Reviewed by: Caleb Turrentine
Celebrate 50 Years of Sipsey Wilderness
Reading time: 2 minutes
The Alabama Environmental Council (AEC) and Wild Alabama are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Sipsey Wilderness, a landmark achievement in Alabama’s environmental history.
Spanning 12,726 acres in the heart of the Bankhead National Forest, Sipsey Wilderness became a protected area through years of dedicated advocacy by local conservation groups, especially the Alabama Conservancy, now the AEC.
This effort led to Sipsey being designated Alabama’s first federally protected wilderness.
The Legacy of Sipsey Wilderness
Over the last 50 years, Sipsey Wilderness has remained a jewel of the Alabama landscape, offering countless opportunities for outdoor enthusiasts to experience its rugged beauty, diverse plant and animal life and peaceful solitude.
The wilderness is home to over 150 miles of hiking trails and other features including:
- Towering cliffs
- Cascading waterfalls
- Deep ravines
- Old-growth forests
How you can celebrate
Both Wild Alabama and the Alabama Environmental Council will be celebrating Sipsey Wilderness turning 50 this year. Here are some of the events you can look forward to in 2025:
- Thursday, April 3: Alabama Environmental Council’s Green Drinks happy hour commemorating the 50th anniversary.
- Saturday, May 17: Wild Alabama hike in Sipsey Wilderness.
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