Grotto Falls

Grotto Falls

What you need to know

Parking
Map It
Difficulty

Difficult, Difficult to find

Point of Interest
Map to POI

Difficulty: Difficult
Distance: 3 miles total
Entry Fee: Free (Donation Box Available)

Grotto Falls is located in Green Mountain Nature Preserve and is located on Green Mountain in Huntsville, AL. The Land Trust of North Alabama owns the land. The trailhead parking lot is right past the Madison County Nature Trail (assuming you are coming from Huntsville and not Owens Cross Roads).

GPS Coordinates: 34.5897720, -86.5172780

Buy Land Trust Maps here

Find nearby hikes:
Alum Hallow
Green Mountain Nature Trail

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Grotto Falls 1.5 mile each way (3 mile return) scenic hike to a small waterfall that disappears into a cave.  Part of this trail is well-marked but most of this trail is difficult to follow. 

Google Maps Alum Hollow Trail or look at our map above!

Trail

This is not an easy trail to follow. On the interactive map above, I’ve marked the path to the waterfall in Yellow. The hike starts on Alum Hallow Trail. Early on the trail, there is an option to take a left onto Talus Trail. There are signs warning that the trail is very difficult. You will follow Talus Trail all the way to the end. At the end of Talus Trail, Talus Trail Connector is off to the right and is well marked. THIS IS NOT the trail you are taking. You will look into the woods to the LEFT and there are ribbons on a trial with no signs. I’ve heard this called Talus Trail Extended and it is NOT on the Land Trust Hiking Map. Follow these ribbons through the woods and down the mountain. You’ll continue to follow the trail and will eventually follow a valley back uphill (pictured are the cliff face you’ll be passing). 

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Grotto Falls

The valley will fork into a valley on the left and right. You’ll follow it up to the right to the waterfall.

This waterfall is NOT easy to find. I suggest plugging in the coordinates of the waterfall into your GPS to help assist in finding it.

GPS Coordinates: 34.5897720, -86.5172780

Leave the same way you hiked in.

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Sauta Cave

Sauta Cave

Difficulty: Easy
Distance: 0.5 miles round trip
Entry Fee: Free

Sauta Cave Wildlife Refuge is a Wildlife refuge with a giant cave located in east, AL a little over an 30 minutes away from Huntsville and is a great place to get out, hike and see a bit of Alabama’s biodiversity.

Find nearby hikes:
Cathedral Caverns
Walls of Jericho
Weathington Park

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Sauta Cave National Wildlife Refuge is located a little 30 minutes east of Huntsville, AL. 

Click this link or look at our map above!

Parking Lot/Trailhead

Parking is just alongside the easement on this road. There is a gate that should be locked that prevents you from parking closer to the cave. It is a short walk to the cave. Just follow the road and you will come across a boardwalk on your right.

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Cave

The trail is an easy, short walk to the cave and is very easy to find. There are signs along the boardwalk about the history and animals in this location. There are more hiking trails in this area that we didn’t explore. Head back to your car the same way you came.

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Cathedral Caverns

Cathedral Caverns

Difficulty: Easy
Distance: 1.5 mile

Cost:
$20 Ages 13 and over
$18 Military (With ID)
$9 Ages 5-12
Free Ages 4 and under

Tour Times
Mon, Tues, Wed: 12PM, 2PM, and 4PM
Thurs, Fri: 12PM, 1PM, 2PM, and 4PM
Sat, Sun: 10AM, 11AM, 12PM, 1PM, 2PM, 3PM, and 4PM

Reservations are not required but may be made up to 2 days in advance. These are recommended but are nonrefundable. To make a reservation call 256-728-8193

Cathedral Caverns is a beautiful cavern located just east of Huntsville. It is a tour guided cave in a beautiful state park that offers hiking trails and campsites.

Website for Cathedral Caverns.

Find nearby hikes:
Roy B Whitaker Preserve
Sauta Cave
Walls of Jericho

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Cathedral Caverns is located about 35 minutes east of Huntsville with a short drive off of Hwy 72.

Google Maps Cathedral Caverns or look at our map above!

Cave Entrance and Ticket Office

The building for the ticket office for the cave tour is located directly in front of the mouth of the cave. The office offers food, snacks, drinks, and souvenirs.

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Cave Tour

The cave stays 58º F year around.  The tour is 1.5 miles round trip. The path is paved the entire way, but there are several spots that have a steep incline. The tour lasts about 90 minutes.

