Noccolula Falls, Gadsden, AL

[MoBill122]

  I finally made it to Gadsden to take pictures of this falls, but there was so much water spray in the gorge, I didn't do to well.
  For those who haven't been here, you can walk behind this water falls normally... but you need a raincoat to do that at this time !  <G>
 There is a yellow blazed trail in the gorge now, but I did not follow it today. From what I know, the entire trail is probably less than three miles long.  Lots of interesting things in the gorge during the warmer months...especia lly snakes !

http://www.alatrails.com/...s/thumbnails.php?album=33

[Joshua Szulecki]

Did you mean to password protect the gallery?

[MoBill122]

duh.....     I think I fixed that now.....   

[cwhiker]

MoBill,
Nicely done thanks for sharing them

[Joshua Szulecki]

That is a lot of water!

That one angle makes me wish they hadn't built that building and parking lot over there.

[MoBill122]

Building is a new Wedding Chapel.  Parking lot has been there for 20 years now.  I really wanted to get behind the water and take some pics...

I think I read later they had 7 1/2 inches of rain before I took those pics.  And to think, for the past 12 months, this place was dry... no water at all !

[cwhiker]

yea, we got between 4-6 in here in Decatur and its raining again today. Just my luck I had to go back to work this week and I am stuck shooting in Birmingham all weekend its killing me not to get out and shoot in Bankhead

[MoBill122]

  Going up a little north of Helen, GA tomorrow to see four different falls.     All of these are large enough they have built viewing platforms on the creeks.   All this rain tonight should make them all an awsome sight.
  I need to find me a photo hiking partner....someo ne that will make me use a tripod, etc like I know I should be doing !  lol
 Or someone who doesn't fuss when I spend an hour shooting at one place !   LOL

 I posted some other pictures in the gallery today

[weathermansam]

The trail is closer to 2 miles, I hiked it a lot growing up in Gadsden.  Unless the water is low, it's an out and back thing, with the trail in a U shape.  Otherwise it was fairly easy to cross at Chalybeate Springs on the northwestern end.  It was apparently a "park" of some kind years ago, and the old road bed leading up the mountain is still visible across the creek, along with what's left of some chunks of metal imbeded in the rocks here.  There are also some carvings in the rocks from persons in the civil war.  It's been a while since I've hike the gorge, but I'll see if I can find the map they gave out at one time and scan it online. 

Also, they're working on building a bicycle greenway from the Wildlife Park behind the Gadsden Mall to Noccalulla Falls itself, running along black Creek most of the way.  I hear bits and pieces from my parents who still live there.