December 13, 2018

Little River Canyon Visitor Center

We did a quick stop at Little River Canyon on our way up to our planned storage spot in Tennessee. They had a lot of rain recently so the falls were flowing nicely. There is a nice visitor center where you can watch a video about the canyon, check out their cool 3D map and shop for some really unique items in their gift store. The rangers/hosts were extremely helpful and gave us all kinds of great things to do in the area but unfortunately it was only a two night stop so we didn’t have time for more than a quick look. Plus all that rain made the trails down that canyon wall a little dicey.

3-D Map of Lookout Mountain

First, the geologic stuff. Little River is unique because it flows almost entirely along the TOP of Lookout Mountain. As it flows toward its mouth, it cuts deeper and deeper through the rock and whittles out a rugged 550 foot deep canyon. On the historic side, one leg of the Trail of Tears crossed this river right about where the highway bridge stands today. For Civil War buffs, yes, this is THE Lookout Mountain near Chattanooga.

45 foot tall Little River Falls

Mushroom Rock

Holly