Little River Canyon stretches 12 miles and plunges to depths of 600 feet from the sandstone cliffs to the river, which flows along the narrow canyon floor. The scenic 23-mile drive along the canyon rim is not to be missed. Visitors can take in amazing views from any of the 8 overlooks high atop the cliff and gorge walls the river has cut into the sandstone, limestone and shale rocks.
Little River is the nation's longest mountaintop river flowing for approximately 30 miles in a southwesterly direction. It flows for almost its entire length down the middle of Lookout Mountain before emptying into Weiss Lake. Lookout Mountain forms the eastern boundary of the Cumberland Plateau section of the Appalachian Highlands. There is an erosion-resistant layer of sandstone on the mountain's top. The sandstone bluffs and canyon walls along Little River are thousands of feet thick and were laid down over 200 million years ago as part of the Pottsville Formation formed during the Pennsylvanian age. Pottsville sandstone is relatively resistant to erosion taking the canyon many thousands of years to form. Over time Little River has cut vertically into this hard rock carving out one of the Southeast's longest and deepest canyon and gorge systems east of the Mississippi. By looking at the canyon walls, one can actually see the deep timeline of geology. Little River Canyon showcases an excellent variety of extreme tracts of rock, benches, and bluffs as a result of the erosion caused by Little River.
Little River Canyon National Preserve consists of 14, 000 acres and was established on October 21, 1992. In addition to being the “Grand Canyon of the South,” the Preserve has virtually unpolluted water. It also is home to a number of rare plants and animals: the Green Pitcher Plant a carnivorous rare and endangered plant, the Kral’s Water Plantain an aquatic plant found nowhere else in the world, and the Blue Shiner a minnow that is rare and endangered. The Preserve offers sightseeing, bird watching, world class whitewater kayaking, canoeing, hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, rock climbing, and rappelling. A few of the must see sights in the Preserve are Little River Falls, a 45 ft waterfall. Needle Eye Rock/Mushroom Rock is a natural rock formation found in the middle of Highway 176. The rock is shaped like a giant mushroom, but also has a “needle eye” at the bottom. Grace’s High Falls is a seasonal waterfall. Winter and spring are the best times to view the falls.
click the above sign for more information
on Little River Canyon National Preserve
The above coordinates will take you to an overlook. Please keep a close eye on any small children around the cliffs – not all overlooks in the Preserve have barriers.
To claim your smiley you must...
- Visit the overlook where the coordinates take you
- Take a picture which shows both the view at the overlook and your GPS (optional)
- Post the picture when you log your find here on geocaching.com (optional)
- Send me an email stating what created the canyon.