Desoto State Park

I recently drove to DeSoto State Park to hike/​trail run to view their waterfalls.
Location — In northern Alabama, just across the GA-​AL border. I will note that some of the roads are a little tough to drive on give. How bumpy they were and they are extremely narrow at parts. You will question is you are in the right location because it doesn’t not give a traditional state park feel. Still an easy 2 – 2:15 drive from Atlanta.
Misc — The park offers a Trail Trekkers Patch to individuals who hike all the designated trails in their park system. I thought this was very fun and nice of them. The patch is free and makes it kind of a game to get them all complete. The country store is not anything more than a store to buy some last minute items you forgot like firewood, fire starters, matches, Gatorade and candy. So not come here expecting to pick up everything you need to cook, grocery shop, etc. The park has FREE admission! Do not know how you complain about that!
Hikes — There are a wide range of hikes, 13 total, in this park system. Some were very short and not very technical, with some being 3.0+ miles long and very technical. The trails themselves are very well kept, even though some other posters complaint about them, I went during the wet season (which usually ruins the trails or makes them impassable) but they could easily be used. There were 9 different waterfalls that had varying levels of flow rate right now. I personally love waterfalls and was excited to see them all. Definitely worth visiting here if you want to see waterfalls and I would recommend between Jan-​Mar to see them with the highest water levels. I saw more deer, 50+, than I saw people on all 13 of the trails. Most of the people I saw were all on the same trail, the most popular Orange and Blue trails with 3 waterfalls. Definitely something for everyone here. While there isn’t anything super long, you can do all 22 miles of the trail in a day with careful planning (we did).
Atmosphere — I had one of the craziest nature experiences of my life here. While running the Gilliam Trail with my dog early in the morning (roughly 830am), we somehow ran into a herd of Whitetail deer. When I mean ran into, I mean we were in the middle of the 20ish herd. We were running, so I didn’t notice it until it was happening. The deer did not frighten and run away. My dog and I did not stop running, frankly because I was terrified, and as we continued to run, the deer took off with us. I had deer to my left and right, in front and behind me. It must have lasted 25 – 30 seconds. It was exhilarating and scary at the same time and something I wish I had video of. My dog was on sensory overload and just kept moving too and looking around. As we moved to other hikes throughout the day, we saw so much wildlife.
Facilities — I can’t speak much to the facilities. A lot of it looked old. The restaurant was nothing special but I guess I don’t expect much at a state park. Other reviews obviously had higher standards for this place. I got a to go plate of French toast sticks, bacon and eggs and thought it was fine. ($ 9 all you can eat).
When I travel to a state park, I come for the nature and not the amenities. Give me a place to set up my tent and outdoor fun. DeSoto is definitely a place I’ll be coming back too in the summer to see the differences in the seasonal change.

We stayed in the Lodge on site as we traveled through the area. It was nice to get off the Interstate and just enjoy the views. We didn’t get much time, but the accommodations were reasonably priced, clean and comfortable. I would definitely go back if I had the opportunity for a chance to explore the park more.

One of the nicest State Parks I’ve ever been to. That’s saying a lot because I’ve traveled extensively across the US. I was very impressed by their RV park which features hundreds of large levels pads amongst trees and rocks. Their bathroom facility especially blew my mind as not only was it very large and clean with many stalls for toilets as well as showers, but also had wifi! Not only that, they have 2 on site laundromats!
For this trip, I chose to stay in the primitive campground. So many great sites to choose from! I got a beautiful large site full of large boulders, a stone fire pit and even a shallow cave/​natural shelter. Even with those features there was plenty of smooth ground for several tents.
There’s also a small country store, a lodge and a restaurant. Every employee that I met obviously loves their job as they all were super friendly and helpful.
The scenery of the area is breathtaking. Make sure to check out the many waterfalls here and at Little River Canyon. Also plan your trip so you take the scenic drive overlooking the canyon.

