The Canyon in the Fall: Little River Canyon National Preserve at Peak Color

Most people don't know that Alabama has a canyon. And most people who do know about Little River Canyon National Preserve in DeKalb County have never seen it like this.

Shot from the canyon rim on a misty autumn morning, "The Canyon in the Fall" captures one of the most spectacular fall foliage views in the entire American South. Both canyon walls — dropping hundreds of feet to the canyon floor — are covered from rim to river in a blaze of peak autumn color. Fiery reds and burnt oranges dominate the left wall, catching the early morning light in a way that makes the whole hillside seem to glow from within. The right wall fades into softer golds and greens as morning mist drifts through the gorge, creating layers of atmospheric depth that give the image an almost painterly quality. Far below, Little River — one of the few rivers in North America that runs its entire length atop a mountain plateau — winds silver and white through the rocky canyon floor, its rapids catching the light between the boulders.

At the far end of the canyon, the sandstone cliff faces emerge from the mist in pale grey, the canyon walls narrowing toward the horizon in a composition that draws the eye deep into the frame and holds it there.

This is Alabama at its most dramatic, its most beautiful, and its most surprising. "The Canyon in the Fall" is the image that makes people stop and say — wait, that's Alabama?

Bring the breathtaking grandeur of Little River Canyon's autumn glory home with this museum-quality fine art photography print by Bama Price — available as metal, canvas, or glossy paper.