ALL Alabama State Parks remain open.

Cheaha State Park

I've been receiving quite a few questions about the status of Alabama State Parks as we approach the Fall leaf change.

ALL Alabama State Parks are open and ready for visitors!  This includes Cheaha State Park and DeSoto State Park, both of which adjoin Federal lands.  All state park roads, trails and amenities (lodges, cabins, restaurants, etc.) are open.

Federal lands in Alabama, however, have been closed due to the Government Shutdown.  Areas that are closed include:

• Gulf Islands National Seashore
• Horseshoe Bend National Military Park
• Little River Canyon National Preserve
• Natchez Trace National Parkway
• Russell Cave National Monument
• Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site
• Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site

Little River Falls

In addition, all offices, recreation areas and trails in the Talladega and Bankhead National Monument are closed due to the federal shutdown. Even the National Park Service website is shut down.

ALL Alabama state historic sites are open as usual. These include Fort Morgan, Fort Toulouse/Jackson, etc.

There is no plan to close state operated parks and historic sites and no definite reopening date for national park and forest areas in Alabama.

Since you can't visit national park areas, feel free to look at photos and read about them (as well as Alabama state parks and historic sites) at www.exploresouthernhistory.com.

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

DeSoto State Park - Fort Payne, Alabama

If you are looking for something a little different to do with the family over Christmas vacation, you might be surprised to discover how wonderful of a place Alabama's DeSoto State Park can be during the winter.

This is the time of the year that the park's numerous small (and one huge) waterfalls are often at their best. The spectacular sight of crystal clear water tumbling over rocks and through the ravines and canyons of the park adds sight and sound during the season after the fall leaves are gone.

In addition, the park features miles of hiking trails, a very good restaurant, chalets, cabins and a hotel/lodge. The white lights of the lodge office combine with the beautiful green and red of wild holly to create a nice touch of holiday cheer.

In addition, DeSoto State Park offers easy access to the Little River Canyon National Preserve, a magnificent national park area just a couple of miles away. The canyon is quite picturesque during the winter, as the waterfalls flow well and the reduction in vegetation provides spectacular views.

To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/desotopark1 and to see photos of the park in winter, be sure to visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/desotowinter.

Canyon Rim Drive at Little River Canyon, Alabama

One of my favorite scenic drives in the South is Alabama Highway 176. Also known as Canyon Rim Drive, Highway 176 winds its way along the eastern rim of Little River Canyon.

Connecting eight overlooks and a series of trailheads, the drive is one of the features of the Little River Canyon National Preserve, a national park area located just outside Fort Payne, Alabama.

The drive begins at Alabama 35 opposite the bridge from the Little River Falls parking lot. Eleven miles long, the drive passes some of the most spectacular scenery in the South. Overlooks include a platform from which a distant view of Little River Falls can be seen, the Lynn Overlook, which provides a sweeping vista of the upper canyon area, Hawks Glide, an area popular for watching hawks and other birds as they soar over the canyon, Canyon View, which offers one of the finest views available of the canyon, Wolf Creek and Crow Point, both of which offer outstanding vistas of the canyon, Graces High Falls, which provides a view of one of the tallest waterfalls in Alabama, and Eberhart Point, near the southern end of the drive.

You can learn more about Canyon Rim Drive, Little River Falls and other points of interest in the Little River Canyon area by visiting www.exploresouthernhistory.com/littleriver1.

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.

Little River Canyon - Fort Payne, Alabama

Some of the most spectacular views in the South can be found a few miles outside Fort Payne, Alabama, at Little River Canyon National Preserve.

Often called the "Grand Canyon of the East," Little River Canyon is a remarkable 12-mile long canyon that has been carved across the top of Lookout Mountain by the Little River. One of the most impressive whitewater streams in the Southeast, especially during the winter months, the Little River is one of the most pristine rivers in the nation.

The canyon averages between 400 and 500 feet in depth, but in some spots is nearly 700 feet deep. It begins at Little River Falls, a dramatic waterfall just below the Alabama Highway 35 bridge. Once the site of a mill and significant pioneer community, the falls now feed the whitewater of the canyon.

A number of other waterfalls can be found in the national park, including Grace's High Falls. This beautiful waterfall is one of the tallest in Alabama, but usually only flows during the winter months.

To learn more about Little River Canyon, please visit our new pages on this spectacular national park at www.exploresouthernhistory.com/littleriver1.

Little River Canyon, Part Three

This is another view from along the Canyon Rim Drive at Little River Canyon National Preserve in Alabama.

The park is one of the nation's newest national park areas and is still developing, but is quite popular with visitors already.

Sometimes called the "Grand Canyon of the East," the Little River Canyon is unique because it was created by a mountain that flows almost entirely across a mountain top. Over thousands of years, the river carved the massive canyon into Lookout Mountain. The gorge is 12 miles long and up to 600 feet deep.

The river itself falls more than 650 feet over 12 miles, creating one of the finest whitewater streams in the South (especially in late winter and early spring when the river is flowing strong).

If you are interested in reading more about Little River Canyon National Preserve, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/littleriver1.

Little River Canyon, Part Two

This view was taken from the first overlook on the Canyon Rim Drive at Little River Canyon National Preserve in Alabama. The waterfall in the distance is Little River Falls.

Canyon Rim Drive (Alabama Highway 176) is an eleven mile drive along the west rim of Little River Canyon. It can be accessed from Highway 35 and is only about half an hour from Fort Payne and Interstate 59.

The drive follows the canyon rim and gives drivers the chance to stop at a series of overlooks where they can take in spectacular views of the canyon. The first overlook offers a distant view of Little River Falls. Although a much better view of the falls can be obtained by visiting the falls parking lot across the river where a paved trail leads down to a viewing platform and the actual falls.

Our series on Little River Canyon will continue tomorrow. Until then you can read more by visiting www.exploresouthernhistory.com/littleriver1.

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.