Are you ready to be awestruck? We've rounded up the most exceptional natural wonders of Alabama, and it's something to behold even in a snapshot. From curious caves to majestic canyons, whooshing waterfalls to dazzling views, this collection highlights the showstoppers. Dive in and discover these natural wonders in Alabama where our incredible biodiversity thrives.

Best Canyons In Alabama

Some of the top natural wonders in Alabama are our canyon areas, no doubt for their diversity of environments and the experiences you can have within them. The terrain gives hikers more choices among trails with varying elevation changes and scenery. Perched along their rims, you get bird's-eye views of lush foliage and dramatic waterfall drops. Meanwhile, you get entirely different perspectives from the canyon floors. Here are a few of our best. And here's a road trip guide for visiting all three.

1. Little River Canyon

Location: Fort Payne

Wow Factor: The Grand Canyon of the East

Cost: Free to tour the Scenic Drive, Little River Falls, and the Backcountry Area. For the Canyon Mouth Day Use Area, there is a $3 fee per vehicle.

There are so many ways to enjoy the Little River Canyon National Preserve, a national park in North Alabama. One option is to cruise along on a 23-mile drive with stops at its most popular sights. If you choose to tackle one of many hiking trails, you can wander around waterfalls and plunge into cool, sparkling swimming holes. Meanwhile, the pristine Little River draws kayakers, guiding them along aquatic adventures along the bottom of this dramatic, 700-foot gorge.

2. Dismals Canyon

Location: Phil Campbell

Wow Factor: Rare glowworms called dismalites

Cost: Single-day, adult rates vary from $14 to $12 depending on weekdays versus weekends, and choice of day or night tours. Ages 12 or younger and over 60 qualify for discounts. Combo tours, two-day passes, and camper passes are also available.

Dismals Canyon enchants and delights day and night. This National Natural Landmark features a sunken forest with 30 of the nation's state trees among the inhabitants of its canyon floor. Rainbow Falls introduces the winding stream that runs through the canyon, punctuated with boulders that tumbled from bluffs millions of years ago. When night falls, you'll get a light show you won't find many other places on earth. That's when your eyes will slowly adjust to see the bioluminescent bodies of glow worms called dismalites. It's been said they make the rock faces seem to merge with the starry skies.

3. Cane Creek Canyon

Location: Tuscumbia

Wow Factor: Waterfalls, rare wildflowers, and canyon views

Cost: Free; donations accepted.

People rave about the beauty of this privately owned, 700-acre preserve in northwest Alabama. Also of note, the groundskeepers get many kudos for their exceptionally well-maintained trails with restroom and water stops along the way. The various paths wind through the property's lush forested areas, waterfalls, sparkling blue waters, and stunning vistas. It's a fave for birders, hikers, and photographers.

Best Caves In Alabama

There's so much more than meets the eye in the Yellowhammer State, and that's saying a lot given how beautiful it is. If you want to be sure you experience all of the must-see nature in Alabama, our subterranean scenes are not to be missed. While we have many caves to explore, we're highlighting a couple of our most popular.

4. Cathedral Caverns State Park

Location: Woodville

Wow Factor: One of the largest caves in the world

Cost: Tours are $20 for ages 13 and older and $9 for ages 5 to 12. There are discounts for military members with ID. Ages 4 and younger are admitted free with a ticket.

This cave's grand entrance is one of the largest in the world and earned it a name change from Bat Cave to Cathedral Caverns. The stalactites and stalagmites resemble the soaring architecture of cathedrals, creating a fitting entryway for the rest of your journey. You'll see the massive, aptly named Goliath stalagmite, a "frozen" waterfall, and many other curious formations. The cave stays a cool 60 degrees year-round, making it an especially refreshing adventure in our humid southern summers.

5. Rickwood Caverns

Location: Warrior

Wow Factor: Limestone formations over 260 million years old

Cost: Entrance fees to the state park are $2 for ages 5 to 11 and $3 for ages 12 and older. Cave tours are $9 for ages 5 to 11 and $19 for ages 12 and older. Swimming is $7, including the entrance fee noted above.

