Bushwhack Deep into the Sipsey
While places like Bee Branch Canyon and Thompson Creek see fairly heavy hiker traffic, the Sipsey also has a fair piece of terra incognita within its spacious confines (at more than 25,000 acres, it's the third-largest wilderness area east of the Mississippi. Hikers with solid backcountry skills can forge off into the relative unknown in the Quillan Creek area, a lush, trailless area where there's always another waterfall to discover round the next bend. A few days and nights in the Sipsey backcountry will give you a deeper feel for the subtle pleasures of this wilderness: the wildflowers and luxuriant mosses that carpet the understory; the tremendous diversity of tree species in the hollows; the bottomless greens of an old-growth Appalachian forest.

Ride the Owl Creek Trail
Whether you're pedaling an iron horse or in the saddle of the old-fashioned kind, Owl Creek's 30 miles of trail fit the bill. Do the whole bit or cut it down to loops of varying length; you can also spend the night at the primitive Owl Creek Horse Camp. It is a moderately paced trail, great for bikers of all levels. There's more multi-use trail in Bankhead — try the Black Warrior Horse Trail, which explores 25 miles of the northeastern part of the forest. As you pass under hardwood trees and through wildflowers, you will see sandstone cliffs, deep gorges, and quick-moving streams. A great variety of southern birding can be done while on this path.

Fish Brushy Lake
Brushy Lake is a 33-acre lake located within the rustic Brushy Lake Recreation Area. Here you will find a remote lake that offers largemouth bass, catfish, and bream fishing. Several campsites lie nearby to provide a great respite to the tired angler. Fishing at Brushy Lake is open year-round.

Canoe Sipsey Fork
The Sipsey Fork of the West Fork River is Alabama's only National Wild and Scenic River. This river system is 61.4 miles in length and is mostly comprised of the river itself and its tributaries, and many parts of the river lead to a great canoeing destination. Part of some floating trips meander through the Sipsey Wilderness. Don't forget that the river also offers some great coosa bass, bream, and catfish fishing.

Camp at Houston
The Houston Campground is located near Double Springs in the southern part of the forest. At Houston, you are right in the middle of a bunch of forest activities. The sites are situated along Lake Lewis Smith and provide Kentucky spotted bass and hybrid striped bass fishing. Nearby is historic Looney Tavern, Little Natural Bridge, and the Houston Civil War Jail.

Move on to U.S. National Forest Campground Guide