The Perfect Alabama Getaway To Take If You Have Been Dreaming Of Australia

Ever dream of stealing away to the Southern Hemisphere and exploring the wonders of the land Down Under? I know it will sound like a bigger reach than the distance getting there, but you can experience Australia in Alabama. Well, at least a bit of it. Or perhaps I should say, a lot of very tiny bits of it.

How so? Australia is among only a few places worldwide where you'll find creatures like the Dismals Canyon glow worms in the small community of Phil Campbell in Northwest Alabama.

If you've seen photos of Dismals Canyon or visited yourself, you might even think you're looking at it below. However, this image is from Glow Worm Tunnel at Wollemi National Park about two and a half hours north of Sydney.

Granted, looking at the Dismals Canyon area here, the rock formations and plant life are on a much smaller scale than the glow worm getaway in Australia. Nevertheless, the same mossy, lush, and cool environment surrounds you at our National Natural Landmark as it does their National Park.

The trail out and back at Glow Worm Tunnel in Australia is about a quarter of a mile shorter than the trail at Dismals Canyon.

The Dismals Canyon trail is about one mile out and back. Trails at both locations are considered easy routes.

Probably the greatest advantage of Glow Worm Tunnel is that it is a tunnel – and a very dark one. Because of that, you're more likely to see the glow worms after you enter any time of day. While you certainly can see them at Dismals Canyon, you must take one of the scheduled night hikes to ensure visibility.

People have captured some stunning images of these bioluminescent creatures at Glow Worm Tunnel. The glow worms are gnat larvae that, in most cases, glow to attract food. While similar to these Aussie counterparts, our dismalites are part of a different genus.

While it's not Australia, perhaps adding a beach experience will help convince you. To hit the beach, you'll have to road trip about 6 hours south of Dismals Canyon to reach our Gulf Coast communities. If you go for it, check out this Three-Hour Orange Beach Islands Excursion for a unique experience while there.

You can learn more about when to book night hikes on the Dismals Canyon website and keep up with the attraction's latest news on the Dismals Canyon Facebook page.

Let us know if you make the trip, whether it is to Dismals Canyon or Glow Worm Tunnel! We'd love to hear all about it.