DeSoto Falls & Desoto State Park, Alabama

34°32'56.99"N
85°35'24.15"W
About 100 miles NE of Birmingham

Alabama seems obsessed with the explorer Hernando DeSoto. His name is on signs, plaques, and places. Undoubtedly, he would be pleased. He was ruthless, cruel and had a huge ego--which is why he succeeded. The journey through Alabama must have been largely unpleasant for his companions--endless travel, deprivation, illness, and a difficult boss. Perhaps a more benevolent pioneer--or better, a Native American--should have given their name to the lovely falls and park on Lookout Mountain.

When we visited DeSoto Falls last summer, the water flow was disappointingly low. However, the Huntsville Cave Rescue Unit was setting up a Tyrolean traverse above the falls as a fundraiser. We spent an hour watching the preparations, a few heart-stopping test rides, and, finally, the stream of thrill seekers. As usual, we enjoyed watching and listening to the audience of HCRU members and family sprinkled with a few tourists. In the fall, bountiful rain kept our focus on the water. Now it is difficult to imagine the attitude of Arthur Miller, who, back in the 1920's, looked at this gorgeous spot and thought of generating electricity. He is responsible for the dam above the falls. Although I'm sure the women of Fort Payne were grateful to have power for their irons every Thursday afternoon, I long to see the falls in its natural state.

DeSoto State Park has a lodge, camping, and hiking and biking trails. We like to take the Azalea Cascade Boardwalk and then wander through the maze of trails that branch out from there. (A map is available at the store along the main road.) We always walk down to Indian Falls, as well. In a typical juxtaposition for Alabama, the trail to this pretty little spot circles around the park's sewage treatment plant.

Little River Canyon, Alabama

34°21'8.18"N
85°40'27.52"W
About 86 miles NE of Birmingham

We happened on Little River Canyon by accident a decade or so ago while on a Sunday drive to Desoto State Park. The canyon's beauty took our breath away. We couldn't believe we'd never heard of it. Our visit on a misty Sunday morning last fall was a sweet end to a few days on Lookout Mountain.

The National Park Service has remedied the potholes, crumbling cement, and wrecked cars on the cliff that slightly soured our first impression. We met a friendly photographer at Little River Falls near the north end of the reserve. He showed us his portfolio, including a bob cat he'd seen on the canyon rim. In summer the falls is crowded with swimmers.

I heard a rumor that large alligator gar can be seen swimming in the pools below. I have checked at every overlook on every visit, with no success. We did see some deer, turkeys, and many other birds. We spent some time watching doves (or pigeons?) swirling off the cliffs into a few wispy cloudlets.

At one of the overlooks we were puzzled by crime scene tape strung among the trees. Later we read that a pickup truck with a body had been spotted on the cliff below that morning. That makes our enjoyment of the scenery seem frivolous somehow.

There are picnic tables at several spots along the main road. There is a hiking trail to the bottom of the canyon which we have never ventured on. The Little River is very popular for kayaking.

Update 04-18-2007: An article by Jennifer Bacchus indicates that Jacksonville State will build a field school in the park that would be "a place where students and professors could study and do experiments, a lab facility with offices for the park officials and room for visitors to learn about Little River Canyon and the ecology of Northeast Alabama."

Russell Cave National Monument, Alabama

34 deg 58' 46.39" N
85 deg 48' 34.68"W
About 5.8 miles NW of Bridgeport

Nestled in Doran's Cove in the Appalachian foothills up against the Tennessee border, Russell Cave National Monument had few visitors when we dropped by last fall. It seems to have been more popular with prehistoric Americans. The cave has evidence of 10,000 years of human occupation. A free ranger-guided tour goes over the site of an extensive excavation conducted jointly by the Smithsonian Institution and National Geographic in the 1950's. There are fine exhibits and a movie in the visitor center, but I preferred the booklet we purchased reprinting an article from the October, 1956 National Geographic Magazine.

There are picnic tables at the visitor center with a large open area that hosts a Native American Festival in May. There is also a nature walk that is a stop on the North Alabama Birding Trail.

The ranger that gave our tour through the cave shelter was from Orme, Tennessee, just up the valley. She said that when there is flooding along the stream that comes to the surface in the park and flows into the cave, the rangers are always surprised by the quantity and variety of debris from Orme that ends up in the cave. We decided to slip briefly into another state to investigate. Orme is a former railroad town with little to offer the tourist beyond a picturesque train station. We didn't mind. We were very satisfied to soak up the intense fall colors all along the valley.

Bibb County Glades, Alabama

33° 3'33.03"N
87° 2'4.14"W
About 35 miles southwest of Birmingham

Have you ever seen a U-Haul truck with the Alabama pink root graphic? It depicts a unique biological community along the Little Cahaba River discovered in 1992 by biologist Jim Allison. These dolomite glades are home to many rare plants, eight of which grow nowhere else in the world. The Nature Conservancy's Nancy Stiles Freeland Bibb County Glades Preserve encompasses 480 acres of the Ketona glade ecosystem and the remains of the Brighthope Furnace. It is a short walk from the gate across the entrance road to the river, which is a nice spot for a picnic. (There are no facilities.)

Brighthope (or Little Cahaba) Furnace was built by William Phineas Browne to provide iron for the Confederacy. It was destroyed by the Union army. Dr. James Day was kind enough to provide us with a copy of his doctoral thesis "'Diamonds in the Rough': A History of Alabama's Cahaba Coal Field," which recounts Mr. & Mrs. Browne's struggles to develop their coal and iron businesses. Rhonda Ellison's book, Bibb County, Alabama: The First Hundred Years, gives a description of the dam and furnace site (pg 101). We will try to find evidence of both on our next visit.

Kinlock Falls, Bankhead National Forest, Alabama

34° 18' 31" N
87° 30' 06"W
About 68 mi NW of Birmingham

Kinlock Falls is along Hubbard Creek in the Bankhead National Forest. It is in the southwest corner of Lawrence County. We chose to visit based on Indiana Joe's post on Google Earth. It was very cold when we visited, with long icicles hanging over the water. Even so, we could imagine relief from summer heat in an old fashioned swimming hole. How fun to slide down the falls!

After some research, we will go back to explore the ruins around this monument just beyond the falls. The area appears to have some interesting stories to tell!

Natural Bridge, Alabama

34 deg 5' 24.47" N
87 deg 36' 54.26"W
About 60 miles northwest of Birmingham

Natural Bridge is a delightful little town with an unofficial population of 28. Natural Bridge Park surprised us with its beauty. Admission of $2.50 per person is collected in a gift shop full of classic souvenirs. Past the artesian water fountains and the rock formation resembling an Indian face is a trail to the natural bridge. The trail continues under the bridge and for perhaps half a mile along the rocks to a beautiful falls. This park would be a refreshing place for a picnic during the summer heat and must be spectacular in the fall.