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Intentionally private, Dismals Canyon - in keeping with its pristine surroundings - offers a quiet and unspoiled oasis in Alabama’s last secret hiding place. A secluded wilderness filled with natural phenomena tucked deep within the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains.
 As one of the finest examples of the ecological and geological features composing our Nation's Natural History - Dismals Canyon was designated a "National Natural Landmark" in 1975 by the National Park Service - one of only 587 in the United States and its territories.
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Dismals Canyon - located in Northwest Alabama - IS NOT a State Park or National Park. It's an 85 acre Natural Conservatory privately owned and operated. Offering Romantic Cabins, Secluded Campsites, Hiking, swimming and more. Development has been designed for tranquility and serenity and does not include big concrete RV pads/parking, man-made swimming pools, or Goofy Golf Courses, etc. Recreation is exploration of the natural environment.
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Your visit is a step back to the time when the earth was clean and the water was clear. Aside from the necessary clearing of the trails, the area is now - as it has been for centuries - completely natural.
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It was designated a "National Natural Landmark" because of it's uncommon wild rugged character - largely the result of its geological history.
Once a primeval swamp, this area was lifted upward during the geological events of the late Paleozoic era. Over time the force of draining waters helped to carve a canyon and gorge system punctuated throughout by dozens of sandstone-sheltered grottos, two waterfalls, six natural bridges, and giant moss covered boulders strewn about by ancient earthquakes.
This natural wonder contains one of the oldest primeval forests east of the Mississippi River untouched by ax or fire that is open to the public.
Its waterfalls, natural bridges, cliffs and boulders give this place a mysterious ambiance.
Alabama is the fourth most biologically diverse state in the nation. Dismals Canyon is a shimmering sample of that diversity.
It is on the canyon floor where we find the undisturbed special terrain known as Dismals Canyon.
The roots of trees clutch giant boulders instead of growing under ground. A clump of Trailing Arbutus grows out of solid rock instead of from leaf mold. Moss and ferns cover boulders like thick blankets. And giant Canadian Hemlocks rise into the air.
Until an ice storm destroyed one of them, twin Canadian Hemlocks towered up from the canyon floor. One of them remains and looks sturdy and healthy for its 350 years. It is 138’ tall, 8’9” around and has a crown spread of 50’. It is the largest of its species in Alabama and thought to be the largest anywhere in the world.
These hemlocks are in an isolated spot hundreds of miles distant from their normal range of growth. It is believed the twins are sole remnants of arboreal flora pushed south during the age of glaciers.
The area around "Secret Falls" is a natural arboretum. Within 100 feet grow 27 species of native trees. In fact, the official state tree of 30 states can be found on the canyon floor.
More than 350 different species of Exotic Flora have been identified by botanists exploring the Dismals.
"Witches Cavern" - just below "Rainbow Falls" - is a strange and beautiful labyrinth of moss and fern covered boulders where the largest colony of Dismalites resides.
Visitors to the canyon are always amazed to find such uniquely wild beauty in Alabama.
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Located in northwest Alabama, near the town of Phil Campbell, Dismals Canyon was originally occupied nearly 10,000 years ago by native tribes.
From artifacts found scattered among bluff shelters and other sanctuaries, we've learned that all known cultures of Stone-Age man were at Dismals Canyon.
"Temple Cave" - a bluff shelter on the canyon floor - was home to a tribe of Paleo Indians about 10,000 years ago. This shelter has never been excavated but samples of Paleo pottery & arrow points have been found in different areas of the Canyon. Palio Indians were the first man known to inhabit this part of the U.S.
It has also been home to Pueblo, Chickasaw and Cherokee Indians.
In 1838 U.S. Troops rounded up the Chickasaw - forcing them from their ancestral lands - and held them under guard in this Canyon for two weeks before herding them like cattle to Muscle Shoals where they embarked on the Trail of Tears.
Outlaws, the likes of Jesse James and Aaron Burr hid among the shadows of this sunken forest. Aaron Burr hid for several months in 1804 after killing Alexander Hamilton in a duel. A cot and an old musket that were found here years ago are thought to have belonged to him. Because of its close proximity to the Natchez Trace-the Devil's Backbone-Dismals Canyon served as the hideout for many other infamous outlaws who robbed and murdered travelers on the Devil's Backbone.
Besides a lazy little pool at the top of "Rainbow Falls", early settlers built a water mill, cotton gin, and sawmill. The mill and water wheel were destroyed by a flood about 50 years ago. On Sunday afternoons church congregations would escort their new converts to the chilly waters for old-time open-air baptizing.
The early settlers who first named this hidden canyon a century ago were largely of Scotch-lrish descent. Some believe they brought the name from that beautiful and rugged spot in Scotland called "Dismals." But some think that the pioneers called it Dismals because they were superstitious of its jagged walls and the supernatural atmosphere that prevails in its lost and unlighted sanctuaries.
Dismals Canyon was chosen as one of the shooting locations for the filming of the Discovery Channel special, "When Dinosaurs Roamed America". The canyon was selected because its vegetation and broad leaf trees are typical of those that existed when dinosaurs roamed the Earth some 100 to 200 million years ago. The canyon's tall trees and ferns are similar to fossils paleontologists have found near dinosaur relics.
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Summertime finds Dismals Canyon cool and inviting. The temperature on the canyon floor runs some 14 degrees below Alabama's summer average. There are no mosquitoes, flies or poison oak. Guided night tours allow one to view the glow-in-the-dark creatures known locally as Dismalites.
Along with hiking, canoeing, and swimming - Romantic Cabins can be rented, Campsites are available, and a Country Store offers supplies and Indian wares.
HIKE the limestone trails through skyreaching boulders, past thundering waterfalls, into a secret world of mossy-green and pearl gray filled with ferns and giant trees.
EXPLORE the mysterious sanctuaries where Chickasaw Indians held secret rituals and outlaws, the likes of Jesse James and Aaron Burr, hid among the shadows of this sunken forest.
SWIM in a natural pool carved out of solid rock by the rushing waters of Dismals Creek.
SHOP at an Old Country Store in an atmosphere as old as the dust between the floorboards. Find glistening jars of candy, Indian wares, gifts, and food for hungry campers and hikers.
CANOE down Bear Creek or paddle on placid lakes. Lie on secluded sandy beaches, fish in crystal-clear water, or drift aimlessly under gigantic rock cliffs. For those more adventurous, challenge the Class I-IV rapids at the upper end of Bear Creek.
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