Wonderful Place To Camp and Kayak. The next time we visit we're bringing the Gators and taking the…read moreATV trail. Rumor has it Bigfoot had been spotted around area.

WOW! What a crack!…read more Buck's Pocket is a 2,000 acre State Park surrounding a natural canyon affectionately referred to as a pocket. The canyon lies in the Cumberland Plateau, a geological area west of the Appalachian Mountain chain that stretches from eastern Kentucky to northern Alabama and is contiguous with the Allegheny Plateau on the northern side. It's one thing to learn about things like plateaus in school and quite another to see them in person. It's pretty incredible to see grassland and farmland so vast that you forget you are in the mountains, but then suddenly and out of nowhere a canyon like Bucks Pocket appears like a huge crack in the earth. ~~~ The main overlook known as Jim Lynn Overlook @ Point Rock sits at the end of a peninsula of stone that is almost undetectable from the parking area. You will follow a wooden platform with multiple stairs up and down for about 100 yards. The stairs/platforms were recently refurbished in 2017. Along the way are several side overlooks that are not fenced (so be careful with children). According to alapark.com, the cliffs surrounding the overlook roughly exceed 1,000 feet, but that is overall elevation above sea level... not the true height of the cliff. ACCORDING TO THE USGS NATIONAL TOPOGRAPHY MAP, the area of Buck's Pocket nearest to Point Rock overlook sits around 1,100 feet above sea level. The Little Sauty Creek that passes through Buck's Pocket near the base of Point Rock is at an elevation of around 750 feet above sea level. This means Point Rock could not possibly be 1,000 feet tall as advertised, but instead only around 350 feet, which geologically is referred to as its overall prominence. Regardless, there are sheer drops here that would be unquestionably fatal. A fence with wooden beams and stone columns surrounds the overlooks main area. This is not an overlook for long distance views, but instead one that magnifies elevation differences. Without the fence, even someone without a fear heights would probably have a panic attack at the cliffs edge. Area 2,000 acres Established 1971 ~~~ HISTORY The park opened in 1971 after the land was originally purchased from a farmer by a Booster Club in 1966. It was once inhabited by Cherokee Indians and was also used for growing coffee and olives by the French during the 1700s and later for logging in the 1940s. Buck's Pocket was said to have been give its name because an abundant amount of deer that once roamed these lands. Urban legend has it that a buck apparently leapt from Point Rock to its death after being trapped by Cherokee Indian. Yet another urban legend says a man named Buck Berry used this area to escape being drafted during the Civil War and still another more modern legend says Alabama politicians would come here after unsuccessful bids for office I suppose to wallow in their sorrows. There are 15 miles of trails for hiking and horseback riding plus a picnic area with views into the canyon below. ~~~ FINAL THOUGHTS Beautiful canyon worthy of a quick visit if traveling through Alabama on a scenic road trip! 2020 / 27

Absolutely beautiful spot we need to go back to, literally two years ago to day almost and not a…read morefar drive at all. We visited early and the trees were just changing colors, but there was still lots of green to go around. Park rangers on site and helpful. The best time to view Little River Falls is in the winter with snow runoff and increasing waterfall flow, but this visit was just as beautiful. ADA accessible from near parking lot but you can also take a short loop trail that brings you around and above the canyon along the highway (protected of course), before a scenic view at the rim from where we were.

I always love to start at the visitor's center to get the ranger's recommendations about what hikes…read moreto do. I think this center is unique as NPS partnered up with Jacksonville State University for the Little River Canyon Center. There's a gift shop that blends the usual NPS wares with stuff more local to the region. There's a 20 minute video in the center that is quite ernest about their mission to be eco friendly and to teach the next generation about nature. We did the Bridge Trail (0.75 mile, out and back) trail which was smooth, although there are a bunch of rock steps at the end to give you access to the river. There's additional places to scramble around on the rock next to the river. If you're more limited in mobility, there's a paved lookout to the waterful at the beginning of the trail so you can still appreciate the views!

Edward Mason Park in Mentone, Alabama is a small, wooded pocket park located right next to…read moreMentone's City Hall along Alabama Highway 117. It is named after Edward Mason, one of the town's founders and its first postmaster. Mentone itself was founded in the post‑Civil War era when settlers, including the Mason family from Iowa, arrived on Lookout Mountain. Edward Mason's contributions to civic life were so significant that the town honored him with this park. His sister Alice even named the town "Mentone" and donated land for Bankhead Cemetery. The part features a wheelchair‑accessible trail, restrooms, and roadside viewing areas. It was a peaceful stop to pop out of the car and walk around for a bit after the drive through these curvy mountain roads. [Review 1539 of 2025 - 263 in Alabama - 25089 overall]

What a treat it was! We came through searching for great fishing spots but found a "Ma and Pa"…read moreshop. As we entered the store, we were greeted so warmly by the owners. When we asked to kayak, they apologized because when it rains they do not rent them out. This is now due to a few younger people having to have rescue called out. In my opinion, this is such a great policy! After addressing our fishing needs, we paid them and was shocked to find out how cheap everything was. We left from there and looked at the campsites. We decided IF we go camping this year, this will be the first place we visit! Overall, Yellow Creek Falls Fish Camp is my favorite small town bait shop. Can't wait until we get to go again!

