Lookout Mountain Parkway - The Most Scenic Drives in America: 120 Spectacular Road Trips - page 801

1. Noccalula Falls Park
Alabama'snaturalbeautysharesthestagewithIndianloreatthis250-acreparktothenorth
of Gadsden. Once called Black Creek Falls, the 90-foot waterfall here now bears the name
of the Cherokee princess Noccalula, who is said to have hurled herself to a watery death
ratherthanmarryamanshedidnotlove.Abronzestatue ofthelovelornmaiden, poisedto
leap into the thundering cascade, looks out endlessly on the falls.
Nearby, a stairway descends into Black Creek Gorge, a snaking chasm carved into the
rocks just downstream from the falls. A 1 1/2-mile trail shadows the waterway as it races
between towering sandstone bluffs. Another pathway, the Lookout Mountain Hiking Trail,
whichonedaywillleadallthewaytoChattanooga,alsocanbesampledatNoccalulaFalls
Park.
2. Little River Canyon
ThegreensignsalongTaborRoad,Rte.89,thefirstlegoftheLookoutMountainParkway,
will guide you north to State Rte. 68, where the parkway becomes Rte. 176 with Leesburg
ontheleftandCollonsville totheright.Fartheralong,atacommunity called Dogtown,the
drive makes a brief, beautiful detour from the parkway itself, taking Rte. 176A northeast
along the western rim of Little River Canyon.
The roadway parallels the steep-walled rift, one of the deepest to be found east of the
Mississippi River. Turnouts are sprinkled along the route; stand at the canyon's edge, if
you dare, and listen for the distant music of the Little River, rushing along some 700 feet
below. You can even follow one of several trails that lead down the sandstone cliffs to the
cloisteredcanyonfloorandrewardyourselfwitharefreshingsummertimedipinoneofthe
Little River's sheltered swimming holes. After you enjoy this side trip, return to the park-
way by following Rte. 35 westward to Rte. 89.