Swimming at Canyon Mouth Park in Little River Canyon National Preserve
Swimming in the Little River is usually not a good idea due to swift currents, but there are a few popular spots during the summer where the water is calm. The most popular is Canyon Mouth Park at the southern end of Little River Canyon National Preserve. This is a large picnic area with river access, playground, modern restrooms, and even a soccer field.
Just a quarter mile east of the Little River Falls parking lot on Alabama Highway 35 is Blue Hole. This swimming spot has a few picnic tables and a parking lot that can hold perhaps two dozen cars. On a nice day in the summer, the parking lot fills up by late morning. If you can’t find a spot, you can park at Little River Falls, though walking along the highway is not the safest thing to do. There is a standard road shoulder to walk on, but the parking lot is on the opposite side of the road from Blue Hole, so eventually you must cross over. I will say that AL 35 is not the busiest of roads, but vehicles are traveling fast.
Little River at Blue Hole, Little River Canyon National Preserve
There is also a swimming hole at Little Falls, but this is only safe when the water levels are very low during the summer. To get there requires hiking .7 mile on the Little Falls Trail. It covers level-but-rocky ground until the very end when you must take a steep, stone staircase down to the river. I have only been to Little Falls in the wet season (winter and spring) when it is suitable for whitewater kayaking, but I have seen photos of when it is a swimming spot. It is hard to believe that it is the same place.
Little Falls area during high water is not a place to swim, Little River Canyon National Preserve
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Last updated on June 5, 2025
