The Tiny Mountain Town That's Alabama's Best-Kept Secret
5 Reasons to Visit® · Alabama
The Tiny Mountain Town That's Alabama's Best-Kept Secret
Waterfalls, canyon rim views, and a hippie-artist streak on top of a mountain — Mentone is the tiny, cool-climate town in Alabama's far northeast corner that upends everything you think you know about the state.
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Mentone, Alabama, is the town that makes people rethink the whole state. Perched atop Lookout Mountain in Alabama's far northeastern corner, near where the state meets Georgia and Tennessee, this tiny community of a few hundred people sits amid waterfalls, canyon overlooks, and cool mountain air that feels a world away from the humid Deep South below. Part outdoor-adventure basecamp, part quirky artist colony, Mentone is one of Alabama's most surprising and best-kept secrets — a mountain town most travelers never imagine exists here.
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The scenery is genuinely spectacular. Mentone sits at the edge of the Little River Canyon National Preserve, one of the deepest canyons east of the Mississippi, carved by the Little River — one of the only rivers in the country that runs almost entirely atop a mountain. Nearby, DeSoto Falls plunges more than a hundred feet, DeSoto State Park threads waterfalls and wildflower trails through the forest, and canyon-rim overlooks deliver views that rival anywhere in the Southern Appalachians.
The town itself has a delightfully offbeat soul. Tiny downtown Mentone is a cluster of art galleries, craft shops, antique stores, and cafés with a genuine bohemian, mountain-hippie streak — the landmark log-and-stone Mentone Springs area, the beloved Wildflower Café, and a community of artists and free spirits who've long been drawn to the mountain's quiet. It's the kind of place where a weekend of gallery-browsing and porch-sitting comes as naturally as a hike.
Waterfalls, canyon overlooks, and an artsy mountain town most people never expect in Alabama.
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It's long been a mountain retreat. Mentone has a century-old tradition as a summer-camp and getaway town, its cool elevation offering relief from the Deep South heat, and historic lodges, cabins, and chapels dot the mountain — including the tiny, much-photographed Sallie Howard Memorial Chapel, built right into a massive boulder. That heritage gives the town a settled, storied feel beneath its artsy surface.
The outdoors keep you busy year-round. Beyond the waterfalls and canyon, there's hiking, mountain biking, and rock climbing, kayaking and swimming in the Little River, and even skiing in winter at Cloudmont, one of the southernmost ski areas in the country. Fall brings brilliant foliage to the mountain, and the whole area sits along the scenic Lookout Mountain Parkway, one of the great drives in the South.
Mentone is honest about being tiny and remote — it's a small mountain town far from any city, with limited services and a deliberately slow pace. But that seclusion is exactly what makes it special, and what has kept it a secret. Waterfalls and a mountaintop canyon, an artsy little downtown, historic lodges, and genuine cool-mountain air have made Mentone one of the most unexpected and rewarding destinations in Alabama. For the visitor it offers a Southern Appalachian escape hiding in plain sight — the mountain town Alabama doesn't get enough credit for.
Mentone, Alabama: FAQ
Is Mentone, Alabama worth visiting?
Yes. Mentone is a tiny mountain town atop Lookout Mountain in northeast Alabama, offering waterfalls like DeSoto Falls, the Little River Canyon National Preserve, DeSoto State Park hiking, canyon overlooks, an artsy downtown of galleries and cafés, historic lodges and the boulder-built Sallie Howard Memorial Chapel, and even winter skiing at Cloudmont. It's a surprising, cool-climate escape in the Deep South.
What is Mentone, Alabama known for?
Mentone is known as a tiny artist-and-outdoors town on top of Lookout Mountain in northeast Alabama, famous for its waterfalls, the Little River Canyon, DeSoto State Park, its bohemian arts scene, historic summer camps and lodges, the Sallie Howard Memorial Chapel built into a boulder, and Cloudmont ski resort. It's considered one of Alabama's best-kept secrets.
What is there to do in Mentone, AL?
In Mentone you can visit DeSoto Falls and DeSoto State Park, explore the Little River Canyon National Preserve, hike, bike, climb, and kayak, browse the downtown art galleries and cafés, see the boulder-built Sallie Howard Memorial Chapel, drive the Lookout Mountain Parkway, and even ski in winter at nearby Cloudmont. Fall foliage is a major draw.
Where is Mentone, Alabama?
Mentone is in DeKalb County in the far northeastern corner of Alabama, atop Lookout Mountain near the Georgia and Tennessee borders. It's roughly an hour and a half from Chattanooga, Tennessee, and about two hours from both Birmingham and Atlanta.
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