Caney Creek Falls is my favorite watefall in all of the Bankhead National Forest. It’s about 30 feet high, a two mile round trip to hike to, and an awesome swimming spot on top of everything else. I’d been in the forest for several days primitive camping, lacking a shower, having some success and some fails trying to find other waterfalls. When I decided to give Caney Creek Falls a try my morale was a bit down from just having had an epic fail trying to locate a different waterfall, and I didn’t know that this would be a great win.
To find the trailhead I used Google Maps, which resulted in there being several trailheads and it was a little confusing. The one marked “New Caney Creek Falls Trailhead” was the winner. Since the name is sure to change over time, the address shows as 80 Co Rd 3025, Double Springs, AL 35553. One of the really cool things about starting from this trailhead was that I parked next to a couple of cows, just a few feet away from the car. It’s kind of like you’ll go down county road 3025, it’ll seem to dead end at a farm, but just before the farm’s entrance is a little sliver of land designated as a parking area and trailhead. So if you come to a farm, see cows, you’re in the right place.
The hike is easy, like most hikes in the Bankhead because the land is mostly hills, and this is only a mile until your destination of Caney Creek Falls. When you reach the falls you’ll encounter an overlook from the top first. Don’t get discouraged and think that is it, because just slight stroll downstream from the fall is a well established pathway down to the base. In this case that’s when the full joy of Caney Creek Falls sets in. What’s to love about this place? Everything. The fall is sort of a double waterfall scenario, so you kind of gets two falls for one, with the main part to the left and lesser fall to the right. You can walk behind part of the falls which is always neat. In my case having not showered for a few days I enjoyed that you can stand under a section of it, and use it as a shower! Or you can go for a swim in the huge pool it forms. I got joy from being here. I got clean from being here. I got to see something beautiful from being here. And again, cows at the trailhead, that’s great too. Caney Creek Falls is a hugely rewarding experience that isn’t a huge hassle or hike to get to and a must do if you’re in the Bankhead National Forest.
Also worth noting there was another trail coming into the falls from across the creek, which explains why more trailheads can be found on maps.
