Great Southern Waterfalls #2 - Little River Falls in Alabama

Little River Falls in Alabama

#2 in the series of Great Southern Waterfalls is Little River Falls in Alabama!  (To see #1 in the series, please visit Cedar Falls at Petit Jean State Park in Arkansas).

Easily accessible to the public, Little River Falls is part of Little River Canyon National Preserve, a relatively new national park area near Fort Payne, Alabama. The falls are located where State Highway 35 crosses Little River Canyon.

The magnificent falls flow year round and are 45-feet high.  While they are not among the tallest waterfalls in the South, they make up for it in sheer power and scenic beauty.

Formed where the Little River drops over an escarpment as it flows through Little River Canyon atop Lookout Mountain, Little River Falls are free to visit and are open daily during daylight hours. The parking area includes space for cars, RVs and buses and provides access to a short paved trail that leads down to an overlook just above the falls. From there the more adventurous can venture out onto the rocks and the top of the falls.

A nice but more distant view of Little River Falls is also available from the overlook on Canyon Rim Drive, also part of Little River Canyon National Preserve.

Camping is not allowed at the falls, but campsites are available at nearby Desoto State Park.

To learn more about Little River Falls, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/littleriver2.html

Little River Falls - Alabama

One of the most dramatic scenes in the South this time of year can be found at Little River Falls outside of Fort Payne, Alabama.

This dramatic waterfall usually roars at full force in January and February, when the winter rains and the reduction in leaf cover pour extra water into the Little River. The result is a striking waterfall. It is not the tallest in the South, but its massive volume is quite impressive.

Little River Falls are located high atop Lookout Mountain at the point where Alabama Highway 35 crosses the Little River a few miles from Fort Payne. Now part of the Little River Canyon National Preserve, the falls feed the beautiful canyon.

Early settlers saw the falls as a much needed power source. They built a mill at the top and used the rushing water to power its wheel. A small community grew in the vicinity during the 19th century and continued to thrive into the early 20th century. It eventually faded, however, and the waterfall looks today just as it did hundreds of years ago when Cherokee Indians hunted in the region.

To learn more about Little River Falls, please visit our new Little River Canyon pages at www.exploresouthernhistory.com/littleriver1 and look for the link at the bottom of the page.

Wills Town Mission - A Cherokee Cemetery in Alabama

One of the most fascinating historic sites I've visited in a long, long time can be found on the outskirts of Fort Payne, Alabama.

Wills Town Mission, a Christian mission to the Cherokee Indians that operated from 1823 until the Trail of Tears in 1838, is marked today by a unique cemetery on 38th Street just south of its intersection with Godfrey Avenue in Fort Payne. First used by the Cherokee inhabitants of Wills Town, a major Native American village, the cemetery was later used by 19th century white settlers as well.

The Cherokee graves are marked by natural stones, some of which exhibit faded symbols and carvings, and the stumps of cedar trees. It is reported locally that the trees were cut years ago for building materials by a previous owner of the site. The cemetery is now preserved and marked by a historical marker and a stone monument.

Wills Town was a significant settlement among the Cherokee of Alabama prior to the Trail of Tears. It was in the vicinity that Sequoyah completed his development of the Cherokee alphabet in 1821, giving the Cherokee Nation the only written language of any Native American nation.

The Christian mission in the town converted many members of the tribe to Christianity and also provided education in English, etc., to the inhabitants of Wills Town. The people of the village, however, were among those forced west under the guns of soldiers on the long and deadly march remembered today as the Trail of Tears.

To learn more about Wills Town and its unique Cherokee cemetery, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/fortpayne2.

Waterfalls of Alabama

The winter months are actually one of the best times for exploring waterfalls in the South.

The reduction in leaf cover coupled with winter rains means that streams and rivers are flowing very well and that, in turn, provides plenty of water for waterfalls. Many Southern waterfalls dry to little more than trickles or even dry up completely during the summer months, but in the winter they are often flowing to capacity.

Alabama boasts a surprising number of very impressive falls. From DeSoto Falls near Fort Payne to Noccalula Falls in Gadsden, the state boasts a series of large waterfalls and an untold number of small ones.

Waterfalls often figure prominently in the history of their locations. They were noticed by early settlers and Native Americans and the fast-flowing streams feeding them were often used to power watermills, etc. Little River Falls near Fort Payne and Mentone, for example, was once the location of a little community that thrived because the flowing water powered a grist mill.

If you would like to see photographs and learn more about some of the more fascinating waterfalls in Alabama, please visit our new "Waterfalls of Alabama" pages at: www.exploresouthernhistory.com/alabamawaterfalls.

Little River Falls - Alabama

One of the most beautiful places in the South in any season, but especially in the spring, is Little River Falls (seen here).

Located in the Little River Canyon National Preserve near Fort Payne, Alabama. The falls tumble 45-feet over the rim of Little River Canyon. They are rich in history and powered a watermill during the 1800s.

The falls are located where Highway 35 crosses the Little River near Fort Payne. They are only about 30 minutes from Interstate 59 and are among the most accessible waterfalls in the South.

To read more about Little River Falls and Little River Canyon, please click here: http://www.exploresouthernhistory.com/littleriver2. We will look at other sites around the canyon over the coming days.

Little River Falls - Little River Canyon, Alabama

Little River Canyon National Preserve is one of my favorite spots in the South. Located near Fort Payne, Alabama, the canyon is the centerpiece of a beautiful National Park area noted for its massive canyons, whitewater river, waterfalls and beautiful mountain scenery.

The photograph at right is of Little River Falls, one of the most beautiful year-round waterfalls in the South. In addition, it is one of the most accessible. Located less than 30 minutes from Interstate 59 at the point where State Highway 35 crosses Little River, the falls can be accessed from a parking area on the right. A paved pathway leads down to an overlook, from which visitors can walk out on the rocks to the actual falls. A word of warning, though, the rocks can be slippery so exercise caution and stay away from the edge!

For more on Little River Canyon, just follow this link: www.exploresouthernhistory.com/littleriver1.