City of Piedmont, AL

Welcome to the Trail! The Chief Ladiga Trail is Alabama's first extended rails-to-trails project. It wanders 33 miles through the countryside of Calhoun and Cleburne counties and it connects the municipalities of Piedmont, Jacksonville, Weaver and Anniston. Seen along the way are beautiful wetlands, streams, forest, farmland, and a horizon filled with mountains.

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. Because projects like this tend to increase tourism, benefit businesses, decrease crime and generally increase the quality of life, 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.