Descend 175 feet below the earth's surface to explore formations over 260 million years old at Rickwood Caverns State Park. You'll hear about how waters formed the cave and see evidence of how it was sculpted from what was once an ocean bed. The cave's chilly waters feed an Olympic-size swimming pool and kiddie pool that are popular in warm weather months. During the holidays, the caverns transform into a surreal seasonal attraction of light displays for Wonderland Under Warrior.

Best Waterfalls In Alabama

Among our many natural blessings are countless beautiful waterfalls in Alabama. For context, the Sipsey Wilderness in Bankhead National Forest is called the "Land of 1,000 Waterfalls," and that's just one area. You could probably spend a lifetime seeing them all, and that sounds like a worthy goal. In the meantime, here are two that are most exceptional. If you're looking for your next adventure, note that these two are included among several in our Alabama waterfall road trip.

6. DeSoto Falls

Location: Mentone

Wow Factor: Tallest waterfall in Alabama

Cost: $4 vehicle parking fee. RVs or trailers are not allowed due to limited space.

At 107 feet, this is our tallest and most popular waterfall in the state. One of the best things about it is its accessibility. You can drive straight to it via the Lookout Mountain Parkway, where you park a the DeSoto Falls Picnic Area seven miles from DeSoto State Park main entrance. While a paved path leads to an overlook of the A.A. Miller Dam and upper falls, seeing the lower falls does require descending 50 steps. The best times to see the falls at their highest flow rates are winter and early spring.

7. Noccalula Falls

Location: Gadsden

Wow Factor: Ninety-foot falls you can walk behind

Cost: $8 for people age 13 and older; $6 for ages 4 to 12; free for kids 3 and under; $6 for seniors or military with ID. There is a $2 additional charge for mini-golf.

The main feature of a city-owned park and campground, Noccalula Falls drops 90 feet into the Black Creek gorge on the eastern end of the property. The campground lies to the north of the creek and falls, where you'll find a system of hiking and biking trails. The park and its many amenities are situated along the south side. There, you'll find paved walking paths that wind through the park's botanical gardens, animal habitats, a pioneer village, and more.

Best Overlooks & Scenic Vistas In Alabama

When you drive into our state, you'll see highway signs that say "Welcome to Alabama the Beautiful." That would be a bold claim if it weren't so undeniably true. While you'll see many of our most stunning sights elsewhere on this list, our best can be summed up symbolically with just two – our highest and lowest elevations. We're proud to say our state is simply gorgeous from head to toe.

8. Cheaha Mountain

Location: Delta

Wow Factor: Highest natural point in Alabama

Cheaha Mountain State Park became the first state park in Alabama in 1933. The park is surrounded by the gorgeous and vast Talladega National Forest, and the entire area is well known for its excellent hiking trails and awe-inspiring views. While there are many scenic vistas and overlooks from Cheaha Mountain, perhaps the best is Bald Rock. The trail to reach it, the Doug Ghee Accessible Trail, is a short, 6-mile out-and-back path for suitable for people of all abilities.

9. Gulf Coast Beaches

Location: Multiple along the Gulf Coast, including Dauphin Island, Fort Morgan, Gulf Shores, and Orange Beach

Wow Factor: Sugar white sand

Cost: Depends on your choice of beach, lodging, and parking. For example, the City of Gulf Shores offers $15 day-use parking passes for many of its lots near public beach access points.

Few can deny the natural beauty of Alabama's beaches, and people come from all over North America and beyond to experience the pristine white sands of the Gulf Coast. The sand on our beaches and next door in Florida comes from quartz deposits from the Appalachian Mountains at the end of the last Ice Age. In Alabama, you aren't forced to decide whether you're a beach or mountain person. And why would you with how rich we are with both?

Best Rock Formations In Alabama

Some of the most incredible natural wonders in Alabama are rock formations you have to see to believe. Their curious appearance will draw you into the stories they tell.  First, consider the forces and time needed for raw materials to become present. Then, you add the ages for wind, water, and other elements to sculpt these masterpieces.

