Fabulous Fall Colors

Leaves are donning their autumn outfits, trading green for all variations of scarlet, orange and gold, setting entire hillsides and forests ablaze in brilliant displays of these fall hues. Take some time to check out these favorite spots in Alabama (mostly in the northern half of the state) that always put on a fabulous seasonal foliage show.

Oak Mountain State Park
A welcome patch of wilderness right outside Birmingham, this state park (the largest of them all) affords several spots that are pretty simple to reach but still offer stunning views of the oak- and hickory-filled forest’s vibrant patchwork. Hike the short, (2-mile) but steep, trail to spring-fed Peavine Falls and the Peavine Overlook for a perfect vantage point.

Talladega Scenic Drive
Get a mountain high at about 2,000 feet on this 26-mile journey on Scenic Route 281, a designated Alabama Scenic Byway. On the southern end, the drive begins at Cheaha State Park (which contains our state’s highest point atop Mount Cheaha) and winds its way across and through the foothills of the Appalachians and the Talledega National Forest, boasting one panoramic view after another. The drive is definitely an hour well spent, particularly when the leaves are at their prismatic peak.

Gadsden & Little River Canyon
An autumn afternoon cruise along Alabama’s section of the 93-mile-long Lookout Mountain Parkway with the windows down is a first-class ticket to tranquility and a great way to get an eye-full of the kaleidoscope of colors fall brings. Start in Gadsden at Noccalula Falls. This 90-foot cascade marks the spot where legend says a Cherokee princess jumped to her death instead forsaking her true love. Drive north to Fort Payne and hit U.S. 176 to snake along the rim of Little River Canyon, one of the deepest gorges east of the Mississippi River, carved over eons by the Little River, the longest river running across a mountaintop in the United States. This natural wonder also includes the thundering 45-foot Little River Falls. Nearby Desoto Falls and Desoto State Park are worth a look too.

Russell Cave National Monument
The centerpiece of this 310-acre area in Bridgeport in Alabama’s northeast corner is a small cave that was once home to pre-historic Indians. Today, you can learn about their lives through one of the largest and most complete archeological records of human habitation in the Southeast. The cave itself is open for exploration with a permit from the on-site visitor center. But don’t spend all your time in there; you’ll miss the multi-colored branches swaying above you. Take the 1.2-mile trail along Montague Mountain for fulfilling fall hike.