City of Piedmont, AL

Welcome to the Trail! The Chief Ladiga Trail is Alabama's first extended rails-to-trails project. The Chief Ladiga Trail is a recreational trail where the former Seaboard/CSX Railroad was converted into a recreational bike and walking trail. The Chief Ladiga Trail is a family oriented pathway that provides a safe, non-motorized way to travel, exercise and relax while enjoying the outdoors. Beautiful scenery such as wetlands, streams, forest, farmland, and a horizon filled with mountains can be enjoyed by all along the trail. The Chief Ladiga Trail and the Silver Comet Trail stretching nearly 100 miles from Anniston, AL to Atlanta, GA marks it as being the longest paved trail in the United States. Because projects like this tend to increase tourism, benefit businesses, and increase the quality of life for local citizens, we hope that you will enjoy and support the Chief Ladiga Trail for many years to come.

The Chief Ladiga Trail began in 1990 when the Calhoun County Commission and the City of Piedmont received and Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) enhancement grant, through the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT), to fund construction of the first 8.9 mile section of the trail. The project continued to develop when in 1994, the cities of Piedmont and Jacksonville and the Cleburne County Commission were awarded ISTEA grants. In 1997, the cities of Jacksonville, Weaver and Anniston were awarded grants from the National Recreational Trails Fund (NRTF) to construct either trail connections or access facilities. Also in 1997, the city of Weaver received an ISTEA grant to construct its 2.5 mile section of the trail. In 1998, both Weaver and Jacksonville opened their respective sections of the trail.

In Calhoun County, the trail is designed to accommodate pedestrians, bicycles, strollers, inline skates, and wheel chairs. In Cleburne County, the trail will be designed to accommodate equestrians, mountain bikes and hikers.