DeSoto State Park, Alabama The Quick Click pages will scroll automatically or you can click any tab to keep that page open. Numbers on the tabs refer to our Ratings, which are explained on the Tips page. Summary While not a standout in any single activity, DeSoto State Park and the surrounding area offer nearly limitless opportunities for fun in a variety of pursuits. The whole of the experience truly is greater than the sum of its parts. Location 7104 DeSoto Parkway NE, Fort Payne, AL 35968; extreme northeastern Alabama. Google Map Phone 1-800-ALAPARK (252-7275) is the general number for Alabama State Parks. 800-805-4740 will get you to the DeKalb County Tourism office. Timing Most things are open in summer and fall. Outdoor recreation is good all year although summers can be hot and humid and winter can bring cold snaps and even snow. River levels are highest in winter and spring. The World’s Longest Yardsale, aka the 127 Corridor Sale, runs through here and is held on the first Thursday-through-Sunday of August. It draws some 30,000 shoppers each year. A few thousand visitors attend each of these events: Mentone Rhododendron Festival held the third weekend in May, the Mentone Colorfest celebrating fall foliage the third weekend in October, Ider Mule Days on Labor Day, and Boom Days Heritage Celebration on the third weekend in September. Where to Stay There are B&Bs on the mountain and hotels near I-59, but the rooms at DeSoto’s Lodge are clean and comfortable. The park also offers mountain chalets, rustic cabins, and modern log cabins. The campground reopened in 2009 after a yearlong, $3 million renovation. Most of the 94 sites are large, level, and shaded. Booking a week or two in advance is a good idea in summer and fall. Where to Eat If you’re staying at DeSoto, the Lodge is about your only choice. Food quality is good and service is good to excellent. Fort Payne has the usual agglomeration of regional and national chain restaurants. We’ve been to DeSoto State Park when we’ve been in Alabama for business. At first we were unimpressed, but as we took more time and explored more deeply we came to realize that this area offers more variety of outdoor recreation than we ever imagined. There’s everything from downhill skiing at Cloudmont Ski & Golf Resort to beginner’s classes in rappelling and rock climbing at True Adventure Sports. The Little River runs along the backbone of Lookout Mountain. The entire river is free-flowing (uncontrolled by dams, etc.) and conditions change rapidly with even a little rainfall. Little River’s four sections offer everything from open-boat drifting to Class III and IV whitewater. The quality of all these activities varies from average to above average. The photo at left shows a boardwalk over a rocky stretch of the mountain bike trail. The entire trail makes good use of natural features and the designers have packed a lot of entertainment into a short distance. To find so much good stuff in one concentrated area is surprising. Not a lot of people associate northeast Alabama with great outdoor recreation and rarely will you find a crowd or a line here. We tend to not be adventuresome on our visits and use the park to decompress from the rigors of business. Mostly we mountain bike and hike while we’re at DeSoto. Whatever we do, we have fun and think you will, too. Let us know. Send us an e-mail (e-mail addresses are on the Contact page) or post your comments on our Facebook page. 1. Rooms at DeSoto Lodge are clean and comfortable. 2. The courtyard at the Lodge has a stream running through the middle. 3. The MTB trail has such features as boardwalks, rock gardens, and stream crossings (shown). 4. This is where the Civilian Conservation Corps quarried stone to build their camp here. 5. The CCC group lodge and hall is incorporated into the present dining room. 6.  The entrance to the CCC lodge was enclosed when the present lobby was built in the 1970s.