Dismals Canyon

Sunday afternoon, our friends Bob & Jan here in the RV park invited us to go on  hike at Dismals Canyon. We did not know what we were in for but away we went. Dismals Canyon is a National Natural Landmark located near Phil Campbell, Alabama. The lodge is operated by a private company and there was an entrance fee. We walked/hiked the official canyon trail but it went on some distance beyond the end. There is a creek that follows the canyon. The trail had some climbing, lots of boulders to squeeze through and it followed both sides of the creek. The trail is a total of 1.5 miles but we walked more than that distance in about four hours.

Indians inhabited the area 10,000 years ago. The "Temple Cave" - a bluff shelter on the canyon floor -was home to a tribe of Paleoamericans about 10,000 years ago. Chickasaw and Cherokee also used the canyon. In 1838 U.S. Troops rounded up the Chickasaw and held them under guard in this Canyon for two weeks before herding them like cattle to Muscle Shoals where they embarked on the Trail of Tears.

They have guided night walks to see the Dismalites. Past twilight the canyon lights up with tiny bioluminescent creatures we call Dismalites. These "glowworms" require a select habitat to survive and are unique to only a few places on Earth.

You can learn more about the canyon at www.dismalscanyon.com

Jan & Bob are full time RVers like us.
We met them last month when they were also here watching the build of their new Allegro Bus.
They received their Bus last week and we are still waiting.

We had to go over & under a few obstacles

The lodge & store where you enter