ALABAMA GETAWAY
Last week, a business trip
to Birmingham gave me the opportunity to hike in Alabama for the first
time. After a little research, I
decided to hike in DeSoto State Park and the Little River Canyon in the
northeast part of the state. Unfortunately,
the normal route from Charlotte to Birmingham doesn’t go through that part of
Alabama. So I took the scenic route,
down through Chattanooga, TN. This was
only a little longer, and I was able to avoid the nightmare that is driving
through Atlanta.
An early start and the
change to the central time zone helped me arrive at DeSoto State Park before
lunchtime. The park is an easy drive
off I-59, but some of the signs were confusing. DeSoto Falls and DeSoto State Park were in different directions,
which was puzzling since I thought the falls were inside the park. I decided to go to the park first, in hopes
of finding a map and maybe some hiking suggestions.
The rangers at the park
office were very helpful. One of the
most popular hikes in the park makes a circuit that visits 5 waterfalls on
various side streams. Unfortunately, it
has been very dry recently, and according to the ranger, there was little to no
actual water flowing over any of the waterfalls. They also told me that the DeSoto Scout Trail, which connects the
park with the falls a few miles upstream, is unmaintained. They weren’t sure what kind of condition
that trail would be in. However, they
did give me detailed directions for a short hike to an overlook of DeSoto
Falls. This sounded intriguing, so I
decided to head that way first.
I drove back up the mountain
before heading down the road to the falls.
This road leads to a small park at a lake and the brink of the
waterfall. However, it’s hard to get a good
view of the falls from the developed recreation area. I followed the ranger’s directions, and pulled off the road at a
trailhead just beyond an electric substation.
There is a no-camping sign at the trailhead, as well as signs for Icebox
Cave and the Welsh Caves.
I followed the obvious trail
into the woods, and took a side path down at a sign for Icebox Cave. I followed the side path past rock bluffs as
it skirted the base of a cliff. Before
long, I found Icebox Cave back in the rock bluff. The cave is fairly small, but interesting. From there, I found another route back up
through the cliffs to the main trail. I
was only back on it for a minute when I reached the sign for the Welsh Caves. I descended a steeper path this time, and
found the Welsh Caves high up in the side of the cliff. The Welsh Caves are also interesting, but
unfortunately they’ve been vandalized.
Why is it that vandals with spray paint don’t understand that nobody cares
about them or whom they love?
After a brief visit I
returned to the trail. I crossed the
top of the bluff and turned to follow high above the gorge of the Little
River. I wandered through the woods for
a few more minutes before emerging at an overlook with a dramatic view. Directly across from the overlook, DeSoto
Falls spills over 100’ into an immense “punchbowl” created by the surrounding
cliffs. Since the waterfall is on a
river, there was no shortage of water here.
DeSoto Falls is one of the more impressive waterfalls I’ve seen
anywhere. The view was great, and the
overlook provided an ideal spot for lunch.
After lunch, I explored
around looking for a route to the base of the falls. Unfortunately, I was high up on a cliff, and a safe route down
wasn’t apparent. You might be able to
bushwhack from the area around Icebox Cave down to the river and then reach the
falls from there, but I decided against trying it. I was alone in an unfamiliar area, and I didn’t even have a
decent map. Instead I paid a brief
visit to the park at the brink of the falls.
The park is nice, but the view from here is no match for the vista from
the overlook downstream. While I was
there, I did notice several people in the pool at the base of the falls. Now how did they get there? There certainly wasn’t a route down from the
park. I’m guessing the reached the
falls by hiking upstream, but I’ll probably never know.
It was still early
afternoon, so I headed back to the park to do a hike. I had picked up a trail map of the park, but it isn’t drawn to
scale. I picked out a loop hike that would
take me along the Little River, but I had no idea how far the route was.
I drove to the Azalea
Cascades trailhead, parked, and walked across the road, passing a sewage
treatment facility along the way. Just
beyond it, I joined the trail and crossed a bridge immediately above Indian
Falls. Indian Falls is on a side creek
that was almost completely dry.
Considering the sewage plant just upstream, the only way there’s likely
to be any water going over the falls anytime soon is if all the toilets in the park
cabins and campgrounds are flushed simultaneously.
I left Indian “Falls” behind
and descended to the banks of the Little River. This stretch of trail was nice, as there was plenty of water in
the river. Numerous wildflowers added
color to the trail, but the walking was difficult. The route is extremely rocky, and it was a struggle to hike at
any sort of consistent pace. It wasn’t
long before I reached the side trail looping back up to the ridge above. I climbed to the ridge, and headed back to the
car parallel to the trail I had hiked in on.
I returned to the car after only an hour of hiking.
Briefly I considered another
hike in the park. I walked the
boardwalk up to the Azalea Cascades, which were completely dry. I had considered hiking farther upstream, to
two other “waterfalls”, but I just couldn’t get excited about it. There’s hardly anything that looks as sad as
a stream without water in it. Instead I
hiked back to the car and headed for the Little River Canyon. Hopefully I would find another place with
some good hiking opportunities.
A 15-minute drive brought me
to the head of the Little River Canyon.
I crossed the highway bridge over the river and parked in a large lot
just beyond. Even though it was a Monday
afternoon, there were quite a few cars in the parking lot. I followed the paved trail into the woods to
a fork. I continued on the main trail,
and arrived a minute later at the top of Little River Falls. The Little River drops 45’ here, and the
area just above the falls is an open rock garden. Lots of people were playing in the river here, but I wanted a
better view of the falls. I backtracked
to the fork, and followed a fainter path into the woods. I hiked down canyon for a few minutes before
finding a break in the cliffs. A short
but steep descent led to a heavily wooded floodplain, which I followed back
upstream. After a few minutes, I
reached the edge of a huge pool at the base of the falls. The view from here is great, but it was a
very sunny day. As a result, I didn’t
have much luck with photographs.
I returned to the car, but
decided to skip the scenic drive along the rim of the Little River Canyon. There are a couple of additional waterfalls
along the way, but they are on small streams that were probably dry. Plus, the route through the canyon isn’t
exactly on the way to Birmingham. I
retreated to the interstate, and headed to Gadsden. In Gadsden, I decided to take one more diversion at Nocohula
Falls State Park. As I drove into the
park, I noticed that the stream was mostly dry. Oh no, another dry waterfall.
When I found out that admission to the park is $6, and that the park
closes at 6pm (it was already after 5), I decided to skip it.
I spent three full days
working in Birmingham before returning home.
There are several other areas in Alabama I’d like to hike. The Sipsey Wilderness, on the Cumberland
Plateau in northwest Alabama, sounds fascinating. It is full of bluffs, caves, waterfalls, and unique rock
formations. The Talladega National
Forest, east of Birmingham, also has interesting hiking options. Wherever I go the next time I hike in
Alabama, I hope there’s a bit more water in the streams!
Back to Alabama
Back to Hiking and Backpacking Trip Reports
Please remember to Leave No Trace!