Alabama trails · Southern Traverse
Southern Traverse
A 8.2-mile out-and-back in Alabama, with 401 ft of climbing.
Length
8.2 mi
Elevation gain
401 ft
Difficulty
Hard
Max grade
17%
Steepest mile
+252 ft
Tread at ≥10% grade
0.6 mi
Shape
out-and-back
Surface
Dirt
Elevation profile
The climbing is spread fairly evenly along the route. It gives back about 628 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Daylight at the trailhead
On August 31, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 5:50 a.m., the sun rises at 6:16 a.m. and sets at 7:10 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 7:35 p.m. (CDT) — 12 h 54 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 16.4-mile round trip takes roughly 6 h 29 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 12:45 p.m. — 6 h 25 min before sunset.
Loop options
- Chilhowee + Southern Traverse + Oval Office — 16.2 mi loop, 1,860 ft gain
Nearby trails
- Chilhowee — 0.3 mi
- Boundary Trail — 6.1 mi
- Chinnabee Silent Hiking Trail — 12.4 mi
- Nubbin Creek Hiking Trail — 15.4 mi