Noccalula Falls

Legend has it, long ago a powerful Indian Chief had a daughter named Noccalula who was famed far and wide for her beauty and loveliness character. Her father prearranged a marriage for her to a rich chief of a neighboring tribe. However, she could not go through with the wedding because her heart was already given to another young tribesman. Overcome with grief she quietly slipped away from the festivities to the edge of the chasm and leaped to her death. Since that day, the falls have been called “Noccalula”.

If you enjoy chasing waterfalls like we do; you might want to add Noccalula Falls to your list. Located in Gadsden Alabama, Noccalula Falls is part natural gorge and waterfall, part amusement and activity park, and part campground. We just happened to be there during a fabulous first ever event the park was having.

The city owns and runs the park, and while we were there, they were having a Spring Lantern Festival. The parks usual activities include a botanical garden, 1899 covered bridge, reptile and small animal displays, a pioneer village and a train ride for all ages to mention a few. Oh, and of course, amazing overlooks of Noccalula Falls! However, on these late winter and early spring weekends the park becomes a magical display of lights at night, illuminated by everything from giant tulips to dinosaurs. It was truly an enjoyable experience walking through this enchanting wonderland.

Although the park charges an admission to their activities, access to the waterfall, from the above overlook or (even more exciting) from the gorge below is free of charge. We stayed at the campground just on the other side of the gorge and just feet from the walking and hiking trails. The campground has just recently been completely renovated, and it was great being able to easily access everything from our front door.

As gorgeous as the waterfall is from above, we ventured down into the gorge via the series of steps to a whole different experience. The mile and a half Gorge Trail can be hiked as a loop with a swinging bridge connecting one side and access behind the waterfall on the other side. This was a real fun and somewhat challenging little hike. There’s nothing like experiencing a waterfall from the backside, and these falls are incredible with a huge alcove carved into the rock behind them.

There are plenty of other interconnecting hiking trails to explore, but this was a short visit for us, so we didn’t venture much further, but I expect they are enjoyable as well. Although I wouldn’t recommend going into the gorge after dark, you should venture back to the overlook which is lightly illuminated in the evening, giving a slight purple or blue hue to the falls.

Gadsden it a pretty good-sized town located right along the Coosa River about 60 miles northeast of Birmingham. Although our visit was short, we had a couple of very enjoyable meals. Top O’ the River is an establishment right on the Coosa River that’s been around since 1982 serving some really good catfish along with other surf and turf items. And Kati Thai Cuisine, conveniently located right across the road from Noccalula Park, is an amazing small Thai restaurant that we really enjoyed.

About 30 minutes to the north of Gadsden is Cherokee Rock Village, a really cool county park that’s popular for hiking and rock climbing. It was fun scrambling through the rock formations and small caves along the Rock City Trail and watching the climbers. The views down to the valley below are also gorgeous! If you have some extra time while in the area, this is a well-deserved side trip.

This was a short and very enjoyable stop for us. It’s a place that both young and old, adventurous or conservative, and human or canine can all equally enjoy. The management and staff at the campground made us feel right at home… but we were in Sweet Home Alabama, so that makes sense.

Check out our pictures and we’ll get back with you down the road a piece.