Alabama trails · Black Creek Trail
Black Creek Trail
A 1.5-mile out-and-back in Alabama, with 173 ft of climbing. Reaches Noccalula Falls and other viewpoint/waterfall destinations.
Elevation profile
Essentially flat — no sustained climb anywhere along its 1.6 miles.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Noccalula Falls (waterfall)
- Noccalula Falls Scenic View (viewpoint)
Getting there
Black Creek Trail access. About 18 min drive (11 mi) from Rainbow City. 34.03007, -86.03526 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:23 a.m., the sun rises at 6:48 a.m. and sets at 6:11 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 6:36 p.m. (CDT) — 11 h 23 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 3.1-mile round trip takes roughly 1 h 19 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 8:07 a.m. — 10 h 04 min before sunset.
Loop options
- Black Creek Trail + Whatley Trail + Moonshine Ridge — 2.4 mi loop, 284 ft gain
Nearby trails
- Golf Course Loop — 26.2 mi
- Chilhowee — 28.8 mi
- Southern Traverse — 29.0 mi
- Boundary Trail — 29.5 mi