🥾 ActiveLong weekend · from Birmingham, AL

Appalachian Loop: Cheaha, Little River Canyon & Mentone

A three-day loop through the best of Alabama's Appalachian highlands, moving northeast from the state high point at Cheaha through the canyon country of Lookout Mountain to the mountain town of Mentone perched on the plateau rim. Day one fills with Cheaha's summit trails and ridge views; day two crosses 45 minutes northeast to Little River Canyon National Preserve for canyon rim hiking and the 104-foot DeSoto Falls before ending in Mentone for the night; day three covers DeSoto State Park's waterfall trails and Mentone's small arts and gallery district before the two-hour drive home. The route stays entirely in the Southern Appalachians and covers every major terrain type — open ridgeline, river canyon, waterfalls, and plateau forest — without repeating ground.

Day 1 — Cheaha: Bald Rock boardwalk, Pulpit Rock trail, Lake Cheaha swim, summit overnightDay 2 — Little River Canyon: Canyon Rim Trail, DeSoto Falls, Mentone arrival and dinnerDay 3 — DeSoto State Park: waterfall trails, Mentone village, return drive to Birmingham
Day 1 — Cheaha State Park

Day 1 — Cheaha State Park

🚗 1 hr 15 min driving📍 4 stops
🌅
Morning
🚗
Drive
Birmingham, AL → Cheaha State Park
1 hr 15 min8:00 AM → 9:15 AM
Bald Rock Boardwalk — Cheaha State Park
Bald Rock Boardwalk — Cheaha State Park
★ 4.9
The summit boardwalk through boulder heath to exposed Hillabee granite at 2,380 feet — Alabama's most accessible high-elevation viewpoint, with long views across the Talladega ridgeline. Best visited early before afternoon haze builds on the ridgeline.
9:15 AM📍 See location
🍽️
Lunch
Pulpit Rock Trail — Cheaha State Park
Pulpit Rock Trail — Cheaha State Park
★ 5
A 1.5-mile round-trip trail to a sandstone outcrop on the southern shoulder of Cheaha — views across the Hillabee Creek drainage and the ridgelines rolling south toward the Coosa Valley. A proper trail climb through hardwood forest before the exposed rock at the top.
10:15 AM📍 See location
☀️
Afternoon
Lake Cheaha — Afternoon Swim
Lake Cheaha — Afternoon Swim
★ 4.7
A cold mountain reservoir at the park entrance with beach access and paddleboat rentals — the right cool-down after a morning on the exposed ridgeline trails. The surrounding hardwood ridges are visible from the water.
12:00 PM📍 See location
🌙
Evening
Cheaha Resort
Cheaha Resort
★ 4.7
The CCC-era Alabama State Parks lodge at the Cheaha summit — stone and timber construction from the 1930s at 2,413 feet, with ridge views from the dining room. Staying on the summit puts you 45 minutes from Little River Canyon at the start of day two.
5:00 PM📍 See location
Day 2 — Little River Canyon & Mentone

Day 2 — Little River Canyon & Mentone

🚗 1 hr driving📍 4 stops
🌅
Morning
🚗
Drive
Cheaha State Park → Little River Canyon National Preserve
45 min8:00 AM → 8:45 AM
Canyon Rim Trail — Little River Canyon
Canyon Rim Trail — Little River Canyon
★ 5
A rim trail above one of the deepest river gorges east of the Mississippi — the Little River cut 600 feet deep through Lookout Mountain's sandstone plateau. The trail runs close to the canyon edge with views down to the river below and across the opposing sandstone walls. Nationally managed but far less visited than comparable Eastern canyon landscapes.
8:45 AM📍 See location
🍽️
Lunch
DeSoto Falls
DeSoto Falls
★ 4.8
A 104-foot waterfall where the Little River drops over a horseshoe sandstone ledge into the canyon below — the most dramatic single drop in the preserve. A viewing platform is a short walk from the parking area; the observation stairs descend to the base for the full plunge view.
9:45 AM📍 See location
☀️
Afternoon
🚗
Drive
Little River Canyon National Preserve → Mentone, AL
15 min12:00 PM → 12:15 PM
Mentone Village — Artists Colony & Shops
Mentone Village — Artists Colony & Shops
A small arts and crafts village on the western brow of Lookout Mountain — a cluster of galleries, antique shops, and craft studios that have attracted working artists since the late 19th century when the town was a summer resort. The wooden storefronts along the main street and the plateau views from the brow overlook give the town a genuinely unhurried atmosphere.
12:15 PM📍 See location
🌙
Evening
Mentone Inn
Mentone Inn
★ 4.7
A historic bed and breakfast on the Lookout Mountain plateau in Mentone — a Victorian-era inn in the resort village that established the town as a summer destination in the 1880s. Dinner options in the village within walking distance.
5:00 PM📍 See location
Day 3 — DeSoto State Park & Return

Day 3 — DeSoto State Park & Return

🚗 2 hr 10 min driving📍 2 stops
🌅
Morning
🚗
Drive
Mentone, AL → DeSoto State Park
10 min8:00 AM → 8:10 AM
Lost Falls Trail — DeSoto State Park
Lost Falls Trail — DeSoto State Park
★ 4.5
A trail along Little River through DeSoto State Park to a series of small cascade falls on the upper canyon tributaries — a morning walk through second-growth hardwood forest with frequent creek crossings and the sound of water throughout. The upper sections of Little River above the canyon have a completely different character from the dramatic lower gorge.
8:10 AM📍 See location
🍽️
Lunch
Mentone Village — Farewell Lunch
Mentone Village — Farewell Lunch
A final lunch in Mentone at one of the village cafes or the inn dining room before the drive home — the Mentone Village Shops and Hitching Post restaurant are the main lunch options on the plateau.
9:10 AM📍 See location
☀️
Afternoon
🚗
Drive
Mentone, AL → Birmingham, AL
2 hr12:00 PM → 2:00 PM
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