Little River Canyon National Preserve

One of the deepest canyons in the Eastern US — forested gorge with waterfalls and swimming holes

Little River Canyon National Preserve is the principal reason to visit Fort Payne. The Little River runs along the top of Lookout Mountain before dropping into a canyon system of forested walls, sandstone cliffs, and boulder-strewn pools. The canyon rim drive — Canyon Rim Road — offers a series of pull-offs with overlooks down into the gorge, each one different. The views at sunset are particularly good.

DeSoto Falls, at the northern end of the preserve, drops 100 feet into a pool and is the most accessible waterfall. Further south, the river creates natural swimming holes in the canyon bottom that are popular in summer — access requires hiking down the canyon walls on maintained trails. The preserve is undeveloped enough to feel genuinely wild; wildlife includes white-tailed deer, wild turkeys, and occasional black bears. The visitor centre near the canyon rim has trail maps and information on current water conditions.

things to do sight nature wildlife
A story
Little River is unusual among American rivers in that it flows for most of its length atop a mountain rather than in a valley. It rises on Lookout Mountain and runs along the plateau for miles before plunging into the canyon — this makes it one of the longest mountaintop rivers in the United States. The canyon it eventually carves through the sandstone reaches 700 feet deep in places, earning it the designation "Grand Canyon of the East."