Connect the dots... Hoover Met to CWMA

[rmcelroy]

I am looking for a decent route starting at/around the met, going to the other side of the river into the North end of the CWMA.  Anyone know of any manageable places to cross the river? 

Best route as far as I can see (I've not tried yet) would be to pick up 269 by the met, take that out West to 52, then go down to old Cahaba pkwy, cut next to Helena High School, and enter the CWMA by way of Coalmont Rd.  Is there a mo' betta route that someone could share?

[gulfcoaster]

Best I remember from ol high school drinking beer in the woods days, that is it. Met to Mad Dog Rd(269), passing by Wilburn Lake, then down 52 and head up to CWMA.

Are the trails by the Met still open?  I haven't been down there in years.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

[rmcelroy]

Are the trails by the Met still open?  I haven't been down there in years.

I has been a couple of years since I have been back there.  But even then, it wasn't exactly "legal" to ride in some of those areas.  I am not sure about the state of 269 at all.  Just saw it on the map and thought it looked promising. 

[gulfcoaster]

Are the trails by the Met still open?  I haven't been down there in years.

I has been a couple of years since I have been back there.  But even then, it wasn't exactly "legal" to ride in some of those areas.  I am not sure about the state of 269 at all.  Just saw it on the map and thought it looked promising.

If you can connect to it from the trails by the Met, then you should be good. 269 was a crappy, but fun road back 10-12 yrs ago. Had a good jump or two on it as well.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

[rmcelroy]

I plan on trying it out soon, I will let you know how it goes.

[Fencejumper09]

We rode 269 a couple months ago and there was a lot of construction starting at the first railroad crossing. The road was in pretty good condition with a couple spots with some gravel. As stated above there are some good elevation changes along 269.

Post up when you plan to ride out there. I haven't ridden the WMA in over a year!

[rmcelroy]

We rode 269 a couple months ago and there was a lot of construction starting at the first railroad crossing. The road was in pretty good condition with a couple spots with some gravel. As stated above there are some good elevation changes along 269.

Post up when you plan to ride out there. I haven't ridden the WMA in over a year!

will do.  I am trying to familiarize myself more with the CWMA, but it is a pretty big area...
since I live north of it, I figure I might as well find a good fun route to get there

[rmcelroy]

I went out there over the weekend.  the area around the met has changed a lot since I last went out there.  They have done a lot of construction, and most of Elvira is paved.  it was still closed to traffic, and we had to go through a construction site to get to the beginning of the road (on the Met side).  It looks like they will probably be building a new subdivision around that lake.  We stayed to the West, and did not explore the areas East/South of the met.

From there we made our way to 52, by Helena High, and down Coalmont into the CWMA, where I proceeded to get turned around half a dozen times.  I still havnt been back there enough to get by bearings. 

All in all it was a good trip.

[ktmer]

Unfortunately they are building at the Met. Those were my old stomping grounds. How far into Wildlife management did you get?

[rmcelroy]

Unfortunately they are building at the Met. Those were my old stomping grounds. How far into Wildlife management did you get?

I tried going up Lindsey road, with the goal of making it to the Cahaba.  As I mentioned, I got turned around (several times) and wound up at the intersection on 270 just East of the old bridge.  Then I followed 270 back East to Coalmont, and we called it a day. 

I would really like to find (another) good spot to swim.  Last time I went to the track crossing just north of the old bridge.  It was a decent spot, except that the current was super strong going under that bridge.

[kylepeterson]

two questions
1 are you running knobbies ?
2 are you comfortable with slippery/deepish water crossings ?

I can get you through there.

[rmcelroy]

two questions
1 are you running knobbies ?
2 are you comfortable with slippery/deepish water crossings ?

I can get you through there.

haha,
1.  no, not currently.  I was planning to swap out to knobbies in the Fall 
2.  with knobbies, sure...

what areas do you typically wind up in?  I need a "trail map" 

[Fencejumper09]

Don't forget a wench if you follow Kyle!

[kylepeterson]

two questions
1 are you running knobbies ?
2 are you comfortable with slippery/deepish water crossings ?

I can get you through there.

haha,
1.  no, not currently.  I was planning to swap out to knobbies in the Fall 
2.  with knobbies, sure...

what areas do you typically wind up in?  I need a "trail map"

OK, you won't make it across without a DS tire, and then you'll want to check river levels before heading out. I (allegedly) saved GPS waypoints when I (allegedly) crossed with minimal trouble, and included the URL of the
hydrograph too reference for future crossing attempts:
http://water.weather.gov/ahps2/hydrograph.php?wfo=bmx&gage=CHGA1

generally speaking, under 5 feet stage is a good time, over 7 feet means you're getting wet and over 10 feet is impossible... at least at the crossing points I've saved.

I have (allegedly) waypoints/tracks, but I won't be posting them on THIS forum, for obvious reasons.

the last time I allegedly was in that area (allegedly) there were slews of sxs and quads drinking cheap american beers and riding around without helmets... so I'm sure one single street legal motorcycle would terrify the residents of the area and get SWAT called with the quickness. if there were two, probably send out the national guard and move the country to threat level plaid.

but ya, there are crossings. tons of hiking trails too.

of course all this is just a story on the internet, I've never been there at all. or seen anyone else there. multiple times.

[kylepeterson]

http://youtu.be/blx7MllkQmc

I can't imagine why anyone would want to cross the Cahaba. it's just icky water with slippery rocks n stuff. totally not fun at all.