Alabama trails · South Rim Trail
South Rim Trail
A 6.7-mile out-and-back in Alabama, with 616 ft of climbing. Reaches Peavine Falls and other pass/waterfall destinations. Managed by the state.
Elevation profile
Most of the climbing sits in the first third — 65% of the ascent, between mile 0.0 and mile 2.2. It gives back about 672 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Peavine Falls (waterfall)
- Shackleford Gap (pass)
Getting there
North Trailhead — parking nearby, restroom. 33.35724, -86.70482 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On August 31, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 5:54 a.m., the sun rises at 6:20 a.m. and sets at 7:13 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 7:38 p.m. (CDT) — 12 h 54 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 13.3-mile round trip takes roughly 5 h 33 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 11:53 a.m. — 7 h 21 min before sunset.
Loop options
- South Rim Trail + Walls of Jericho Hiking Trail — 7.0 mi loop, 420 ft gain
- Shackleford Point Trail + Blue/White Connector + South Rim Trail — 2.8 mi loop, 557 ft gain
- Falls Creek Trail + Falls Creek Loop + South Rim Trail — 3.0 mi loop, 850 ft gain
Nearby trails
- Peavine Falls Trail — 3.8 mi
- Shackleford Point Trail — 5.0 mi
- Moss Rock Preserve Orange Trail — 7.9 mi
- Moss Rock Preserve White Trail — 8.6 mi