DeSoto Falls
DeSoto Falls is a waterfall in Alabama, at a modelled elevation of 464 m. Gulf Mountain stands 659 m to the northeast, 8.5 miles off. The nearest named place is Little Mountain, a peak 1.4 miles away. Lookout Mountain Parkway passes 0.5 miles off. 119 named places lie within 25 miles, 31 of them named summits.
The story
DeSoto Falls is a 104-foot (32 m) waterfall located on the West Fork of the Little River near Mentone, Alabama, United States, in DeSoto State Park. The falls have carved their own small canyon. They are named after Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto. DeSoto Falls is a destination for extreme kayakers who paddle over the falls.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Wikidata Q38622, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.
How to reach it
- 0.5 mi off the Lookout Mountain Parkway
- 8.7 mi off the Appalachian Highlands Scenic Byway
- 19.2 mi off the Ridge and Valley Scenic Byway
Overlooks nearby
- Little River Falls Overlook · 11 mi
- Lynn Overlook · 12 mi
119 named places within 25 miles
- Valley Head Town Park: 2.2 mi
- Cloudmont Park: 4.1 mi
- Desoto State Park Lodge: 4.1 mi
- Otting Tract Wilderness Management Area: 7.0 mi
- Menlo Park: 7.8 mi
- Little Mountain: 1.4 mi
- Cedar Point: 6.7 mi
- Gulf Mountain: 8.5 mi
- Castle Rock: 10.1 mi
- Bald Mountain: 11.5 mi
- Indian Falls: 3.8 mi
- Azalea Cascade: 3.9 mi
- Lodge Falls: 4.1 mi
- Laurel Falls: 4.2 mi
- Lost Falls: 4.4 mi
- Council Bluff: 4.9 mi
- Eagle Cliff: 7.3 mi
- Huckleberry Point: 11.3 mi
- Dugout: 13.2 mi
- Commet Boulder: 13.2 mi
- Old Rock Schoolhouses: 3.0 mi
- Dye Ditch Gang: 10.3 mi
- Veterans Memorial: 14.7 mi
- The Old Berry Dairy: 24.0 mi
- Battelle: 7.1 mi
- Rawlingsville: 8.6 mi
- Bootsville: 15.0 mi
- Bellefonte: 23.1 mi
- Fort Payne Depot and Museum: 10.3 mi
- Little River Canyon Center: 10.6 mi
- Alabama Fan Club and Museum: 11.3 mi
- Anderson Spring: 12.3 mi
- Blue Hole: 17.8 mi
- Wright Mineral Spring: 21.7 mi
- Otting Tract Wilderness Management Area: 7.0 mi
- Cloudland Canyon State Park: 21.6 mi
- The band Alabama: 10.4 mi
- Mushroom Rock: 12.3 mi
- Picnic and Grill sites: 20.8 mi
Summits around it
The highest named summits within 25 miles of DeSoto Falls. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gulf Mountain | NE 53° | 659 m | 8.5 mi |
| Round Top | NNE 28° | 647 m | 22.6 mi |
| Fox Mountain | N 6° | 591 m | 13.1 mi |
| Pigeon Mountain | ENE 59° | 566 m | 13.3 mi |
| Little Mountain | WSW 242° | 564 m | 1.4 mi |
| Mount Brandon | SW 219° | 506 m | 14.6 mi |
| Bogan Peak | SSE 165° | 505 m | 20.0 mi |
| Castle Rock | SW 220° | 486 m | 10.1 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 06:47 | 18:21 | 18:54 |
| June solstice | 05:31 | 19:22 | 19:59 |
| September equinox | 06:31 | 18:08 | 18:41 |
| December solstice | 06:46 | 15:58 | 16:36 |
Local time (America/Chicago).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: Apr–Oct.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 39 | 43 | 50 | 58 | 66 | 74 | 77 | 76 | 71 | 60 | 49 | 42 |
| Precip in | 5.5 | 5.4 | 5.3 | 5.2 | 4.7 | 4.5 | 5.2 | 3.3 | 4.7 | 3.7 | 4.7 | 5.7 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Valley Head, 2 mi away.
Months at or above the year’s average flow: Dec–May — fullest in Jan, leanest in Aug.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean cfs | 154 | 142 | 142 | 116 | 87.6 | 17.4 | 19.8 | 4.9 | 43.9 | 24.2 | 66.1 | 123 |
USGS monthly mean discharge at gauge West Fork Little R AT Desoto Park NR Fort Payne AL, 4 mi away — the nearest gauge, which can sit on a different stream.
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
OpenStreetMapWikipediaWikidataOpenStreetMap element node/11774624494
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