All about the Waterfalls -- DeSoto Falls, Little River Falls

Saturday started foggy but turned into a crisp spring day, perfect for spending some time outside. I drove nearly 3 hours north to near Fort Payne. Although I didn't get to spend any time at Fort Payne (sock capital of the world... athletic socks were invented here and 1 in every 7 pairs of socks sold in the US is from here), I very much enjoyed the waterfalls and gorgeous scenery of DeSoto State Park and Little River Canyon National Preserve.

I stopped by the DeSoto Falls first. This fall is located in DeSoto State Park. It's a 100 foot waterfall, with a dam creating a serene mountain lake at the top of the fall. I've never seen a waterfall that big before so I was rather mesmerized.

DeSoto State Park spans 3,000 acres, and has approximately 8 miles of hiking trails. I decided to hike and enjoy the nature first hand. Unfortunately, I also got lost (even with remarkably clearly marked blue/orange trail marks pretty much on every other tree), and got myself to hike 2 1/2 hours instead of 1 1/2 hour. I chalked it up to getting more exercise.

Then I went about 10 miles south of DeSoto State Park to check out Little River Canyon National Preserve. Little River begins from NW Georgia and NE Alabama and flows down Lookout Mountain and flows into Weiss Lake. This river was awarded "Outstanding National Resource Water" for its water quality. It's also one of the few rivers in America that flows almost the entire length on top of a mountain.

Little River Canyon is one of the deepest canyons east of Mississippi. The Canyon is approximately 17 miles long, with an average depth of 400 feet. The deepest point is 700 feet. I REALLY wanted to hike at Eberhart Point, which takes you all the way down to the Little River, and you can admire 600 foot sandstone wall once you reach the bottom. But after getting myself lost on a hike earlier that day, I was simply pooped. So I settled for taking myself on a 23-mile scenic drive along Little River Canyon Rim Parkway. The pictures I post here simply don't do justice to the breathtaking views I saw.

All in all, it was a great day, and I was quite happy to enjoy a fine spring day. Until next week!