Driving directions to
St. Clair’s scenic spots
Words and Photos by Michael Callahan
For many of us growing up, the Sunday evening drive was something both parents and children looked forward to. It became something of a ritual down through the decades. I was fortunate that my father was something of an explorer. He never found a main or side road that he did not want to investigate. As my Mom often said, “There is not a pig trail” in this county your father has not been down. This was a trait he passed along to this writer/photographer son.
Somewhere between finishing high school, furthering my education, marrying and the demands of life, my spirit of adventure and my father’s beloved Sunday evening drive got lost. Add to that Arab oil embargoes in the mid-1970s and for so many of us, a wonderful tradition was all but lost.
The good news these days is that oil prices are on a decent downward trend. Add to that fact we live in a beautiful county with diverse landscapes from the northern to southern county boundaries, and we have the makings for many a great Sunday evening drives.
So this writer/photographer, armed with a full tank of gas and ample photographic gear, spent many days traversing scenic roads in the northern part of our county to capture some new memories. Why the northern part? Well, elevations bring out a bit more color during the Fall season. What I want to leave you with is a sense of, “Hey that looks like a great way to spend a couple of hours on Sunday evening.”
Starting out on U.S. 231 from Pell City, I made my way north toward the Ashville area. As I passed the city limits of Ashville and started my climb up Straight Mountain, the views were becoming exactly what I had hoped for. At the top of the mountain, I turned on to County Road 12. I drove roughly 100 yards and turned on to County Road 24 for a short but winding trip of about two miles. As I rounded the final curve, an immense vista of St. Clair County lay before me. It is a view you will want to relish and just stand and soak in. Bring a camera. You will need it. Too soon I had to move on. As I started back down Straight Mountain into the valley, the mist made for some wonderful viewing.
At the bottom of the mountain, I turned hard left onto County Road 35/Gallant Road and immediately was in awe of the views unfolding before me. Further down the road, I turned left onto County Road 44/Camp Sumatanga Road. As you can see from our pictures, you must take the Camp’s loop road. Back onto Gallant Road, awesome views were around for many a mile.
Wanting to explore further, I came back down Gallant Road and turned onto County Road 42/Chandler Mountain Loop Road. After ascending the mountain, Horsepens 40 invited me to make a short visit. What a place. Rock climbers from all over the world come here to try their skills against some of the incredible rock formations — a must see.
Continuing down the loop road, I was treated to wonderful scenic views of the rim of Chander Mountain to the east. Just a quarter mile down the road, the tomato fields stretched out before my windshield for hundreds of acres. Stopping by a roadside produce stand, I was able to buy some of the last succulent Chandler Mountain tomatoes of the season. You can also grab a five-gallon bucket and pick them right out of the fields yourself.
As I made my way back down to U.S. 231, I knew my next drive would be U.S. 411. Just go to the square in downtown Ashville and head northeast on 411. Beautiful farms and huge expanses of “Big Sky” await you. While driving down 411, I decided to turn right onto Mountain Spring Road leading over to County Road 33. I was rewarded with scenic farms and large expanses of sky. Well, it was getting time for me to head back and wrap up my drive and returning down to 231, I came across the turn-off to County Road 26. I had to stop and capture some of this beautiful valley before I wrapped up the afternoon.
Just so you folks that take short drives don’t think we have left you out, I have included some short but really nice drives you can do close to home. So go ahead and treat yourself and your family. Just sit back and enjoy the drive in this breathtakingly beautiful county we call home.
Photographer’s Note: Thanks to Mr. Roland Thomas, who inspired this article, and Jerry Smith of Discover Magazine, who served as a tireless tour guide for my camera and me.
