BREMEN, ALA FEB 13, 2020

“Pine Tree Trail Resort was located at 1940 County Rd 143 in Bremen, Alabama. It was originally developed as a timeshare resort, but closed down due to legal issues. It re-opened in the mid 1990’s under the name Bremen Lakeview Resort. It was then bought in 2006 by Bergendorf Properties as a Gatlinburg-meets-Smith-Lake style resort.  It has 1,900′ of shoreline, 95 campsites in which 45 are full hook up. It has a swimming pool, putt-putt golf, picnic tables, pavilion, hiking trails, boat launch, bath house, and stunning views. It is currently on the market for $2.1 million.” Dave Warren 2015

I’m not sure if “Paradise Pointe Resort” was the name of the Gatlinburg style resort or a later redevelopment, but it was apparently the last business to try and function here.

Unfortunately this place is known for being trespassed and future explorers will suffer the consequences. As you can see in the back right of the above photo, a lot of dead undergrowth and brush has been moved to block the trail leading to the main resort buildings by the lake, and an additional chain blocking the property from the main road. There’s a GoPro video from 2015 on YouTube where you can clearly see they were able to drive right up to the main buildings. When I visited the only place open for me to park my car was right in front of the chain and a few private property no trespassing signs.

If I was in an offroad vehicle I would have taken my chances at the unblocked dirt road that leads around the backside of the property although it was flooded whenever I visited and my Honda definitely couldn’t make it through. I had already made it all the way to the pool and just needed to walk around the overgrowth separating it from main resort buildings on the edge of the lake. Suddenly, I was apprehended by a local that lives on one of the adjacent properties. He came speeding out towards me on an ATV to ask me what I was doing.

He mentioned knowing the property owner and told me that people come there to deal drugs, steal things and light stuff on fire, and that it scares his kids. He showed me where he had written my license plate number on his hand with a pen. I told him that I don’t want to disturb the peace in anyway and asked if it was alright for me to at least get a photo of the main resort buildings around the corner while he was out there. He said no and told me that half the problem was people posting photos on the internet. I explained to him that 9 times out of 10 there aren’t any busybody locals like him waiting for somebody to come trespass.

Shot on Canon EOS M100 15-50mm by Luke Schlauder

While it was pretty frustrating to be told to leave and that I couldn’t even take one photo of the main attraction, it’s usually best to play it safe in these situations, especially when you’re in somebody else’s backyard. Here are some great photos taken by Gonzo Form in 2019, to make up for my distinct lack here.