.  On this particular rainy day I stripped down to boxer shorts, packed what I could in my hands and backpack, and got submerged to a point somewhere on my upper thighs.  It was a hassle, but an expected hassle, and an amusing one.  After this trip I’d forever end up carrying a microfiber towel in my pack for drying off on trails after occasions like this.

After fording Borden Creek and getting back on the Sipsey River Trail (Tr 209) I continued following the Sipsey Fork for about another half mile.  This brought me to Fall Creek Falls, a 25 foot tall, plunge style waterfall that you can even walk behind.  It’s pretty, and what it really has going for it is that anyone who makes it there has had to have a similar experience to my own.  This coupled with returning to the river crossing and hiking up Trail 200 toward Fat Man’s Squeeze makes for the best hike in all of the Bankhead National Forest as far as I’m concerned.