Reader’s Digest rated this Alabama Town as one of the most stunning mountain towns in America.

Welcome to Mentone, AL, a breathtaking town nestled in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. Mentone is a small town full of coffee shops, southern restaurants, cozy AirBnbs, and antique shops. Waterfalls and views are hiding around every corner.

Outdoor activities rule Mentone, AL. There are dozens of hiking trails in the area full of waterfalls and views and is home to Alabama’s only Snow Skiing resort. (Yes snow Skiing).

See the full Reader’s Digest 25 Most Stunning Mountain Towns List here.

Desoto Falls is the crown jewel of the area. It is a massive 104 ft waterfall. There are several hiking trails in the area including hiking trails to a beautiful view of the canyon and the bottom of the waterfall. The river is dammed above the waterfall forming a lake. A place to rent kayaks is available above the waterfall. You can swim at the bottom or above the waterfall.

Guide: Desoto Falls

Desoto State Park

Little River Canyon is about 20 minutes south of the town of Mentone. The canyon has several waterfalls including Little River Falls and Martha Falls. There are incredible swimming holes including Hippie Hole, Blue Hole, and the bottom of Little River Falls. Several hiking trails will take you to the bottom of the canyon and you can see several lookout points driving along the canyon rim. This is the deepest canyon in the state of Alabama reaching depths over 600 ft. 

Guide: Little River Canyon

Find out the Gear you need for the outdoors!

Summer Hiking Essentials
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Outdoor Sandals

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As of 2016, Forests cover an estimated 36.21% of the United States with 818,814,000 acres of forest. 

These rankings are based on Wise Voter data. Click here for more information. The data below is the percentage of the state currently covered in forest. It should be noted that states with lower percentages do not necessarily reflect a low coverage of wild areas as some states naturally have fewer forests. For instance, Kansas is mostly plains and will naturally have less forest coverage. 

Here are the rankings:

1. Maine 88.8%

2. New Hampshire – 81.9%

3. West Virginia – 78.1%

4. Vermont – 76.7%

5. Alabama – 71.3%

6. South Carolina – 66.8%

7. Georgia – 66.5%

8. Mississippi 63.9%

9. Virginia 63.6%

10. New York – 61.7%

11. North Carolina – 60.3%

12. Massachusetts – 59.8%

13. Pennsylvania – 58%

14. Connecticut – 56.9%

15. Arkansas – 56.8%

16. Michigan – 55.7%

17. Rhode Island – 54.5%

18. Louisiana – 54.3%

19. Tennessee – 54.3%

20. Washington – 51.9%

21. Florida – 49.3%

22. Kentucky – 49%

23. Wisconsin – 48.9%

24. Oregon – 48.4%

25. New Jersey – 42.3%

26. Idaho – 41%

27. Maryland – 39.2%

28. Texas – 37.1%

29. Hawaii – 35.8%

30. Alaska – 35.2%

31. Missouri – 34.8%

32. Minnesota – 34.7%

33. Colorado – 34.6%

34. Utah – 34.2%

35. California – 31.7%

36. New Mexico – 31.7%

37. Ohio – 29.9%

38. Delaware – 28.5%

39. Montana – 27.8%

40. Oklahoma – 27%

41. Arizona – 25.4%

42. Indiana – 20.8%

43. Wyoming – 17%

44. Nevada – 15.1%

45. Illinois – 13.7%

46. Iowa – 8%

47. Kansas – 4.7%

48. South Dakota – 3.9%

49. Nebraska – 2.9%

50. North Dakota – 1.8%

Find out the Gear you need for the outdoors!

Summer Hiking Essentials
Summer Camping Essentials
Outdoor Sandals

Like this Tour? Check out our other tours!

Bankhead Waterfall Tour
Alabama Big Waterfall Tour
Fall Colors in Huntsville

Quality of life starts with Clean Water.

These rankings are based on a US News article ranking the states from best drinking water to worst drinking water. The ranking system uses a weighted point system to track violations of the law, including contaminants and treatments. The metric measures the number of violation points against public water systems per 1,000 customers served. 

1. Hawaii

2. Alabama

3. Tennessee

4. South Carolina

5. Massachusetts

6. Kentucky

7. Georgia

8. Florida

9. California

10. Delaware

11. Maryland

12. Ohio

13. Mississippi

14. Minnesota

15. Virginia

16. North Carolina

17. New York

18. Nevada

19. North Dakota

20. Missouri

21. Rhode Island

22. Illinois

23. Washinton

24. Nebraska

25. New Jersey

26. Wisconsin

27. Arkansas

28. Iowa

29. Utah

30. South Dakota

31. Texas

32. Arizona

33. Colorado

34. Kansas

35. Louisiana

36. Michigan

37. Connecticut

38. Indiana

39. Oregon

40. Pennsylvania

41. New Hampshire

42. Idaho

43. New Mexico

44. Wyoming

45. Oklahoma

46. Vermont

47. West Virginia

48. Montana

49. Maine

50. Alaska

Find out the Gear you need for the outdoors!

Summer Hiking Essentials
Summer Camping Essentials
Outdoor Sandals

Like this Tour? Check out our other tours!

Bankhead Waterfall Tour
Alabama Big Waterfall Tour
Fall Colors in Huntsville