The federal government purchased the land of the Talladega National Forest in 1936 as part of an effort to restore clear-cut timberlands and farmlands no longer capable of producing crops. Its contiguous Shoal Creek and Talladega Districts lie in northeastern Alabama in portions of Cherokee, Calhoun, Cleburne, Talladega, and Clay Counties, straddling the Piedmont Upland and the Alabama Valley and Ridge physiographic sections. The forest's topography consists of upland hills and low mountains. The Pinhoti National Trail System runs for 140 miles through the forest, and the 29-mile Talladega Scenic Drive runs through the Shoal Creek Ranger District to access Alabama's highest point, Cheaha Mountain, at 2,407 feet, within Cheaha State Park. The 7,245-acre Cheaha Wilderness was designated in 1983, and the 9,222-acre Dugger Mountain Wilderness, named for the 2,140-foot Dugger Mountain, was established in 1999.