The Shoals, Alabama

Half Day Beginner/Intermediate Paddle 

Start: Joe Wheeler State Park Boat Ramp

End: Wheeler Dam - Wilson Lake Public Boat Ramp

Length: 5-6 miles. Actual distance will vary depending on the visitor’s actual route. 

Experience: Start your journey at Joe Wheeler State Park, home to a lodge, campgrounds, cabins, a golf course, and miles of hiking and mountain biking trails. Before you get on the water, we recommend calling Wheeler Dam to let them know you’ll be coming through the lock (256-247-3311) - yep, that’s right! You’ll begin at First Creek and your first mile provides ample opportunities for bird watching including herons, cormorants, osprey and eagles. When First Creek connects to the Tennessee River, stay right. In approximately one mile, Second Creek will come into the river. If you love birding, take a paddle upstream to see a diverse array of bird species. After your side journey, you’ll go through the lock at Wheeler Dam, a fun and interesting experience. Continue past the end of the island on your left (home to even more birds!) then turn to cross the river to Wheeler Dam - Wilson Lake Public Boat Ramp. Be sure to take in the view of the Dam as you cross the river! After your paddle, head to Lash’s Restaurant for seafood or head to the Shoals to explore restaurants, breweries, museums, historic sites, and plenty of music.

Outfitters:

Restaurants: Lash’s Restaurant, Odette, Champy’s Famous Fried Chicken, George’s Steak Pit, The Pour House at Coldwater

Things to Do: Muscle Shoals Sound Recording Studio. Florence Indian Mound Museum, Tennessee Valley Museum of Art, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Rosenbaum House, Tom Hendrix's Memorial Wall, TVA’s Wilson Dam overlook and Wilson Dam Reservation Trails, The Old Railroad Bridge, exploring Downtown Florence, Sheffield, and Tuscumbia

Fun Facts:

  • FAME Recording Studios has created huge hits for the Rolling Stones, Bono, Aretha Franklin, and Alicia Keys along with countless others

  • Muscle Shoals is the birthplace of the “Father of the Blues,” W.C. Handy, and the Muscle Shoals Sound, a mix of Gospel, Blues and Soul with Rock and Country tones

  • Joe Wheeler State Park is one of the only state parks in the south to have facilities for African Americans before desegregation

  • Florence is home to Rosenbaum House, the only Frank Lloyd Wright-designed home located in Alabama

Land Declaration: This Tennessee RiverLine experiences traverses territory once home to Chickasaw, Eastern Cherokee, Shawnee, and Yuchi peoples (source: https://native-land.ca/)

Ecoregion: INTERIOR PLATEAU. The Interior Plateau is a diverse ecoregion extending from southern Indiana and Ohio to northern Alabama. Rock types are distinctly different from the coastal plain sediments and alluvial deposits of ecoregions to the west, and elevations are lower than the Appalachian ecoregions (66, 67, 68) to the east. Mississippian to Ordovician-age limestone, chert, sandstone, siltstone and shale compose the landforms of open hills, irregular plains, and tablelands. The natural vegetation is primarily oak-hickory forest, with some areas of bluestem prairie and cedar glades. The region has a diverse fish fauna. (source: USEPA)

Physiographic Region: The Interior Low Plateaus is part of the Interior Plains and the elevation of the province ranges from 1000 feet to as low as 500-600 feet. A prominent structural feature of this province is the northeast-southwest anticline that runs through the entire province. The Cincinnati Arch is the axis of the fold and is a structural high for the region. (source: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/geology/physiographic-provinces.htm)