10. Natural Bridge

Location: Natural Bridge

Wow Factor: The longest natural bridge east of the Rockies

Cost: $3.50 per person

Just 15 miles west of Double Springs near Bankhead National Forest, you'll encounter the surreal landscape of Natural Bridge Park. The bridge itself is a 148-foot span that's 60 feet tall. Its composition is sandstone and iron ore exposed by the sea over 200 million years ago. There's a two-mile out-and-back trail to explore the park, see the bridge, and tuck into the cavern beneath it. Along the way, you'll see 27 varieties of ferns, other interesting rock formations, and more.

11. White Cliffs of Epes

Location: Epes

Wow Factor: Ancient, stark white, chalk cliffs

Cost: Free

This natural wonder you'll only see if you're traveling US Highway 11 about 50 miles southwest of Tuscaloosa or 30 miles northeast of the Mississippi state line. If that's you, you can't miss them. The bold, white cliffs line the Tombigbee for about a mile in this area. If they remind you of the White Cliffs of Dover in England, note that they sort of share an origin story. Both are made of the same type of limestone chalk deposited around the same time. There's currently no designated pull-off or overlook from the highway, so please take care to have a passenger snap your pics.

12. Horse Pens 40

Location: Steele

Wow Factor: One of the world's most concentrated boulder fields

Cost: Day-use fees are $11 per person age 11 or older and free for ages 10 and under with paid parent or legal guardian admission. The primitive camping fee is $22 per person per night.

Horse Pens 40 is a historic recreational park that's just southwest of Gadsden and attracts hikers and campers from all over America – and especially rock climbers. That's because it's home to one of the world's most spectacular boulder fields. Estimated to be from 600 million to 1.3 billion years old, some believe the boulders may be among the oldest naturally exposed rock formations in the world.

Unique Natural Wonders In Alabama

A few of the best nature spots in Alabama defy categories. Two are emblematic of our incredible biodiversity. While our state is fifth in the nation for overall biodiversity, we take the top spot for the number of species in a handful of groups. We have more freshwater turtles, snails, fish, crayfish, mussels, and carnivorous plants than anywhere else. And the last, well, it's just out of this world.

13. Mobile-Tensaw Delta

Location: Mobile

Wow Factor: Called "America's Amazon"

Cost: $3 to visit Meaher State Park; $59 for ages 18+/$51 for 17 and under for Delta Wildlife Kayak Tour

Covering approximately 260,000 acres, this is the largest wetland in Alabama and the second-largest river delta in the contiguous US. Because of its biodiversity, it has been likened to the Amazon rainforest of Brazil. An excellent place to experience it? The 1,327-acre Meaher State Park in Spanish Fort, just north of Mobile Bay. The park's boardwalk caters to sightseers and birders, and there is a boat ramp and fishing pier for anglers. You can stay overnight in one of four cabins, 61 RV spaces, or 10 improved tent campsites. To get even closer to the delta's unique plant and animal habitats, go kayaking on a Delta Wildlife Kayak Tour with WildNative Tours.

14. Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge

Location: West Blocton

Cost: Free

The Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge is one of the newest in America, established in 2002. Yes, you'll want to see the largest stand of Cahaba lilies in existence, which bloom in late spring and throughout the summer. While the flowers may be the most visible signs of the preserve's natural beauty, the area also protects five federally listed species of fish and snails. It also is home to 13 plants and animals you won't find anywhere else in the world.

15. Wetumpka Impact Crater

Location: Wetumpka

Wow Factor: One of only about 200 known impact craters in the world

Cost: Free

When viewing Wetumpka's scenic hills along the Coosa River, you might never consider some of them were formed by a meteor strike 85 million years ago. The Wetumpka Impact Crater is one of only 200 or so known throughout the world. While there is an official historic marker, and parts of the eroded rim appear to the eye, much of the impacted land is private property. However, The Wetumpka Impact Crater Commission created a self-guided tour of viewpoints and hosts a guided tour each spring.

What do you think of our natural wonders in Alabama? Do you agree these are the best overall, or are there others you'd add? Let us know your thoughts. If nothing else, this should be a solid starting point for exploring the most spectacular natural wonders in Alabama. It might be enough to inspire a journey to see them all. If you go for It, be sure to consult our Road Trip Essentials Packing List before setting out for your adventure.