| Chief Ladiga Trail | |
| Designation: | Piedmont and Jacksonville sections are National Recreation Trail designated[1] |
| Length Mi: | 33 |
| Trailheads: | Alabama-Georgia state line (33.9503°N -85.3961°W); Anniston, Alabama (33.7378°N -85.8181°W) |
| Use: | Hiking, biking |
| Highest: | About 9500NaN0 near the Alabama-Georgia state line [2] |
| Lowest: | About 6500NaN0 in Jacksonville |
The Chief Ladiga Trail is a rail trail in Alabama that stretches for from Anniston to the Alabama-Georgia state line. It is the state's first rail trail project.
The Chief Ladiga is on the same rail corridor as the Silver Comet Trail in Georgia as far as Piedmont, Alabama. From there it parallels an abandoned Southern Railway line for a few miles west of town until it leaves the old Seaboard rail line, heading south on the Norfolk Southern Railway route until the trail ends just north of Anniston. In 2008, the Ladiga and Silver Comet trail were connected.[3] A new gateway marks the connecting point at the state line. Now that the Chief Ladiga and the Silver Comet trails are connected, there is a 90miles paved corridor for non-motorized travel from just west of Atlanta, Georgia to Anniston, making it the 2nd longest paved trail in the U.S (the longest being the Paul Bunyan State Trail in Minnesota).[4]
Chief Ladiga was a Muscogee chief who relinquished his tribe's lands when he signed the Treaty of Cusseta in 1832. The Treaty was part of a broader policy of indian removal perpetrated by the Jackson Administration. Ladiga sold half his land (which would later become Jacksonville) to speculators for $2000.
The Chief Ladiga Trail starts at the Alabama-Georgia state line. At about mile marker 7.0, the trail crosses the Pinhoti National Recreation Trail.[5] It travels west to Piedmont, the direction changes to southwest then on to Jacksonville and going through the Jacksonville State University campus. Then, the trail goes to Weaver and finally ending at Michael Tucker Park in north Anniston. It travels through wetlands, across streams, through forests and farmlands, and includes a horizon view of the Talladega Mountains. There are several bridges and both new and restored railroad trestles.
There is proposal to extend the trail from Michael Tucker Park southward to 4th street in downtown Anniston. [6], the City of Anniston hired an engineering firm to inspect bridges and design the 6.5mile trail extension.[7]