Yellow Creek Falls Fish camp is a perfect place for a camping and kayaking weekend. Beautiful…read morescenery, great camping, and the staff is very attentive and helpful. Cant say enough good about Jane and her staff at Yellow Creek Fish Camp.

I know what TLC says, but I love to chase waterfalls. I've been twice here, and it never…read moredisappoints. I recently went after a heavy rainfall and it was magnificent! It's a fairly easy walk to the falls and there are various overlooks to see the canyon as well.

Beautiful place & very accessible. I always stop here & the Little River Canyon center on road…read moretrips. A great place with a beautiful view & perfect to get out & stretch your legs or eat some lunch during a trip. Also great during the summer to pack a bathing suit & make a day trip out of the area. There's plenty of signage & usually a crowd or DNR officers (depending on the time of year). Lovely view & worth a stop! Fort Payne is also close & very cute/perfect for a quick stop & shop or some lunch. They decorate for the holidays & they've done a lot of work on the downtown area so it's very enjoyable. Definitely a community worth seeing!

Sunday, March 2nd, Tony and I went hiking in DeSoto State Park. This was the fourth falls that we…read morevisited that day. It was the smallest of the four we saw. Very easy to get to. Lodge Falls This easy to find waterfall is located just behind DeSoto's Lodge. Lodge Falls drops about 25 feet and is very rainfall dependant. The best view point of this waterfall is reached by hiking down into a small ravine and then getting on the yellow trail for a short distance and coming back out next to the Lodge. This is a great waterfall.

Ok we were just walking to our car when we saw this place. Husband wanted to go…read more It was a lot of fun! The staff demonstrate how to throw the axes and they were very nice! It took some practice but we eventually got the hang of it. Had a good time!

SO MUCH FUN!!! Open Thursday through Sunday. You can look at their Facebook page for any specials…read morethey might be running.

The Reverend Howard Finster Man of God and Man of Vision. In painting bicycles I'm sure as part of…read morea ministry, he saw a face in paint on his fingertip and it was a sign from God that forever changed his earthly path! I had the pleasure of visiting Paradise Gardens when The Reverend was still alive and even got to sign his casket he hand painted which was on display at the time for all to see. An "outsider artist" not to be confused with folk artists he is completely untrained. Yes his REM album cover shot him to a lot of fame and he did another album cover maybe the B 52s? I believe it was an Athens GA based band. And his famous coca cola art and has others have referenced he has a permanent display at the High Museum in ATL. So not too shabby! The gardens are stunning in their down to home feel and do with what you have mentality which strikes a very stark contrast with his signage all done in capital print about how specifically stole what piece of art or to look out for (insert children's names) who will copy his art and claim it at their own. This place is a must see. I didn't have the pleasure of actually meeting Howard. The time there was wonderful and his home (not open to the public at that time) was humble. I bought a piece of his art which I still treasure and delight in his simplified messages of good and evil in his outsider art. God put it on his heart to do a certain number of pieces before dying and I think he suppasssed the number producing something like 20+ thousand works. All signed and with his personal icon of a dove with a branch in it's mouth. I saw a YouTube of him dancing and singing on a late night show in the 80s or 90s. Howard was full of life, full of the Lord and full of himself. A larger than life figure. I'll upload photos soon Rest in peace and rise in glory Sir, I'm certain you are dancing with Jesus and making God so proud you honored Him and definitely spread His kingdom on earth. Thank you for sharing your God given gifts! I

This is a massive collection of artwork, architecture, sculpture that merges all into the amazing…read moreexperience that is Paradise Garden where you can learn all about the visions of Rev. Howard Finster. My first visit was back when Reverend Finster was still alive and they still had quite a nice selection of his art available for purchase and everything was still in pretty pristine shape. The years have caused some deterioration of Paradise Garden but there are now efforts underway to preserve and maintain this amazing collection. This is one of the most fun and quirky displays of American folk art you can experience anywhere. Even if you think you've never heard of Rev. Finster you probably know some of his art so prepare yourself for surprise and amusement. My video review of Howard Finster's Paradise Garden is here: https://youtu.be/1DMCR5jk12Y