Hiking to the Valentine Pool & White Falls in the Sipsey Wilderness, Alabama
Channel: Southeastern Frontiers
Date: 2023-02-12

Jacob and I hiked to the Valentine Pool and the White Falls in the Sipsey Wilderness of North Alabama. This pair of waterfalls make a spectacular destination in the heart of the wilderness. We made a nearly 8 mile (12.9 km) loop out of it, but you can just hike right to the falls and straight back out if you want.

The trail starts out following Trail 202 from the Randolph Wild Trailhead.  A short distance up 202, you quickly branch off to follow Trail 201 towards the heart of the Sipsey.

In order to make it easier to get to the Valentine Pool we abandoned Trail 201 part way along and bushwhacked our way downstream until we reached the amazingly beautiful and aptly named Valentine Pool.  Next we rock scrambled our way down to the base nearby and equally amazing White Falls.

After enjoying the spectacle of the falls, we continued downstream until we reached the Sipsey Fork of the Black Warrior River.  We followed the Sipsey Fork upstream past the Rapids of the Sipsey until we reached the confluence of the Thompson and Hubbard Creeks.  Here we had lunch and then returned back up to the top of the ridge and took the easy hike down 201 back to the trailhead.

This was another spectacular hike in the Sipsey Wilderness with wildness and beauty at every turn.

The Sipsey Wilderness lies within the Bankhead National Forest in northwestern Alabama. Sipsey was the first designated wilderness area in Alabama in 1975 and now encompasses about 24,922 acres (10,086 ha). Rivers and streams have carved canyons and valleys in the limestone and sandstone of the local plateau resulting in a wide range of micro-climates in a short hiking distance, some amazing natural features, a few historic sites, as well as endless nooks and crannies to explore. Wilderness camping, building campfires, hunting, and fishing are permitted. Sipsey is a "Leave no Trace" area (https://lnt.org/why/7-principles/) with, despite appearances, no designated fire rings, camp sites or facilities.  Unfortunately, there are many traces of the hundreds who hike and camp here every year.  Please be considerate and do not add to the already extensive damage in this special place.

My other videos of the Sipsey Wilderness:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLywQ2umzhEJm9Mn2CaWGVXXZQCkEJeYoQ

My custom maps of the Sipsey Wilderness: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1eD0rMfe5MfF4lMiyd55A4o0KMjIsaIKW

White Falls Trail info: https://www.alltrails.com/explore/trail/us/alabama/white-falls
Sipsey Wilderness info:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sipsey_Wilderness

Equipment:
Camera: GoPro Hero8 Black: https://gopro.com/en/us/shop/cameras/hero8-black/CHDHX-801-master.html

Title card music by Lobo-Loco: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lobo_Loco/Welcome/Glueworm_Blues_ID_994

#hike
#waterfall
#sipseywilderness