Chewacla State Park offers numerous ways to spend Fourth of July weekend

Chewacla State Park was busy Friday with a steady stream of visitors taking advantage of the long Fourth of July weekend to commune with nature.

A number of locals and out-of-state folks gathered at the park’s campsites and picnic tables. Some were reading books while sitting in the sun, and others were hanging out with friends and family, including their canine pals.

Swimming at the lake was a popular pastime Friday, as was walking along the park’s numerous trails.

Shawna Schaeffer, a rising senior at Auburn High School, and Jacob Bentley, who will begin attending Southern Union State Community College in the fall, made their first trek to the Chewacla Dam Waterfall on Friday.

They both recently moved to Auburn from Ohio, and were attracted to Chewacla State Park because of the waterfall and their love for hiking trails, Schaeffer said.

The two friends sat on the banks near the Chewacla Dam Waterfall enjoying some snacks before leaving to complete the nearby trail.

After spending time with his friends swimming in the lake, Ward Bowron of Mobile, an Auburn University senior building sciences major, decided to check out the waterfall.

“I’ve probably been here about 10 times in the four years since I began at Auburn University,” said Bowron, who is living in North Carolina over the summer for an internship.

Bowron gathered trash strewn along the bank near the waterfall before he and his three friends walked out on the rocks scattered in the waters below the waterfall.