Noccalula Falls is a 79-foot plunge waterfall on Black Creek in Gadsden, Etowah County, Alabama, on the Cumberland Plateau. The falls anchor Noccalula Falls Park, a city park with a gorge trail that passes behind the curtain of water.
The falls
Black Creek pours in a single drop into the gorge below. The World Waterfall Database measured the drop at 79 feet from lidar; the park and earlier surveys give 90 feet. The falls were once known simply as Black Creek Falls.
Getting there
The park is at 1500 Noccalula Road in Gadsden; the campground has its own entrance at 1890 Noccalula Road. The 2026 regular season runs February 16 to October 31, daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with summer weekends open until 7 p.m. Admission is $10 for adults and $8 for children 4 to 12 and seniors 55 and over; children 3 and under are free. The ticket covers the pioneer village, animal habitat, botanical garden, train ride and the hike under the falls.
The Historic Gorge Trail runs 1.4 miles. The Gorge Trail from the paid side is the easier way down; the route from the campground side is steeper and harder.
When to go
Heavy rain can flood the falls, most often in winter and spring, while dry spells in late summer and fall can leave only a trickle.
On site
The Gorge Trail leads under and behind the falls, and hiking there is allowed. Dogs must be leashed and under control; they are barred from the train and from some crowded events.
History and name
A memorial statue in the park depicts Noccalula, the subject of a legend attributed to Mathilde Bilbro: a young woman who leapt from the falls rather than enter an arranged marriage. The Woman's Club commissioned the statue from sculptor Suzanne Silvercruys in the 1960s.
Nearby
Swindell Falls is about 17 miles away, Griffin Falls about 17.8 miles and Vee Falls, on Yellow Creek, about 20.4 miles.
Distances are straight-line.