For any waterfall viewing trip in Alabama, be mindful of the recent weather as the “wow” factor of the falls depends on recent rainfall. According to the DeSoto Falls website, water level is typically higher in the winter and early spring and lower, sometimes dry, during the summer and fall.

Noccalula Falls

Start your journey at Noccalula Falls. The most important thing to know is that the park hours and admission only apply to riding the miniature train, animal habitat, and pioneer village. You can visit the overlook and walk behind the falls without paying admission and visit before the park opening time. Try to arrive here about 8:00–9:00 am.

You definitely want to take the trail that takes you behind the falls (not a far walk from the parking lot). If you are a Disney World fan, feel free to make the obligatory “back side of water” joke. If your stomach is grumbling, visit the Jack’s Restaurant adjacent to the park for a breakfast biscuit to get your energy going.

Little River Canyon National Preserve

The journey from Noccalula Falls to the first stop in Little River Canyon National Preserve (LRC) is about 40 minutes to get to the first stop. Navigate to Eberhart Point Overlook as it is an ideal starting place.

Note: Although you can take the Little River Canyon (LRC) entrance near Weiss Lake, the canyon view is limited though it would likely make a good Fall trip going in from that side when the trees are in color.

From Eberhart Point Overlook, follow highway 176 (also known as Little River Canyon Rim Parkway) and stop at the various overlooks to get different views of the canyon. Follow the rim parkway until the road ends at Hwy 35 then take a right, cross the bridge, and enter the parking lot for the Little River Falls Observation Deck.

After you park, follow the trail to the falls. What some visitors may miss is that as you return to the parking lot there is another trail that goes to the top of the falls. Take your shoes off and wade in the flat area over the falls and enjoy the views. If you need to use the restroom and want to see some nature exhibits, visit the small Little River Canyon Center across the bridge from the observation area.

DeSoto Falls

After this, navigate to DeSoto Falls Picnic Area. Note, you are not navigating to DeSoto State Park. The Picnic Area has restrooms and a beach area where you can swim, kayak, paddleboard, or just enjoy the sun. As of this writing, parking is $5, payable via kiosks. If you want to make a beach day out of the rest of the day, you can end the trip here or resume the trip to make the next waterfall by late in the day.

Pisgah Gorge Falls

Finally, navigate to Pisgah Gorge Falls which is very pretty and I think is worth the drive. You go into the Civitan Park and the trail for the falls is behind a picnic pavilion at the back of the park. The falls have multiple cascades and provide a great final falls if you end your viewing trip here. The day we went there were a lot of bugs around the viewing area so you may need some bug spray if you are visiting late in the day.

Ending the Day

When my wife and I took this trip, we took the beautiful drive along Lake Guntersville and made it to The Docks at Goose Pond (see my review here).

Observations

Any local will tell you that I have skipped some wonderful waterfalls in the area, like High Falls, and some accessible on the other side of Little River Canyon. But we’ll leave those for another day.

The Canyon Waterfalls Trip map graphic below was created by AI, the only content on this page created by AI.