DeSoto Falls

DeSoto Falls

Difficulty: Easy
Distance: 2.5 Miles total
Fee: $4 per vehicle

Desoto Falls is a very short hike to one of the tallest waterfalls in Alabama! Parking is right next to the very top of the falls and you can follow the steps down to view the entire waterfall.

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Desoto Falls is an hour and a half drive from Huntsville.

Google Maps Desoto Falls or look at our map above!

Parking

There are 2 parking areas. The dirt parking lot pictured is the parking for the bottom of the waterfall and the view of the waterfall. If you continue down the road, you can find the asphalt parking lot for the top of the falls.

Top of the Falls Asphalt Parking: Location
Bottom and view of the Falls Dirt Parking: Location

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View of the Waterfall

The hike to the view is fairly easy though it gets tight towards the end of the hike. There is a sign that points you down the correct path. The path splits and comes back together several times. As long as you are following the ridgeline, you will eventually find views of the waterfalls.

Park Here

Hike to the Bottom of the Falls

This is a short but tough hike. There are markers to point you in the right direction. Follow your way down to the river, and follow the river up to the falls. The hike is fairly difficult and is only about a mile. 

Park Here

Waterfalls

It is a very easy hike down to the falls. You can get a great intimate view of the upper falls (Pictured) and get a beautiful view of the main falls (Main Picture).

Kayaking

Kayaks are available for rent at the top of the dam. 

Single Kayaks: $15/hr
Tandem Kayaks: $25/hr

Swim and Picnic

Right next to parking there is a picnic area where you can swim in the Little River. Take some time to get a bite to eat while enjoying nature!

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Hippie Hole – Little River Canyon

Hippie Hole – Little River Canyon

Difficulty: Easy
Distance: 0.5 miles (Round Trip)
Cost: Free

Hippie Hole is a beautiful swimming hole in Little River Canyon. The trail is very short and the canyon offers a beautiful place to swim. The trail is heavily trafficked and the canyon can get very busy.

Find nearby swimming holes:
Little River Falls
Desoto Falls

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More Swimming Holes

Hippie Hole is an hour and a half drive East of Huntsville in Little River Canyon.

Update: As of Summer 2020, Hippie Hole Parking is closed. In order to get to Hippie Hole, park at Little River Falls.

Google Maps Little River Falls Parking or look at our map above!

Trailhead

The old trailhead and parking lot is now closed. You will need to park at the parking lot for Little River Falls. There are restrooms available for use.

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Trail

The trail is mostly easy. You will follow the boardwalk until its first switchback. There is a dirt path you will follow into the woods. Continue down this dirt path until you reach stone-cut steps that will descend into the canyon. At the bottom of the steps is the Hippie Hole.

The Canyon

The canyon is a great place to relax, swim, and jump from the cliffs. Take some time to explore the area. 

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Caney Creek Falls Trail

Caney Creek Falls Trail

ATTENTION: (Update 8/9/2021) The guide underneath the attention section is for the old parking, which has had issues with being towed. I HAVE NOT been to the new location, but several people have suggested to park at a home here. Please note that this is PRIVATE PROPERTY and you are only allowed to park their if the owner is still allowing it. PLEASE respect the property as they are allowing you to go onto their land to get to Caney Creek Falls.

Difficulty: Easy
Distance: 1.7 miles
Entrance Fee: Free

Caney Creek Falls is a beautiful waterfall located in Bankhead National Forrest Southwest of Huntsville.

This area is part of dispersed recreation in Bankhead National Forest. There is NO MAINTAINED TRAIL. Please note that dispersed recreation sometimes has a "social trail" that you can follow. Some of these are easy to follow and some of them you cannot follow. Please note that these trails can change very quickly and may be easy to follow one season and completely overgrown the next. Always bring a map, compass, and GPS with you while hiking Bankhead National Forest.

If you are still using your phone for navigation. You should at least buy a power bank.

Bankhead Map
Buy a printed map here.

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Caney Creek Trail is an hour and a half drive from Huntsville and is on the Southwest side of Bankhead National Forest.

Google Maps Caney Creek Falls Trailhead or look at our map above!

Trailhead

GPS coordinates mark this trailhead well, but the trail is not physically marked well. If it wasn’t for GPS we would have driven right past the parking spots. The trailhead is a logging road. The road is blocked off to vehicles, but it makes the hike very easy.
NOTE PLEASE READ: Bankhead National Forest does not have any recommended parking here. Bankhead does not own the property that we have tagged for parking, but the road is theirs and the waterfall is on Bankhead National Forest property. Typically roadways have 5ft on each side that are a part of the road owners that is your best bet for parking, but we are not sure if this would actually hold up in court if you are towed/ticketed. Please know that you are parking at your own risk.

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Trail

The trail is well marked and easy to follow without any forks right until you get close to the waterfall. At that point you should be able to hear the falls and make your way down to the waterfall. If you can’t hear the falls, just head straight until you reach the top of the valley/short cliff face. You should be able to find an easy trail down to the waterfall.

Waterfall

The waterfall is at the bottom of the trail. Feel free to play in the waterfall and swim around. Be careful and look for snakes. When you get done, follow the trail back to the trailhead.

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Walls of Jericho

Walls of Jericho

Difficulty: Hard
Distance: 7 Miles Roundtrip
Entry Cost: Free

Suggested footwear: Hiking Boots (please don’t wear “hiking” sandals) and preferably pack water shoes
Suggested water: 2.5 liters per person unless you are carrying water filters/water purification tablets (you can find this in our summer hiking guide)
Suggested food: Enough for lunch and 2 light snacks

Walls of Jericho is a heavily trafficked trail leading down into a beautiful valley where you can relax, swim, cave, or camp. It is a difficult hike back out, so bring some solid hiking boots!

