Strip Pit Alley Scenic Drive
From U.S. 69 just south of Franklin, 4 ½ miles east on 620, 3 miles north on 270 to Mulberry, continue 6 miles north on 270 to Arcadia, then 4 miles west on Arcadia (becomes 710) to U.S. 69. Along the way you’ll pass many strip pits, signs, and other vestiges of old coal mining camps. Many of these pits are from the 1930s, when massive coal shovels ripped into the earth (some to a depth of 100 feet) leaving barren land and piles of gob (discarded coal waste) in their wake. But now you’ll see strip pits in their restored glory, brimming with water in a new wooded environment that attracts birds, wildlife, hunters, and fishermen.
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