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Buck's Pocket State Park

State park in Alabama, United States

Summary

State park in Alabama, United States

Field	Value
name	Buck's Pocket State Park
photo	Buck's Pocket (6098836044).jpg
photo_width	250
location	DeKalb, Jackson, and Marshall counties, Alabama, United States
map	Alabama
map_caption	Location in Alabama
relief	1
label	Buck's Pocket State Park
coords
coords_ref
area	2080 acre
elevation	594 ft
established	1971
administrator	Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
website

Buck's Pocket State Park is a public recreation area located on Sand Mountain in the northeast corner of the U.S. state of Alabama, 2 mi north of the community of Grove Oak. The state park occupies 2000 acre surrounding a natural pocket (canyon) of the Appalachian Mountain chain along South Sauty Creek, an upstream tributary on the east side of Guntersville Lake.

History

The park's origins date from 1966, when the Sand Mountain Booster's Club organized the Tri-County Park Authority and purchased land from a local farmer. Additional acreage totalling some 700 acres was contributed by the Tennessee Valley Authority. The park opened in 1971.

In 2015, Buck's Pocket lost its campground and its staffing as part of the closing and curtailment of services at several Alabama state parks following severe budget cuts. The park reopened with a renovated campground and the addition of an 8-mile-long ORV (Off-Road Recreational Vehicle) trail in 2020.

Park lore

The origin of the name "Buck's Pocket" has been variously attributed to the presence of large herds of deer, the legendary death of a buck who leapt from Point Rock after being trapped by Cherokee, and a man named Buck Berry who used the area to hide from the draft during the Civil War.

A persistent story dating from the 1940s holds that unsuccessful Alabama politicians go to Buck's Pocket after being defeated at the polls. When specifically they go and what activities they pursue while there is not specified, but left to the imagination.

Activities and amenities

The park offers scenic views from atop the Point Rock Overlook, 15 mi of trails for hiking, and an 8 mi ORV trail. The park's picnic area has a canyon rim vista into the pocket below. A boat launch and fishing area are provided seven miles downstream at Morgan's Cove on Lake Guntersville.

References

{{cite gnis. 150132. Bucks Pocket
1. Point Rock
"Buck's Pocket State Park". Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
Moseley, Brandon. (December 26, 2015). "State to shut down ''Outdoor Alabama'' magazine". Alabama Political Reporter.
(June 10, 1986). "Buck's Pocket losing allure for defeated politicians". Gadsden Times.
Thomas V. Ress. (August 12, 2010). "Buck's Pocket State Park". Alabama Humanities Foundation.
"Hiking Trails". Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
"Fishing". Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
"Overlook". Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
Songer, Joe. (May 27, 2020). "Sneak peek of Buck’s Pocket State Park campground and trail". AL.com.

Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

state-parks-of-alabama protected-areas-of-dekalb-county,-alabama protected-areas-of-jackson-county,-alabama protected-areas-of-marshall-county,-alabama protected-areas-established-in-1971 1971-establishments-in-alabama

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