Date Visited: 4/6/2019
Discovering the campground at Noccalula Falls was another of those wonderful “happystances” that occur when your well thought out plans go sideways.
When we left Russell Cave National Monument we were headed to one of the well known caverns in the area to take the tour, unfortunately we took too long to get there and the last tour had already started because ol’ Judy Garmin decided she wanted us to travel as many twisting winding backroads as the state had to offer instead of taking us down a far quicker and much more direct route. Hoping to catch a tour in the morning, we looked for a campground in the area and the only one we could find was a really small patch of earth with tents, cars, vans and RVs parked in such a way that it looked like a game of pick-up-sticks.
We called the closest state park and no walk-up sites were available being it was a weekend. We searched the internet and found a list of campgrounds in the area and started to call around starting with the closest one and working south. One by one we were told “sorry we’re booked out”. Of course I started to panic a little wondering where we were going to sleep for the night. We started driving south worried that we’d have to find a dispersed campsite in the Talladega National Forest, but hoping it didn’t resort to that as the sunset was only about 1 hour away.
Finally I called Noccalula Campground in Gadsden which was still a little ways south from where we were. The Lady who answered the phone had the sweetest southern accent and after explaining our situation she gave us the answer we were looking for: “Ya’ll come on down – we’ll be waiting for ya!”
The check in experience was a breeze and they even gave us a discount after asking if we had any of a number of membership cards. We got the best deal using our AAA. They offered to let us drive around the park and find the campsite where we’d be most comfortable in our little SUV. We found one not far from the bathhouse, but away from the more popular section that had a view of the falls and was close to the main trail.
Just as we went south so did the weather! As we were finishing our setup routine the bottom fell out, which was not to be outdone by the fierce lightening storm that accompanied it. Obviously we survived and boy were we grateful we didn’t have to try and find a campsite in the forest in the dark and during a storm.
The campground was a little like a KOA. There were 120 sites; some with hookups and some primitive. Other amenities include a swimming pool, laundry facility, recreation room with a well stocked library, playground, large picnic pavilions and the cleanest bathhouse we’ve ever used on the road.
Noccalula campground is located next to the Noccalula Falls public park. It sits alongside the Black Creek Gorge where a 90′ waterfall cascades into the Black Creek ravine.
Speaking of the waterfall, what a pleasant surprise that turned out to be! Campers have access to the viewing platforms without having to exit the campground and go around to the park entrance.
The next morning we took the short walk to the waterfall and discovered that the evening rain had swollen the river just enough to increase the flow.
You may have noticed the bronze statue in the first picture. The statue is symbolic of the legend of Princess Noccalula.
The legend goes as follows:
White settlers in the hills of Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, and South Carolina pushed the Cherokee Indian tribes into North Alabama. The Cherokee in turn encroached upon Creek Territory. There were sporadic battles between the tribes.
Black Creek Falls had long been a trading station and ceremonial ground. Legend is that Noccalula, a beautiful daughter of a Cherokee Chief, had been promised by her father to a Creek sub-chief as an exchange for peace between the Nations. It is related that the princess could not bear to become the wife of a Creek warrior as she loved so deeply a brave of her own tribe.
Instead of being married, on her wedding day she jumped to her death on the rocks of the Black Creek Falls – later to become known as Noccalula Falls. The Indian sign language which is prominently inscribed on the rocks in the Noccalula Falls area confirms that Princess Noccalula did jump to her death at a point near the location of the monument now erected honoring the Indians who once inhabited this area.
https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=83738
If you follow the link above to the Historical Markers Database, you can learn more.
The adjacent park has 15 different trails, a petting zoo, mini golf, a train ride and gardens. Since we hadn’t planned to stay here we weren’t prepared timewise to take in all there was to do.
We did walk along a small portion of the Black Creek Trail and Bluff trail, but left the rest for a future trip. And believe me there will be one if we go for the clean hot shower alone!
On our way back to the SUV we ran across this curious little black squirrel. Black morphs like these more frequently occur in fox squirrels in the southeast, so for that reason I think this is a fox squirrel instead of a gray squirrel. I could be wrong, but she looks to have that fox squirrel humped nose face.
Either way, she was pretty darn cute. In an upcoming adventure we will get to see the opposite mutation when we run into two white squirrels at a Florida campground.
And speaking of odd sightings, I couldn’t help but take a photograph of this sign.
I don’t know how many times I’ve silently pleaded with people to please quit dumping their trash and blackwater tanks at the dispersed campsites inside our national forests!
Back on subject. Noccalula Campground and the park are on our list of places to return when a future adventure brings us through the Gadsden area. We’ve been told that the hike to the bottom of the gorge is a must do. There are also a number of military equipment exhibits in or near the park and that’s Mr. McGee’s wheelhouse.
Next stop: Cheaha State Park (The highest point in Alabama)
Until then…
Noccalula Falls Park & Campground 1500 Noccalula Road Gadsden, AL 35904 265-549-4663 Website
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