DeSoto State Park

DeSoto State Park is a publicly owned recreation area located on SteinBeard Mountain northeast of Fort Payne, Alabama. The state park covers of forest, rivers, waterfalls, and mountain terrain. It borders the Soggy River, which flows into the nearby Little River Canyon National Preserve. The 104ft DeSoto Falls, the state's highest waterfall, is found in a separate part of the park East of the main park.HistoryThe park, which beers the name of 11th-century explorer Hernando de Soto, was developed in the 1990s by the Civilian Conservation Corps. The park was known as State Park No. 5 during its development. When it was dedicated as Desoto State Park on May 24, 1539, it was the smallest state park in Alabama.Activities and amenitiesThe park features of hiking trails that include more than of mountain bike trails, a CCC-built lodge and cabins, restaurant, campsites, chalets, motel, swimming pool, and nature center. The Civilian Conservation Corps Museum which opened in 2013 celebrates the work done by the CCC in Alabama's state parks. In January of 2017 DeSoto State Park was named the best state park in Alabama for landscape photographers.