July 2020 - Little River Canyon and Desoto Falls

Our lucky streak of great weather rides continues!  July 11th, four riders (Dave, Dennis, Larry and Mike) met in Hickory Flat for a tour of some of our favorite sights in NE AL – Little River Canyon (LRC) and Desoto Falls.  Our trip started on a cool summer morning with absolutely no forecast of afternoon pop-ups - a real treat for July riding.  We took the serene Hwy 140 west to Armuchee, then 27 to Summerville and Mentone, an old-timey getaway town on a ridge top in the AL mountains.  At the south end of town is Desoto Falls which drops into large (several acre) pool with an adjoining 8-story sheer rock wall.  

I can just imagine the “double-dog-dare” discussions which have taken place at the top of that wall!  After leaving, we continued along the ridge, then toured thru Desoto State Park before heading to the grand falls at the head of the LRC.

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With the wet summer we’ve had, the falls were gushing.  

We lunched at the nearby Canyon Café which has added plenty of outdoor picnic tables in the shade to accommodate social distancing.  

I think they have the best burger in the area and will certainly return.  But we had plenty more to see, so… we started down the road which runs along the rim of LRC and has numerous pullouts for viewing.  

But the day was heating up which makes stopping (gearing down, then up again) less desirable.  We just kept our leisurely pace – and cool!  As we left the LRC area, our route took us down the highway which cuts right across the middle of Weiss Lake which looked soooo inviting.  But we pressed on to Cave Springs for a nice break in the shade at the spring head.   From there it was home via Rome, Canton and Holly Springs.  

Total mileage was 260.  This is a very enjoyable area and worth your time exploring, whether by bike or car.  Join us next time.