The Big Alabama Waterfalls Tour

The Big Alabama Waterfalls Tour

Difficulty: Easy – Moderate
Distance: Less than 1 mile (or 6 miles if you hike to the bottom of each)
Fee: Free
Leave no trace.

Northeast Alabama is home to the largest and tallest waterfalls in the state. This tour will take you to 5 of the biggest waterfalls in the state of Alabama.

This guide is JUST a TASTE of Waterfalls in Alabama. Be sure you check out other Waterfalls in the area!

This loop is located about an hour east of Huntsville.

Click here to bring up the loop on Google Maps!

High Falls

First stop: High Falls (35 ft tall)
Parking: Directions
Hike Distance: 100 ft
Difficulty: Easy
Guide: Not necessary

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DeSoto Falls

Second stop: DeSoto Falls (104 ft)
Parking: Directions
Hike Distance: (Depends) 0 – 2 miles
Difficulty: (Depends) Easy or Moderate
Guide: Should read if you want a better view of the falls or hike to the bottom of the falls.

Little River Falls

Third stop: Litlle River Falls (45 ft)
Parking: Directions
Hike Distance: (Depends) 0 – 2 miles
Difficulty: (Depends) Easy – Moderate
Guide: Should read if you want to hike to the bottom of the falls.

Grace’s High Falls

Fourth stop: Grace’s High Falls (133 ft)
Parking: Directions
Hike Distance: No Hike
Difficulty: Easy
Guide: No Guide

Noccalula Falls

Fifth stop: Noccalula Falls (89 ft)
Parking: Directions
Hike Distance: (Depends) 0 – 2 miles
Difficulty: (Depends) Easy – Moderate
Guide: Should read if you want to hike to the bottom of the falls

The park does cost to enter! Be sure to check out the Guide for more information.

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Like this Tour? Check out our other tours!

Bankhead Waterfall Tour
Alabama Big Waterfall Tour
Fall Colors in Huntsville

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Cave Mountain

Cave Mountain

Difficulty: Moderate
Distance: 1 mile
Entrance Fee: Free

Cave Mountain is a TVA owned wild area with a short 1 mile loop hike near Guntersville Dam.. It is a fantastic short walk with a unique swamp and a cave. It is a moderate hike with rocky paths and uneven footing.

Find nearby hikes:
Red Mill
Honeycomb Natural Bridge

Want the best hike? Start with the best underwear.

Cave Mountain is located about 45 minutes south of Huntsville on Lake Guntersville.

We went after it had been raining to make sure the swamp was filled with water. It did make it very hot and muggy!

Google Maps Cave Mountain Small Wild Area or look at our map above!

Parking/Trailhead

This is a well-marked parking lot and trailhead. There is plenty of parking and the trail is not heavily trafficked. 

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Trail

The trail is uneven, constantly changing elevation, and rocky. The trails are well marked with white paint. 

Cave

The cave here is a short hike and is located right next to the swamp. We didn’t go in, so I’m not sure what is inside, but it looked cool!

Swamp

I wasn’t expecting a swamp, but I was extremely excited to find it! Its right next to the cave and easy to find. Finish the loop to get out.

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Cloudland Canyon

Cloudland Canyon

Difficulty: Moderate
Distance: 1.5 miles
Cost: $5 Parking fee

Cloudland Canyon is a beautiful state park in Northwest Georgia. It is a heavily trafficked state park but offers beautiful views and several waterfalls. This park is kid-friendly, though the hike down to the waterfalls is tough. The views are accessible but ONLY by a cane. 

Find hikes nearby:
Foster Falls
Rock City

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More Waterfalls

Cloudland Canyon is located a little over 1.5 hours east of Huntsville. It is a major state park in Georgia.

Google Maps Cloudland Canyon or look at our map above!

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Rock City Maps

You can find the park map here. Be sure to find the park signs and follow them!

Parking

There’s plenty of parking in this state park with bathrooms nearby.

Click here for parking.

