This canoeing destination piece originally appeared in the ACA section of Canoeroots and Family Camping magazine.
In July 2011, citizens of Prattville, Alabama, began a community effort to clean up and improve the aesthetics and navigability of the Autauga Creek Canoe Trail.
Fallen trees were blocking the creek, which were cut and repositioned to provide safe passage for canoes and unsightly debris including trash, old tires and other items were removed. Hundreds of hours of labor have been contributed by the Autauga Creek Improvement Committee over the past 16 months.
The headwaters of Autauga Creek begin more than 13 miles above the historical Daniel Pratt Mill Dam located in downtown Prattville. The clean-up efforts were initially concentrated on the four miles of creek between the dam and the take-out point at the canoe trail park. Although this part of the creek flows primarily through the city, its high, vegetated banks and dense tree cover give it the appearance of a wilderness experience. Now, the canoe trail is clear from the dam to the Alabama River. Paddling activities on the creek have dramatically increased as a result of adding four new informational kiosks. Artwork and interpretive information was printed and mounted. The signs immediately attracted the attention of nearby pedestrians who began reading the material and examining the canoe trail map.
The Autauga Creek Improvement Committee received ACA’s L.L. Bean Club Fostered Club Grant in 2012 and just recently finished these improvements.
This article appeared in Canoeroots & Family Camping, Spring 2013.
