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Bird's eye view map of the long and narrow Little River Canyon National Preserve in Alabama. The edges of this canyon are jagged like pixelation. The park runs southwest to northeast along the meandering Little River. The park is outlined and filled in with green. Rivers are marked with blue, roads with red, and a scenic drive with yellow. 

Extended Description

This description will start on the southwest tip of the preserve and work up and east. Roads and creeks around the park will follow before transcribing the legend, which is at the bottom center of the map. 

The scenic drive begins just south of the preserve and enters the southern tip near Canyon Mouth and the Canyon Mouth Trail. A picnic area, restrooms, wading area, and hiking trailhead are indicated with symbols at Canyon Mouth. The scenic drive then winds up about two-thirds of the way along the northern edge of the preserve.

Dark red text near Canyon Mouth reads, “Caution. Steep, winding grades, impassable to trucks, trailers, and RVs.” That message repeats about a quarter of the way up the preserve near Powell Trail. Another note nearby reads, “Caution. Private property interspersed with public lands.” 

The preserve flares in a northward-reaching arm about a third of the way up the map to encompass Eberhart Point, Crow Point, and Graces High Falls. Little River jogs north past Wolf Creek, Canyon View, Hawks Glide, Lower Two Mile Trail, Mushroom Rock, Beaver Pond Trail, Lynn Overlook, YCC Loop Trail, and Little River Falls. Little River Canyon Center is about halfway up the preserve. Parking and restrooms are available near Little River Falls and parking, a hiking trailhead, and equestrian trailheads are available at YCC Loop Trail. 

At the northern edge of the preserve, DeSoto Scout Trail has a hiking trailhead and parking. It leads to DeSoto State Park Lodge with lodging, food, and restrooms. The DeSoto State Park Office in DeSoto State Park has picnic areas, campground, and a hiking trailhead. 

Near where DeSoto Scout Trail begins, West Fork Little River and East Fork Little River converge to form the main stem of Little River. 

Around the Preserve

A dashed gray line represents the Trail of Tears Historic Route to the northwest of the preserve. An arm of the trail branches off and runs southeast into the park, out the other side, and off the bottom of the map. The northern trail runs roughly parallel to Interstate 59, and State Routes 273 and 15 run parallel to Lookout Mountain to the south. From south to north, State Routes 43, 176, 127, 89, 78, 255, 165, and 117 lead to the preserve. 

Again south to north, Johnnies, Bear, Wolf, and Hurricaine creeks feed the Little River. 

Legend

A scale measures the distance of 1 kilometer and 1 mile over text reading, “Approximate scale at visitor center. Scale varies in this perspective view.” 

Features are explained in the legend below as follows: 
* Green line for NPS property, 
* Gray line for DeSoto State Park, 
* Black semicircle over a yellow line for overlook pullouts, 
* White lines with black casing against green for unpaved roads, 
* Dashed black line against green for trails, 
* Thin triangles for distance indicators. 

Symbols in a column to the right represent equestrian trailheads, campgrounds, wading areas, restrooms, lodging, food service, picnic areas, parking, and hiking trailhead.