High Falls is a 32-foot waterfall on Town Creek in DeKalb County, Alabama, where the creek spills across a broad ledge on Sand Mountain. It is the centerpiece of High Falls Park near Geraldine, a free county park with a pedestrian bridge over the gorge and a natural rock arch below the falls.
The falls
Town Creek drops in a single leap over a ledge that can run up to 300 feet across; after heavy rain the whole width runs. The current measurement puts the drop at 32 feet, while tourism pages give 35 feet; earlier surveys listed 50 feet. Near the base, the creek has worn a 25-foot natural bridge with a large arch through the rock, which is why the falls are also recorded as Natural Bridge Falls.
Getting there
The park is at 969 County Road 144, Grove Oak, and is run by the DeKalb County Commission. From Interstate 59 at Exit 218: west on Highway 35 to Rainsville, south on Highway 75 to Geraldine, then north on Highway 227 following park signs. A loop trail of about three-quarters of a mile circles the falls and crosses the gorge on a pedestrian bridge just above the brink. Entry is free. Seasonal hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in spring and summer, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in fall and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in winter.
When to go
The ledge can stretch about 300 feet across, and after heavy rain the whole width runs. Paddlers use a ramp in the park for a class 2 run on Town Creek, which runs too low below 200 cubic feet per second at the Highway 75 gage.
On site
The pedestrian bridge gives views both upstream to the brink and downstream into the gorge. Visitors swim in the pools below the falls, and a rope hangs on a cliff downstream where people jump into a deep pool. Jumping here has been fatal: in July 2017 an 18-year-old died after leaping from the top of the falls and striking his head. In 2012 rescue squads carried out a high-angle rescue of a teenager who fell ill while swimming below the falls. Leashed dogs are allowed on the trail. The park is also used for picnicking and rock climbing.
History and name
High Falls has been a gathering place on Sand Mountain for almost two centuries, once home to a 19th-century mill community. A covered bridge over the gorge burned and was replaced by the present pedestrian bridge in 1998.
Nearby
Grotto Falls on Short Creek is about 8.9 miles away, Short Creek Falls about 9.5 miles and Griffin Falls about 11 miles. The town of Crossville is about 8.8 miles away.
Distances are straight-line.