NOTE:   Preregistration is required.  Please email Hal Massie at:  massiefarm@aol.com

Field Trip Leader:   Hal Massie

Description:   The Turkeybeard Bluff at Sprewell Bluff WMA overlooks Pigeon Creek, a tributary of the Flint River. The steep slopes harbor a heath bluff community with an overstory of montane longleaf pine. The bluff is named for the unusual turkeybeard, Xerophyllum asphodeloides.  Along the way to the bluff we will see an uncommon skullcap – showy skullcap, Scutellaria pseudoserrata, and a personal favorite, squareheads, Tetragonatheca helianthoides.  Other possibilities include Indian-pink, Spigelia marilandica, nettle-leaf sage, Salvia urticifolia, and other mid-spring ephemerals. On the bluff, both mountain laurel, Kalmia latifolia, and gorge rhododendron, Rhododendron minus, should be in flower. Hopefully, we will also see the turkeybeard flowering!

Location & Directions:   Sprewell Bluff WMA is in Talbot, Meriwether, and Upson Counties in West-Central Georgia, between Thomaston and Manchester. From Atlanta, go south on I-85 to Exit 41 and turn south on US 27Alt. Continue south to Warm Springs. At the traffic light in Warm Springs, go straight for one block, then turn right at the stop sign onto GA 41. Follow GA 41 through Manchester and over Pine Mountain. About 5 miles from the top of Pine Mountain, turn left onto Pleasant Valley Road. After a few miles, the road will dead end into Chalybeate Springs Road. Turn left onto Chalybeate Springs Road and go about 2 miles to Mitchell Gap on the right. There is a large brown and white sign for Sprewell Bluff WMA at the gap. GPS: Mitchell Gap.

For directions from other areas, please contact the trip leader.

Meet At:   Mitchell Gap, on Chalybeate Springs Road.

Bathroom Facilities:   None.

Walking Difficulty:   This hike is easy to moderate. We won’t walk more than a mile. The walk in to the bluff is mostly in the open on a rocky surface, the bluff itself is heavily wooded with no trail. If time and desire allow, we may drive to a couple of other interesting places in the WMA after we get back from the Turkeybeard Bluff.

Bring:   Lunch, snacks, & water.  Remember to dress for the weather and wear comfortable hiking shoes. Much of the walk is in the open, so a hat is a good idea. You may wish to bring binoculars, hand lens, notebook, and camera.  A fishing license, hunting license, or lands pass is required to be on a Wildlife Management Area.

Contact:   Hal Massie 478-957-6095 (cell service may be spotty on the morning of the trip).