Find nearby hikes:
Russell Cave National Monument
Cathedral Caverns
Sauta Cave

This is not an easy hike: Here’s the gear we suggest for hiking during summer.

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Walls of Jericho is located North of Scottsboro. We typically drive straight down highway 72 and turn left onto highway 79. It is not the shortest way, but definitely the easiest way and only takes about 2 minutes longer than taking the winding back roads.

Google Maps Walls of Jericho or look at our map above!

Hiking to the Walls of Jericho involves several switch backs that make going downhill/uphill a much milder incline. You can find several trails that are shortcuts but are much steeper and have several obstacles like downed logs in the way. Pretty much every trail going downhill before you hit Hurricane Creek takes you to the Walls of Jericho. The only major exception is the horse trail that crosses the hiking trail. This horse trail is wide enough to fit a car. If you find yourself on this path, you are on the wrong trail.

Parking

There are 2 parking lots for the Walls of Jericho. One is the parking lot for the horse trails and one is the parking lot for the hiking trails. We have made the mistake of hiking from the horse parking lot and never made it to the falls. Be sure to park in the hikers parking lot.

Trailhead

The Walls of Jericho Trailhead is clearly marked in the back left corner of the parking lot. There is a bathroom in the back right corner of the parking lot as well.

Trail Markers

The trail is clearly marked on the trees the entire way with a red rectangle. In some places, the trail is marked with reflectors. These reflectors make it easier to find your way when using a headlamp in the dark.

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First Bridge Crossing

When you arrive at the bottom of the mountain, there is a bridge to your left to cross over the river. After you cross the river, go straight. 

Second Bridge Crossing

After the first bridge, you will follow a trail going straight. You will come to a fork with a path straight into the woods or a path to your right. Continue on the straight path into the woods. Follow this path and you will find the second bridge crossing. Cross the bridge and follow the path.

Rocky River

The second bridge leads you to the Primitive Campground. These campsites are free of charge and first come first serve. After you pass the campsites, you can choose between 2 paths. One of the paths leads straight to cross over the rocky river. This is great if the water level allows it. Or follow the South Rim Trail to the left next to the barbed wire. The South Rim Trail is a little bit longer and takes more time, but is available even when the water level is high.

The Walls of Jericho

When you first arrive at the Walls of Jericho, there is a place to rest and relax. This is a great time to put on your water shoes or go shoeless. You can swim in the water, rest on the rocks, or nap in a hammock if you brought one. Look right of the swimming hole and there is a path that will take you farther upstream. 

Upper Walls of Jericho

Hiking upstream to the top side of the falls leads you to a rock bowl. From here, explore your surroundings! Continue to climb upstream to discover a waterfall, find the cave of to the left to explore, or find a path uphill to find views from above!

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Oak Park Trail

Oak Park Trail

Rating: Easy
Distance: 2.5 Miles
Fee: Free (Donation Box Available)

CAUTION: Be sure to listen for mountain bikers. Several of their turns are blind and they cannot always see you!

Download Trail Map from the Land Trust of North Alabama website!

Oak Park Trail is a short trail at the base of Monte Sano. The land is owned by the Land Trust of North Alabama. The trail is a great place to take a hike or mountain bike. The trails are built up for speedy bikers with plenty of banks and ramps for those of you who like to bike fast. The trail is fairly easy and is about 2.5 miles.

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The park trail head at Oak Park. There is a large parking lot for the park.

Google Maps Land Trust of North Alabama: Monte Sano Nature Preserve Oak Park Trailhead or look at our map above!

On our journey, we followed Oak Park Trail (Blue on map) until it ended in a “T” and turned left on Bankhead Trail (Red on map). We followed Bankhead trail until it forked. We turned left onto Buzzards Roost Trail (Yellow on map) and followed the trail until it meets back up with Oak Park Trail. We turned right on Oak Park Trail and followed it back to the parking lot.

Trailhead

This is a well-marked trailhead.  Walk between the two baseball fields. Behind the baseball fields is the trail head.

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Oak Park Trail Alternate

The first fork in the trail is between the Oak Park Trail and the Oak Park Trail Alternative. The trail to the left is built up for mountain bikes and the alternate trail to the right is more direct. Feel free to take either trail.

Oak Park Trial Fork

The trail forks again. To stay on Oak Park Trail (Blue on map) take the path to the right, or if you want to do the do the trail in reverse, go left to get on Buzzards Roost Trail (Yellow on map).

Oak Park Trail / Bankhead Trail

When you reach the end of Oak Park Trail, the path makes a “T”. You can turn left and follow our steps on Bankhead Trail (Red on map).

Bankhead Trail / Dallas Branch Trail

The trail to Dallas Branch Trail is hard to see. Dallas Branch trail is the clearly marked trail right in the picture. Dallas Branch Trail is barely visible to the left in the picture. There is a sign that marks the Dallas Branch Trail. Follow the trail to the left Dallas Branch Trail back to Oak Park Trail. Be sure to follow the marked path. There are several paths off to the right that leads back to neighborhoods but do not lead to the parking lot. When you reach Oak Park Trail turn right and follow it back to the parking lot.

Buzzard Roost Trail

Buzzard Roost leads you down a trail to a beautiful waterfall, Dallas Branch Falls. The trail follows the Dallas Branch creek. If you go a bit off-trail you can find another cascade that has a blue tint on the rock and is very beautiful! To get here follow Buzzard Roost. When you cross over Dallas Branch Creek, go off-trail following the creekbed downstream.

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