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Little River Canyon National Preserve, Fort Payne

4.8

Must see · Canyon · National Park

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Little River Canyon National Preserve is a United States National Preserve located on top of Lookout Mountain near Fort Payne, Alabama, and DeSoto State Park. Created by an Act of Congress in 1992, the 15,288-acre (6,187 ha) preserve protects what is sometimes said to be the nation's longest mountaintop river, the Little River. The canyon was historically called "May's Gulf", "gulf" being a common term throughout the Cumberland Plateau for this sort of feature. Prior to being assigned to the National Park Service, the canyon area formed the southmost unit of Alabama's DeSoto State Park.

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Tours to Little River Canyon National Preserve

FROM $72 BOOK WITH VIATOR Rappelling Adventure in Fort Payne Little River Canyon Rappelling Adventure in Fort Payne Little River Canyon

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Duration: 3 hours

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Little River Canyon National Preserve reviews

TripAdvisor traveler rating

558 reviews

Google

4.8

By Robert D

We drove through the scenic drive and enjoyed seeing the river and canyon at each overview. The falls were beautiful. Great slow paced drive to enjoy.

We drove through the scenic drive and enjoyed seeing the river and canyon at each overview. The falls were beautiful. Great slow paced drive to enjoy. more »
By 950tinag

Wonderful area to explore. Lots of waterfalls and scenic sites. It was a fun area to explore. Spent 2 days in area exploring.

Wonderful area to explore. Lots of waterfalls and scenic sites. It was a fun area to explore. Spent 2 days in area exploring. more »
By DavidDINO

A friend recommended this anniversary trip visit that we found delightful and informative (great Welcome Center). Looking forward to another exploration.

A friend recommended this anniversary trip visit that we found delightful and informative (great Welcome Center). Looking forward to another exploration. more »

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By Christy Milbourne

What a pleasant surprise this was! We weren't sure what we were going to find on that winding road along Bear Creek with all its roadside overlooks, but my goodness were we in for a treat! Pictures just don't do it justice. I wish we'd had time to make it all the way around. We missed the most beautiful part (the falls!) If you're in the area, spend a day checking out all of the overlooks and the falls. It's truly worth it. We're planning to visit again during the fall when all the leaves are bursting with color. (Our visit was in mid-December.) I haven't been able to get this area out of my mind since we returned. Stunningly beautiful and definitely worth the visit!

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By Jeremy Brown

This is a beautiful place with several cool things to see and do. There are several scenic overlooks that stretch roughly 8 miles by car. There is a awesome swimming hole called the hippie hole that gets over 20 feet deep in places. There are several areas to jump off rocks into the water. The hiking trails at little river are overall short and pretty easy for a regular hiker. Be aware that the hike down to the swimming hole has 133 stone steps. It can be difficult for some people. There is also a swimming area that is much easier to access closer to the main bridge in the parking lot. The visitors center is beautiful to see. They show a video about little river canyon and there is a gift shop. I've hiked at many places this is one of the best overall.

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By Todd Nolan

Pleasant surprise! Nice gem in AL. Little River Trail very nice. It’s rocky and a nice river at the end to jump in. The scenic rim route also very nice. A couple of volunteer rangers on site too.

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By Catherine Shawarby

Nice falls, such a pity visitor leave their trash by the river! Does it take too much to carry their used water bottles or MacDonalds cups back up to the car? Nice drive and views from the lookouts.

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By Brenda Hendrix

The views are breathtaking! I highly recommend following your map to the locations you want to visit. You can pick up one at the welcome center. Don't rush just enjoy the beauty and peace.

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