Upper Black Warrior River

All we can say is WOW! We were excited to explore this river because it was new to us, now having traveled 165 miles upstream from the junction with the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway all we can say is wow.

It is true that the first hundred miles were just so-so, but beyond that the Black Warrior is spectacular. Above Tuscaloosa, AL the topography changes completely, we are in the mountainous area of central Alabama. The forested mountains fall straight to the water, with a few rock outcroppings thrown in for interest. Add a bit of fall color and the scenery was perfect

However what really made this trip special were the people we met along the way. At Eagle Cove marina just above Holt Lock (and Tuscaloosa) we met fellow cruisers Mike & Mary aboard What Daze It. Mike is originally from Moundville and they are staying here now to help his aging parents. Lucky for us because they spent several hours with us reviewing the charts and sharing their favorite places to explore.

Larry and Jim, from our buddy boat, dinghied to an abandoned coal train tunnel and explored all afternoon.



Another day they found a waterfall at the head of a creek and climbed to check out the caves in the hill by the falls

The people we met were what really made the trip special. At newly opened Franklin Ferry Marina, which was as far upstream as we traveled, we were welcomed by the local boaters and by the residents of the community around the marina. Nearly every one we met offered us a ride to the grocery; one couple even invited us to join them for karaoke night at the local American Legion.
Exploring by dinghy from Franklin Ferry we found Quinn’s Landing, a tiny little marina and restaurant is in a small creek. We had lunch at the restaurant and then, as boaters always seem to do, we walked the dock. We stopped to admire an old wood Chris Craft and a fellow (Ken) came out to talk to us. In the course of the conversation we discovered that he used to live in St. Louis. Naturally we asked where in St. Louis he lived, and Larry volunteered that I had grown up in St. Charles County; that was when Ken told us that he still had a boat at a marina in Portage des Sioux. We inquired at which marina and he replied Sioux Harbor! For those who don’t know that is our old marina where we kept our sailboat after the 1993 Flood. In the “small world” category this has to be a close second to our experience last fall in Demopolis where we met a total stranger that had gone to my same high school. Perhaps Alabama is calling to us.

Heading back downstream toward Tuscaloosa we passed this spectacular waterfall cascading directly into the river

We tried to figure out how we could do as the locals do and moor to an old lock wall in downtown Tuscaloosa but we couldn’t see ourselves securing to the top of the wall which was at least 12’ off of the water and so we had to pass on that experience.


Our last night on the Upper Black Warrior we pulled into a creek to anchor for the night only to be greeted by a couple on a quad runner at the mouth of the creek, who called out “welcome pirates” as we idled past. Before the sun had set we were in their home dining on venison chili. Gene & Karen (who live along the creek) and their friends shared the most awesome hospitality. First we had a “signature frou-frou drink” in the “tiki hut”, then we toured their home and the dipped up heaping bowls of chili before we retired back to the tiki hut to enjoy the evening. If you think a tiki hut is inconsistent with central Alabama I can explain, Gene and Karen vacation in Marathon each winter and they wanted to re-create the ambience of their favorite vacation watering hole. What fun we had with them and their friends, and the following day they sent us an e-mail thanking us for coming!

Life on the river is great!