Dismals Canyon

Follows Dismals Branch stream on the Canyon Floor

Dismals Canyon is a privately owned National Natural Landmark. The main attraction is the summertime light show displayed by the dismalites, these glowworms are found in New Zealand and a handful of other places including Dismals Canyons. The trail meanders through a pristine wilderness filled with ferns and giant trees, It passes below huge bluffs that make up the canyon walls, and – inside Witches Cavern – it follows a strange and beautiful labyrinth of moss and fern covered boulders where the largest colony of Dismalites resides.

Summertime finds Dismals Canyon cool and inviting. The temperature on the canyon floor runs some 14 degrees below Alabama’s summer average. There are no mosquitoes, flies or poison oak.

Dismals Canyon, is located in northwest Alabama, 12 miles south of Russellville, Alabama off US-43/AL-17 between Russellville and Hamilton on Hwy. 8.