Little River Falls & Hippie Hole

Little River

Little River Canyon National Preserve is a United States National Preserve located on top of Lookout Mountain near Fort Payne, Alabama, and DeSoto State Park. Created by an act of Congress in 1992, the nearly 14,000 acre preserve protects what is sometimes said to be the nation's longest mountaintop river. It flows for almost its entire length down the middle of Lookout Mountain in northeast Alabama. Over eons of geologic time, it has carved out one of the Southeast's deepest canyons as it winds its way from headwaters in Georgia.

We'll visit two swimming holes in the river: Little River Falls and Hippie Hole. To keep people from simply showing up without being in the list, I'm going to randomly choose the order of the swimming holes we are visiting. If you decide to meet us at the event, I'll let you know the exact itinerary. However, be aware that it can be hard to find someone you don't know in Hippie Hole when it is crowded and I don't have a reliable cell phone signal at the location. If you don't find us, I'll assume you didn't show up.

Knowing how to swim is recommended for this trip. Wearing a personal flotation device is also acceptable, but be aware that this is a natural environment, not a swimming pool. The depth changes abruptly from a few inches to several feet in some places and the submerged rocks are very slippery. There are no life-guards on the location. Also, approaching the waterfall there is a light current going against you.

At Little River Falls we'll have a brief stop at the top of the falls, then we'll hike to the swimming hole below. You will have to climb down some rocks, the cliff is about 10 ft high, and the terrain is very uneven in some places, with lots of loose rocks. I recommend wearing shoes or sandals that protect your toes. After getting there, you can swim about 100 yards to get to the waterfalls; or just stay around, sunbathe and take pictures.

Hippie Hole

At Hippie Hole, there are cliffs and rocks from where you can jump in the water. The jumps are from 7ft to 25ft (!!). You don't have to do it if you don't want to. You can walk downstream and there are easy places of access. This place is usually crowded, but it is a big area, so it shouldn't be a problem.

The trail that connects both swimming holes is about 0.8 miles. It is steep at some places, but most people are fine. Just go slow and take breaks to catch your breath.

I'm rating this trip a D3 mostly because of one scramble to get down to the river gorge and some steep parts of the trail.

Important: This trip will be cancelled or postponed in case thunderstorms are forecast before 3 PM, or if water levels are too high.

Will be given at carpool. If you choose to meet at the event, plan to be there around 8:35 AM CST. I warn you that my cell phone is unreliable at the location. I'm not going to look for you and if I don't see you, I'll assume you didn't show up.

- The time zone at the event location is Central Time. We'll arrive there around 8:45 AM local time (9:45 AM Eastern).
- We'll have a quick stop at Panera Bread in Rome (1416 Turner Mccall Blvd SW, Rome, GA 30161-6072). Note that if you look for Panera in their website they will give you a different address, which is a few hundred feet from their actual location.
- All roads to the event location are paved. The parking lot may be gravel.
- There are pit toilets at the Little River Falls parking lot, but depending on where we park, it is going to be either at the beginning of the event or in the middle of it.
- This is not a secluded place. It may actually be crowded. However, if we get there early we may have the place for ourselves for the first couple of hours.
- Questions about how you can skip the line on the waiting list will be ignored.

There is usually a big waiting list for events like these. If, without a good reason, you cancel so late I cannot put someone else in your place, I will flag you as a no-show.