Griffin Falls

Griffin Falls outside of Dawson, Alabama is known as a climbing destination, but the 40 foot waterfall cascading down the rock is a destination in its own right.

Griffin Falls actually lies on private land, but the owner is open to climbers and hikers using his property. But please be respectul of his property and definitely pack out your trash and anyone else's that you see. When I was there, there was trash all over the place.  I'm frankly surprised that access hasn't been revoked considering how unappreciative people have been.

Here's how to navigate once you get there.

Take Highway 68 north of I-59, and you'll see the cliff ahead. After crossing the bridge and creek, take a left onto the gravel road to a bridge over a creek. There will be a pull off on the right. From there, you can follow the trail past the boulders with the graffiti toward the cliff to see the waterfall.

The hike is short, but the elevation gain may slow you down a bit.  More importantly, the boulders and rocks from the cliff can be tricky to navigate for those without good balance.

Be especially careful on the way down and take your time, there are ample opportunities to roll an ankle!

The waterfall is actually a double drop affair, but it's hard to see much of the upper drop.  The last fall is probably 40 feet onto the rocks and a nice little pool below.

There's also an odd grouping of flowers below.  After some searching on a couple of climber's forums, there is apparently some type of church group that does services (with plenty of chanting and wailing) here and leaves flowers.  Aside from the initial oddity of it all, they are apparently nice folks just outside enjoying nature like the rest of us.

If you're into it, you can follow the trail beyond the waterfall to the cliff face to sneak in a climb before you head back home.

The Griffin Falls are less than an hour down the road from Noccalucca Falls in Gadsden, which is a spectacular sight after a hard rain. It's got a state park on site, complete with petting zoo and a train that your kids will love.  These two waterfalls would make a great day trip if you're close by.

Another nearby waterfall is High Falls so make sure you make the time to visit it as well.

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