Trail

The trail down to the waterfalls is steep but has stairs. There are 600 stairs in this canyon and it is very strenuous. You can find the stairs following the ridgeline back towards to entrance of the park (staring at the view, to the left).

Cherokee Falls

Cherokee Falls is the first waterfall you come to heading down the stairs. There is a trail fork where you can go down to the right and continue down the stairs or to the left to the waterfall. This is the second fork you come to. If you do not know if you have hit the second split, look for the signs. The second split tells you there is a waterfall to the left. When you are done at the waterfall, come back up the path until you hit the split and continue to follow the path down the opposite direction.

Hemlock Falls

Continue to follow the path down. You’ll hit another fork. Take the left path to get to Cherokee Falls!

When you’re done here turn around and find your way back up to the fork. You can continue down the trail and find another smaller waterfall or you can head back out.

Cherokee Falls

The view at the top is no slouch either. You can get here from the parking area just by following the ridgeline all the way to the end!

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Old Red Mill

Old Red Mill

Difficulty: Easy to moderate
Distance: No hiking
Entry Fee: Free
Traffic: Moderately Trafficked

Old Red Mill is exactly what it sounds like, an old red mill. There’s a nice waterfall and swimming hole here.

Find nearby hikes:
Cave Mountain
Honeycomb Natural Bridge

This is a great place to take your outdoor sandals. Find out why.

More Waterfalls

Old Red Mill is only an hour southeast of Huntsville.

You can Google “Red Mill”, but it can be difficult to locate. Click Here for directions.

Be sure you come in from the south side, there is a bridge out on Alethea Nixon Drive that cannot be crossed. If you accidentally come in from the North side, just reroute yourself to the south side.

 

Parking

When you get here park on the side of the road. There should be plenty of room to park. You can see the old mill from the side of the road. You will walk towards it. The only thing difficult about getting to the waterfall is the embankment next to the bridge. We didn’t see a better way down so be careful! It’s like climbing down a big boulder. 

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Waterfall

There’s a nice waterfall and swimming hole here. I don’t suggest jumping in from the cliffs until you figure out the depth of the water! There are several spots where there is a large rock just a foot under the water. Never swim alone. Always wear a life vest. 

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Weathington Park

Weathington Park

Difficulty: Easy
Distance: No Hiking
Cost: Free

Weathington Park is a small beautiful park with a view of Lake Guntersville.

This is more of a quick stop on your way somewhere rather than a trip in itself.

Find nearby hikes:
Pisgah Gorge
Bucks Pocket

Don’t sweat all night camping during summer. Find the essentials here.

Honeycomb Natural Bridge is located about 45 minutes east of Huntsville.

Google Weathington Park or click here for directions.

 

The Bridge

There isn’t a ton to this park, but it’s beautiful. There’s a bathroom and a few hiking trails to walk around on.

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Honeycomb Natural Bridge

Honeycomb Natural Bridge

 Difficulty: Easy
Distance: No Hiking
Cost: Free (Donations accepted)

Honeycomb Natural Bridge is a small beautiful natural bridge and waterfall. It is located on private property, but speaking with the owners they are fine with visitors. If you visit, the owners ask you to make a donation to the property for the cost of managing the property. You can make a donation here.

This property is also for rent on VRBO! You can also rent it for events as well like weddings, reunions, and birthdays.

Find nearby hikes:
Cathedral Caverns
Cave Mountain

Don’t sweat it. We know the summer hiking essentials.

Honeycomb Natural Bridge is located about 30 minutes southeast of Huntsville.

Google Honeycomb Natural Bridge or click here for directions.

 

The Bridge

There isn’t a ton to this property, but it’s beautiful. You can walk down to the bottom of the waterfall, though be careful of the erosion and slippery rocks. You can also follow the path past the house to the right. There are some beautiful cascades. 

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Neversink Pit

Neversink Pit

Difficulty: Moderate
Distance: 1.5 miles
Cost: Free

Neversink Pit is a beautiful open-air cave with a stunning waterfall. A permit is required to enter. You cannot go to this cave alone. 3 adults are required to go to this cave. In order to enter the cave, you must have vertical caving gear and knowledge. The sinkhole and waterfall are a sight to see even if you do not go into the cave. In order to get the expertise needed for vertical caving, you can join the Huntsville Grotto.

