Entrance fees and opening hours
- 12$/person
- Not covered by the Anual Pass*
- Open again from 05.March 2021.
*The Anual Pass is so to speak the "flat rate" for all Parks managed by the National Park Service. The pass costs a one-time fee of $80 and can be purchased at the entrance to each National Park, National Monument, etc. The pass is valid for 13 months.
For the GPS: 901 County Rd 8, Phil Campbell, AL 35581
Our visits: So far 1 visit in October 2016
Dismals Canyon
Description: Dismals Canyon is located a few miles west of the small town of Phil Campbell. It is a sandstone canyon that has been a National Natural Landmark since 1974. The canyon is operated commercially. There is a restaurant and overnight accommodations.
The trail through the canyon is very easy to hike, as the topography is relatively flat and the trail is very well maintained. Basically, you hike on one side of the creek into the canyon and on the other side back again. Since you can also cross the creek half way, you could shorten the trail.
But the big feature of the canyon are the bioluminescent insects. These flies (Orfelia fultoni) are found in very few places. They glow green/blue at night. Most of these flies are found in the spring. The homepage keeps the visitor up to date on when the most glowing insects can be seen.
Trail length: 1.49mi roundtrip
Altitude difference: 164ft
Time needed: 2-3 hours
Difficulty level: easy
Our rating: We were here in the canyon one morning in October 2016. That's why we didn't see the glowing insects, but the canyon is well worth a trip even without them. We really liked the huge rocks and the lush vegetation.
