Typical terrain on the Martha’s Falls Trail at Little River Canyon National Preserve

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Note: The waterfall at Martha’s Falls was once named Little Falls. The name has now been changed back to Little Falls, and on the National Park Service website for Little River Canyon National Preserve the trail is called the Little Falls Trail. Distance given on the NPS’s Places To Go web page is .3 mile, but this is the distance from the Little Falls/Martha’s Falls parking lot, not the hike from the Little River Falls overlook, which is the hike detailed below.

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Length: 1.5 miles round trip
Time: 1 hour, not counting stopping at the falls to swim or relax on the riverbank
Difficulty: Easy to strenuous with a steep downhill / uphill climb over rocks, serious injury possible

The Martha’s Falls Trail starts at the back of the Little River Falls parking lot (look for the sign). 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.

Access to Martha’s Falls Trail from Little River Falls Overlook at Little River Canyon National Preserve

The hike to the falls takes about 30 minutes. 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.

Very rocky portion of Martha’s Falls Trail at Little River Canyon National Preserve

There are a few spurs that lead—or attempt to lead—down the river, but they are obviously not any type of official trail, and you shouldn’t get confused by them. There is only one instance at which the trail really seems to end. You come to a bunch of branches blocking what appears to be the path. To the left is a wall of rock that requires a small effort to climb up. That’s the trail. Other than this, there are no standout points of confusion. Just remember—follow the river.

Climb up the rocks to stay on Martha’s Falls Trail, Little River Canyon National Preserve

At the end of the trail, in order to get to the river you have to climb down a steep, rock strewn path, one that in the rainy season may flow with water. While not too difficult cardiovascular-wise, you will either need hiking poles or will have to, at times, slide down on your butt. I turned around when I first saw this path, thinking that this certainly wasn’t a trail, and started looking elsewhere, but nope, that’s it.

Steep descent to the Little River on the Martha’s Falls Trail, Little River Canyon National Preserve

When you finally come to the end of the rock path just above the river, you will be standing on a series of ledges, each a few feet or so higher than the one below. The ledge extends along the bank of the Little River for fifty feet or so. If I were younger, I could have jumped from one to the next, but at my age, sitting down and sliding from one ledge to the next was in order. One thing to remember, if a rock is wet, it can be slippery. Don’t shift your weight fully onto one foot until you are positive that foot isn’t going to slide out from under you. Yes, dear Reader, I learned this the hard way and was lucky to not end up in the river.

End of Martha’s Falls Trail at Little River Canyon National Preserve

Ledges along the bank of the Little River just below Martha’s Falls Trail, Little River Canyon National Preserve

Martha’s Falls is a popular swimming spot, yet at the start of the Martha’s Falls Trail is a bulletin board with information about the perils of drowning. Drowning is the Number One cause of death at Little River Canyon National Preserve, and if a park has enough deaths to actually have rankings, you know it’s a serious matter. In truth, only 13 drownings have occurred in the last decade. There have, however, been 111 rescues, and I suspect many are for carrying out a person who broke a leg after falling down the trail to the river.

Bulletin Board at Martha’s Falls Trailhead

Looking at the following photos, you might wonder how only 13 people have drowned, for it appears that if you venture too far from the shore that you are bound to be swept downstream. Well, my photos were taken in December, the rainiest month in Alabama, and high rainfall means swift, deep, and dangerous water. In fact, there was so much water when I visited that there wasn’t even a waterfall—it was underwater. And nobody in their right mind is swimming in the wintertime. In the summer, if the river hasn’t run nearly dry, the water flow is at levels so low that there is not much chance of drowning in swift running water.

Swift flowing Little River at Martha’s Falls during the winter, Little River Canyon National Preserve

Little River at Martha’s Falls during the rainy, winter season at Little River Canyon National Preserve

While I was disappointed not to see a waterfall at all, I did find the terrain of the trail floor to be interesting. The grey, flat stones that dotted the trail were often surrounded with a carpet of velvety moss, which when lit by the sun, turned a wonderful emerald green. 

Moss and rocky terrain along the Martha’s Falls Trail at Little River Canyon National Preserve

For those not wanting to hike to Martha’s Falls, you can drive there. The Martha’s Falls parking lot is a few minutes’ drive down Highway 35 from the Little River Falls parking lot. From the lot, it’s a 1/3 mile hike to the falls along a service road.

Service road from Martha’s Falls parking lot to the falls, Little River Canyon National Preserve

When the road ends you will come to a wide open area—turn to the left when you come to an obvious trail. This is just 50 yards or so from the steep, downhill trail to the river.

Trail to Martha’s Falls at Little River Canyon National Preserve

Oh, and by the way. Have fun on the way back up.

Steep hike back up to the level portion of Martha’s Falls Trail, Little River Canyon National Preserve

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