In this guide, I will go over how to get a permit. Directions to the cave are given when you receive a permit.

Find nearby hikes:
Cathedral Caverns
Roy B Whitaker

You’re forgetting an important piece of gear. 

To start, go to the SCCi Permit website. Click the button “Click here to register” and register an account. SCCi will send you a confirmation email. After you have successfully set up an account, move on to the next step.

https://permits.scci.org/

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After you create an account, go back to SCCi Permit website and log-in. After you log-in, move onto the next step.

https://permits.scci.org/

After you log-in, if it does not automatically land you on the New Permit page, click the “New Permit” button. From here you can Fill out a New Permit.

After you fill out a new permit, SCCi will send you a release form. All members of your party must sign the release form. After the release form is filled out, SCCi will need to approve your permit and you will receive a permit you will need to print out and put on your dashboard as well as directions to get to the cave.

After you sign the release form, SCCi will send you an email with your permit which you will need to print and put into your dashboard. Directions and other instructions will be sent in this email as well.

Happy Caving!

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Stephen’s Gap

Stephen’s Gap

Difficulty: Moderate
Distance: 1.5 miles
Cost: Free

Stephen’s Gap is a beautiful cave with a stunning open-air cave with a stunning waterfall. A permit is required to enter. You cannot go to this cave alone. 2 adults are required to go to this cave as well as a helmet to enter.

In this guide, I will go over how to get a permit. Directions to the cave are given when you receive a permit.

Find nearby hikes:
Bethel Springs
Roy B Whitaker Preserve

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To start, go to the SCCi Permit website. Click the button “Click here to register” and register an account. SCCi will send you a confirmation email. After you have successfully set up an account, move on to the next step.

https://permits.scci.org/

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After you create an account, go back to SCCi Permit website and log-in. After you log-in, move onto the next step.

https://permits.scci.org/

After you log-in, if it does not automatically land you on the New Permit page, click the “New Permit” button. From here you can Fill out a New Permit.

After you fill out a new permit, SCCi will send you a release form. All members of your party must sign the release form. After the release form is filled out, SCCi will need to approve your permit and you will receive a permit you will need to print out and put on your dashboard as well as directions to get to the cave.

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Rock Island State Park

Rock Island State Park

Difficulty: Moderate to Difficult
Distance: 1.5 miles of trail total
Entry Cost: Free

Rock Island State Park is a state park located in Tennesse. It has a very unique man-made waterfall as a result of damming the river. There are 2 sides of the state park.

More Waterfalls

Rock Island State Park is located a little over 2 hours from Huntsville.

Click here for directions.

Twin Falls Parking

There is a very large parking lot that can fit dozens of cars. The trailhead is at the back of the parking lot and there is an overlook down the road from the parking lot. 

Click Here for Parking Lot Location

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Twin Falls

From the parking lot Twin Falls is very easy to find. The trailhead says it’s over a mile, but in reality, the waterfall is a few hundred feet from the parking lot. There is likely over a mile of trails if you wish to hike the entire trail, but there is no need. The waterfalls is incredibly unique with water gushing from the woods. You can make your way down onto the rocks for a closer view. Be careful, the dam can release water causing the water to rise quickly. There is no swimming at this waterfall.

Parking for Blue Hole

The parking lot for the blue hole is very large with plenty of parking spots. There are bathrooms located here as well as a picnic area. The trail is DIFFICULT. It is easy to find your way down but it is very rocky and you are constantly walking on wet rocks and through shallow water.

Click Here for Directions to Blue Hole

Blue Hole

The blue hole has water gushing from the woods. There are several waterfalls along the route. The water is shallow on the rocks. My children had a blast playing in it! There is plenty to explore here so take your time and go up and down the river.

Beach and Cabins

There are cabins for rent as well as a beach area where you can play on the river. We did not stop here, but thought it would be good to share!

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