Trail Sign by the Sinkhole
in Alabama · centroid 29 mi from Chattanooga
Shortly after beginning the boardwalk trail, a sign will show the way to continue to the cave shelter, or where to break off for the hiking trail. To the right, a short staircase will lead to a prime example of a sinkhole, a telltale sign that a cave is near. Further on, the 1.2 mile loop hiking trail begins.
This trail is strenuous, taking hikers straight up the mountain side and back down on poured asphalt switchbacks.
- States
- Alabama
- Trail type
- National Monument trail
- Centroid nearest city
- Chattanooga, TN · 29 mi · ~50 min drive
- Centroid coords
- 34.9778°, -85.8095°
About Russell Cave National Monument
This trail is inside Russell Cave National Monument, a national monument managed by the U.S. National Park Service. Conditions, road status, trail closures, and reservation requirements are published on the park's NPS page — check it before driving in, especially in winter or during major weather events.
Official NPS trail page: https://www.nps.gov/places/ruca-trail-sign-by-sinkhole.htm
Park homepage: https://www.nps.gov/ruca/index.htm
Plan your hike
Maps + permits: long-distance trails like this often require permits for through-hiking, backcountry camping, or specific sections (especially in National Parks). Check with the maintaining organisation listed above and the relevant land manager before booking travel.
Water + supplies: water sources vary seasonally on most U.S. trails. Carry a filter and consult current trail-condition reports — through-hiker journals (PCT-L, AT Reddit, etc.) and the maintaining organisation publish regular updates.
When to go: hiking seasons vary widely with elevation, latitude, and snowpack. Through-hikers traditionally start the AT in March-April (Springer northbound) and the PCT in late April (Campo northbound). High-elevation western trails (CDT, JMT, Wonderland) generally aren't passable until July.
If you've hiked Trail Sign by the Sinkhole and have current notes (water sources, trail closures, permit changes), tell us at /contact — we update pages as we learn.
Stay nearby
Other trails within 50 miles
Sources
Trail data on this page is compiled from OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), the maintaining organisation's public-facing materials, and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA where excerpts are quoted). Distance, terminus, and descriptive text for nationally-designated trails are hand-curated from federal land-manager websites and trail-association sources. We do not modify the underlying data; this page presents what is already publicly recorded. To suggest corrections, see our methodology page.