Martha Falls Trail in Little River Canyon

Martha's Falls Trail in Little River Canyon National Preserve

Martha's Falls, formerly Little Falls is a popular swimming area at Little River Canyon National Preserve. Little River Canyon National Preserve is a United States National Preserve located on top of Lookout Mountain near Fort Payne, Alabama, and DeSoto State.

The Martha’s Falls Trail starts at the back of the Little River Falls parking lot. If you are on the Little River Falls Overlook boardwalk and viewing the falls, when hiking back, take the gap in the fence and proceed down the trail to the right. 

Length: 1.5 miles round trip

Type of Hike: Out and back

Time: 1 hour, not counting stopping at the falls to swim or relax on the riverbank

Difficulty:  Easy to Moderate with a steep downhill / uphill climb over rocks, serious injury possible

Points of Interest: Little River Falls (at trailhead) and; Martha's Falls is a popular swimming spot. 

Most of the trail is flat, but often very rocky, making it difficult to breeze along. In addition, it often appears to peter out, which may lead to moments of backtracking to make sure you didn’t miss anything. This is most problematic when the trail turns nearly to all rock, making it harder to follow the path as compared to when it is cut through the dirt. As a rule of thumb, as long as you are hiking along the river (far below), you are on the Martha’s Falls Trail . Parking is available off Highway 35, near Road 861.

Address: Little River Canyon National Preserve, 4322 Little River Trail NE #100, Fort Payne, AL 35967