Sunday March 2^nd, Tony and I drove the 2 ½ hrs out of Nashville to the Fort Payne area in Alabama. We got off the exit 231 and headed into the mountains at Mendone and took our time through the parkway to DeSoto State Park making several stops along the way.
We visited DeSoto Falls which is actually about 5 miles away from the park itself. Once at the park we stopped at the Country Store and got a free map. Purchased a magnet for my collection and a few post cards and was on our way.
We first went to Azalea Cascade Falls, then Indian Falls and last to the Lodge Falls. It was a wonderful day. Very pretty and slightly warm. Would love to arrive back here again for some hiking with my daughter. .best of all it is FREE

Grown up going to this State Park, and finally, after graduating college and several years of being away, was able to return for a weekend at their primitive sites with some friends.
It is not the best state park in the world, but it is fairly easy to navigate, has many trails and is near to Little River Canyon National Preserve, which in itself makes Desoto a four star location when you’re splitting $ 14 a night between one tent of people.
Desoto Falls is worth a visit, there is a quiet lake/​pond to relax by. I don’t know about the fishing capabilities there. There is a trail behind the country store that goes by 3ish waterfalls, and was a fairly easy walk. I recently got off of crutches and walked for over 1 hour on this trail with a fair amount of ease.
Indian Falls was the best waterfall we saw there (excluding Desoto) and was the easiest of all the falls (including Desoto) to get to.
Staff are resourceful and knowledgeable as well as friendly. Stop by here and enjoy the great outdoors.

Disappointment State Park would probably be a better name…
I had super high hopes for this place, as the website leads one to believe. We rented a chalet for 7 nights.
Dined at the restaurant for the seafood buffet on Friday… The gumbo looked awful, the oysters were awful, overall mediocre at best. Would have been worth 8.00…But the 16.00 per person seems ridiculous.
Back to the chalet… It is very clean. Looks like the pictures on the website. We didn’t find places to swim, like swimming holes/​streams/​rivers/​etc. as I had envisioned. The pool was a joke! It is the community swimming pool! So all of the towns people go there on the weekend. Also, it was almost a mile away from our chalet, which wasn’t expected. If you are staying in a cabin/​chalet there isn’t a gate code. But there is a gate for the campground.
The last night of our stay the power went out for about 3 hours. There was no credit to our bill as Phil said in his review. We also discovered rats on our last night. Complained to the front desk, they said they would send someone out, but he never showed. And of course, no credit for that either.
The Desoto Falls were nice, Little river canyon was nice as well.
Could have most definitely seen both attractions in one day, That is about all this town has to offer. There isn’t a decent restaurant in the entire town of Fort Payne. Nor a nice place to shop.

Easy to get to. I live in NE Alabama and always looking for places to visit. Nice falls. Check out the statues of the Band «Alabama» in Ft Payne and the «Alabama» band Museum while you are there. Dog on leash friendly.

NOT recommended for fishing although they BOAST fly fishing and shore fishing on their website! The hubby and I visited based on their so-​called fishing availability and found that they pretty much made it up. We came across another group here for the same experience and they provided the same feedback — no bites, no fish, no good shoreline for fishing. The person at the info center even told us that there’s only one good spot and it’s a precarious climb to get to it…
Given that, they had beautiful falls and views, extensive hiking trails, perceivably nice accommodations, and a swimming pool. The swimming pool fee is $ 3 per person, which I found reasonable. The swim house is a little out-​dated, but OK. Also, the falls are easily accessed, but crowded on the weekends, so beware of that. Also, they boast tennis courts for use that are not maintained.
This park needs to update it’s list of accommodations accordingly.

Great state park. We live in GA but this is one of our favorite parks to camp in. The comfort stations (bath house) are brand new. Parts of the campground are clear-​cut (pull through) but around spot 22 they are private and wooded. Visit Desoto falls and hike the blue to orange trail past the boardwalk to see more falls. Sequoah caverns is close and although a pit pricey, worth the time and money. Excellent formations. Definitely check out this park if you camp in No. Alabama.