Other Activities

There is plenty to do at Cathedral Caverns State Park! A list of a few

  • Hike
  • Camp
  • Cabins
  • Gem Mining
  • Park Events
  • Races

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Indian Creek Greenway

Indian Creek Greenway

Difficulty: Easy
Distance: 2.5 Miles of trail
Fee: Free

Indian Creek Greenway is a paved road built for walking and bikes in Madison. 

Find nearby hikes:
Rainbow Mountain
Beaverdam Swamp Boardwalk

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Indian Creek Greenway is located in Madison, 20 minutes from downtown Huntsville.

Google Indian Creek Greenway or click here for directions!

Parking

There is plenty of parking at the trailhead. The trail begins on a clearly marked walkway.

Walkway

The path is super easy to follow and is built for everyone of all ages and abilities. The trail is wheelchair accessible. When the greenway ends, you will come out the same way you went in.

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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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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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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

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Weathington Park is located about 45 minutes east of Huntsville.

Google Weathington Park or click here for directions.

 

The View

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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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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Splash Pads

Splash Pads

Here are a few of the splash pads and waterparks around North Alabama.

Blue – Free
Green – Paid

Throw on those outdoor sandals for the spash pads and waterparks! Here’s the one we recommend

Want more kid-friendly activiteis?

Kid-Friendly

Bridge Street Town Center: Free – Website

Bicentennial Park: Free – Website

Everyone Can Play: Free – Website

Dr. Richard Showers: Free – Website

Hogan Family YMCA: $10 per Person or $30 per Family – Website

Huntsville Botanical Gardens: $14 adults, $9 for ages 3-18, $12 for Military/Students/Seniors, Free for 2 and under – Website

Delano Park (Decatur): Free – Website

SNAP Playground (Hartelle): Free, Donations accepted – Website

Scottsboro Rec Center (Scottsboro): Free – Website

River Heritage Park Splash Pad (Florence): Free – Website

Gattman Park (Muscle Shoals): Free – Website

Sportsman Lake Park (Cullman): Free – Website

Sloss Lake Splash Pad (Russellville): Free – Website

Sand Mountain Outdoor Aquatics Park (Sand Mountain) – $15 for ages 4 and up, Free for children under 4 – Website

Point Mallard (Decatur) – $28 for ages 12 & up, $23 ages 3-11, $23 ages 62+, Free ages 2 & under – Website

Spring Valley Beach (Blountsville) – $30 over 4ft tall, $24 Age 3 to 4ft tall, $24 ages 62+, Free for ages 2 & under ($15 parking charged for parking inside or free parking) – website

Fayette Aquatic Center (Fayette) –  $12 ages 2+, $8 ages 65+, free under 2 – website

Red Bay Water Park (Red Bay) – $8 per person (Mon – Sat), $6 per person (Sun) – $3 for Splash pad is for children under 48″ ONLY – website

Cullman Wellness and Aquatics Center (Cullman) – $30 over 4ft tall, $24 ages 3 to 4ft tall, $24 ages 65+, Free for ages 2 and under – website

Hartselle Aquatic Center (Hartselle) – $10 ages 13+, $8 ages 6-12, $5 ages 3-5, $8 ages 62+, Free ages 2 and under,  – website

 

 

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Desoto State Park

Desoto State Park

Difficulty: Easy
Distance: 2.5 miles
Entry Fee: Free

Desoto State Park is a secluded park in Northeast Alabama near Desoto Fall. It offers plenty of hiking trails and several waterfalls.

All pictures were taken by: Renee Stokes
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Find nearby hikes:
Desoto Falls
Talmadge Boardwalk
Little River Canyon

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Desoto State Park is located a little over an hour’s drive east from Huntsville. It is located near Mentone, AL.

Click here for directions to Desoto State Park!

Trailhead/Parking Lot

The parking lot is well marked. There are plenty of parking spots as well as a bathroom. The trailhead is marked and across the street from the parking lot.

Trail

The trail continuously changes between dirt, rock, and even some bridges. There are arrows pointing you down the path. The orange arrows will take you from waterfall to waterfall. 

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Lost Falls

Following the Orange arrows, hike for about a little over a half-mile. Lost Falls is not on the trail, but about 100 ft off of the trail. Continuously be looking off down to the right for the waterfall. It is a small, but pleasant waterfall.

Laurel Falls

Laurel Falls is a bit more hidden than Lost Falls. After about a mile into the hike, there is a small unmarked trail off to the right. It is well worn and heads downhill. This is the path to Laurel Falls.

Azealea Cascades

Along the Orange Trail almost to Indian Falls there is a nice cascade running.

Indian Falls

Toward the end of the hike, you will come across a road. You can also park here. Cross the road and finish the hike by following the trail downhill to Indian Falls. Return to the car by following the orange trail back.

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