A Hike Through Joe Wheeler State Park

Posted on by Julia

October 8, 2026

On September 26, the dewdrops sparked in the early morning sunshine as I checked on the garden.

Dewdrops on Volunteer Tomato Plant

With the fall weather providing a perfect day, Bruce asked me was there anything I wanted to do. I was thinking about of Blackberry Homestead jobs. Bruce was thinking of a break and he suggested hiking.

I was excited by the idea and suggested Joe Wheeler State Park, 30 minutes away.

It is a beautiful wooded park on a lake with a RV park, marina, cabins, lodge, and hiking trails.

We drove towards the lodge and parked at the marina. We found the trail head at the edge of the marina and started hiking through the woods. The trail was nice and wide, with no poison ivy. From the trail, in some areas we could see the lake and tall hills (small mountains?).

Wooded Trails
One of the Bridges
Lake and Hill View
Bridge Over a Gully
Gully
Deer
Herd of Deer

We took a detour from the main trail to see the RV park. If you are interested in camping there be sure to read the descriptions of the sites. One site was a pull through on a steep hill, with a very small campsite on top of the hill.

As we walked back to the car after our 7 1/2 mile hike, these ships came into view. Of course, we had to see them up close.

These ships are tiny. I had no idea the ships that first sailed from Europe to San Salvador, then to other islands were so small. Some of the boats in the harbor slips were bigger! In my mind, they were much bigger.

On the drive home, I saw a sun dog.

As we crossed a bay of the Wilson Lake, I took a picture.

It was a fun day out.

30 thoughts on “A Hike Through Joe Wheeler State Park”

  2. I think Bruce had a good idea to do something different! The park looks very nice, and those ships are an interesting find. Thanks for the tip about camping. We may end up there someday. Have a good day, Julia!

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    1. It is a lovely spot. We’ll be back again. If you’re in the area, let me know and we’d be happy to show off Blackberry Homestead. We would also be happy to act as tour guides. The TVA has some beautiful trails and there is a lot to see.

      Have you ever been to Buck’s Pocket?

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      4. It’s to the east of Lake Guntersville off Highway 227 off a little road. The falls are on Town Creek. People swim at the bottom of the falls.

        I am not sure why is called High Falls, as it isn’t very high. It is very beautiful and fun to go onto the natural bridge and watch the water splash underneath.

        High Falls State Park in Alabama

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    1. I guess it was bitterly cold where the clouds were drifting by. I was surprised to see the sun dog as well.

      What can I say? We enjoy hiking in the cool of the woods when there aren’t any mosquitoes.

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Published by Julia

I am a retired software solutions architect. I have been married to my husband, Bruce, for over forty years. We went full-time RVing for 3.5 years and saw much of the United States. After deciding to stop RVing, we bought a ranch house halfway up a hill on five acres. After Bruce and I talked about names for our five acres, we settled on Blackberry Homestead as a homage to the wild blackberries on the hill. We are working on creating our homestead. I love cooking and enjoy sharing recipes. I am also an artist, and I’ll share my current projects. Gardening and reading are my favorite hobbies.