Borden Trailhead

"A couple miles of grave road and reasonable parking Graded down hill from parking to near creek and trailed A Very quiet area Remote so plan water, clothing and snacks"

"Love the improvements to the parking area, didn't get to explore the trail as much as I had hoped, but found a waterfall near.parking area!"

"Trail 200 aka the Borden Creek Trail, was in all its splendor today with flowing waterfalls and abundant wildflowers. We even found a few of the last Virginia Bluebells blooming. Also in bloom were foam flowers, trilliums, violets, and Solomon seal. We started our hike at the Borden Creek trailhead, and hiked through to the Sipsey Picnic Area. The creekside opening of the “Fat Man Squeeze” is badly eroded, so please be very careful. Also, with the water levels up, we had water over our boots in Cranal Creek. The banks are muddy and slippery, so again, please be careful. We enjoyed our day in the gorgeous Sipsey Wilderness area, and please Leave No Trace."

"Great hike! The road getting in was pretty rough, there had apparently been a wind storm At some point that hadn’t been fully cleared. My kids loved going through fat man squeeze, a little tunnel/cave you have to navigate as part of the trail. The hike follows the creek, there are a few very small waterfalls, but other trails in here have better views and better falls. Overall it was fun."

"This trail is pretty stunning. However, it is not marked, and you cannot rely on google maps to get you to where you need to go. I would recommend bringing a paper map, or just using your common sense. If you walk along the river, you won't get lost. There are primitive campsites everywhere, with a first-come, first-serve basis. I would say there is a campsite once every 15 minutes each spaced between each other, give or take a few minutes.You do not need a reservation, or need to pay. The trail I took went along the Borden Trailhead to the Sipsey River trailhead. For early March, the trail was fairly crowded. Many people camped at each trail start by the river. There's one spot along this trail where many sites are located, about halfway through this trail. Keep in mind when you come here that there are no bathrooms, and you are a good 15 minute walk from your car, at least, when you first start on the trail. I came from Decatur, and the road is pretty uneventful. However, the gravel road you must take to get to the Borden Trailhead does seem suspicious to drive down, with fallen trees and huge bumps in the road. As long as you take it slow, it should be fine. There are even trees that have fallen over the road, but trust me, this is still open and can be taken all the way down to the trailhead. Also, google maps shows that this road goes all the way to the river, but it does not. There is a gate (along with parking areas) and you have to walk about 1/4 of a mile down to the river. This trail is completely worth doing. I honestly did not have high hopes for it, especially in early March, but it was very pretty. There's a waterfall just about at every turn, and caves you can explore and look into (they aren't big ones). The water looked crystal clear, and I'd imagine that it's a great place to swim in the summer. Huge rock formations and boulders are formed by this river as millions of years of erosion has formed a sort of canyon that you trek through. All in all, this is a pretty unknown spot and a hidden gem in my opinion. Come here if you can!"