Dismals Canyon

Tucked away in the northwest corner of Alabama are two cabins, a country store and a trail that winds through Dismals Canyon.

I've lived in Alabama my whole life and had not heard of this place until we were doing some reading about our state a few months ago. This well-kept secret is literally located in the middle of nowhere, but Kevin, the exceptionally friendly employee, swears the cabins stay booked every weekend.

It was the perfect weekend for bundling up and enjoying the daylight hours outdoors while building a fire and roasting marshmallows inside at night. 

My favorite time of year to be in the woods is during the fall when the weather turns cooler. It supposedly got down to 28 degrees one night, and, according to the folks on the weather channel, it was colder in western Alabama on Friday than it was in Maine.

One of the more interesting sites to behold are the dismalites, or glowworms, that are visible on the night tours. There's also a waterfall (the map shows two, but we were not able to find the second one). The path leading into the canyon has a lot of stairs, so be prepared if you go with young children.

I had visions of sitting on this porch and reading. HA!

Anyone with young children should know how that went. I did make it out the final morning for about two minutes to sip my coffee.

Even though I didn't get to spend quality reading time on the porch, I did come across this book that made for excellent bedtime reading.

I love spooky stories and wish I would have had a few more days to stay there just to read more of this volume. Not much else beats the thrill of a bone-chilling story while in a cabin in the woods.