Dismals Canyon

The park is wonderful the staff for the park, not so much!
We reserved our cabin three months earlier than our arrival date and called multiple times just to double check everything was still in order. They replied yes so we hopped in the car for our 5 hour drive and let them know we wouldn’t be there until an hour and a half after check in time. When we arrived it was pouring down rain, the man at the registration desk said we were not able to check in because the skylight in the bathroom was leaking, after a 5 hour drive with a one year old and a pregnant woman this is absolutely not what you want to hear. We stood on the porch of the cabin for another 20 mins while the staff tried to fix the skylight, THAT THEY TOLD US THEY HAD KNOWN WAS BROKEN SINCE TUESDAY! Apparently the maintenance man had just forgot to fix it, it was now 5:30 pm on Friday.
One of the maintenance members told us she had used a lot of our paper towels and that if she forgot to bring us some we could grab some at the registration office. She apparently forgot to stock the toilet paper as well because we had half a roll on the holder and one full roll on the back of the toilet. That evening we called to get some more paper towels and they said we were only allotted two full rolls per cabin, we let them know that she had used the majority to clean up the mess the leak had made, she said she’d have to talk to the woman we spoke with in the morning. The next morning we went to the registration desk and asked for paper towels and toilet paper once again, she then argued with us that we had been provided the correct amount and that they had just sent someone to give us another roll of paper towels. We actually ended up having to drive into town for toilet paper and paper towels! You would think a place you were paying $ 300+ a night for would be less stingy about paper towels and toilet paper allotment!
The hike was beautiful and very interesting, the rock formations, and flora and fauna of the area were quite spectacular and it seemed like there were interesting surprises around each turn of the path we took. The nighttime glow worm tour was also amazing and highly recommended!
Overall we enjoyed our time at Dismal Canyon immensely, however none of that was due to the staff. If you can do a day trip and minimally interact with the rude and incompetent staff, I would highly recommend it, or find another place to stay where you don’t have to be brow beat about something as petty as the amount of toilet paper that was left for you.

Small trails, waterfalls and canyons for the journey about covers it. You can camp out, hang out, swim, rent a cabin, or just have fun. It is very family oriented.
–Jake

We just got back from a great weekend camping here. The park is not large but the fascinating canyon is green, cool, and it has a great history. It is amazing in that there is no hint that the canyon is there and how spectacular it is once you get into it. There are shear stone walls covered in moss and giant boulders that have split off. There is a trail through the canyon with a detailed map of the various formations and its history. The trail is not long but it is rocky, root covered, slick in areas and sometimes requires a little squeezing. There are bolders to climb on and through. It was a bit of a workout. There is a night hike to see the Dismalites which are tiny, glowing larve found only in this canyon. There is a swimming area at the top of the canyon which looked like it would be a lot of fun in the summer.
The entrance to the canyon is through the General Store which is a charming cottage with flower filled decks, rocking chairs and a porch swing. Inside there are oriental rug covered wood floors, log rafters hung with animal skins and a chandelier. Souvenirs, candy, knives, soda, and camper supplies are sold in the front. In the rear is a café. Not sure what they serve, but was told they have awesome milkshakes.
This is a private park so it has a great deal of charm but it is not handicap accessible. Everyone at the park was nice and very helpful. The restrooms were very clean and the showers were hot. The have a «bunkhouse» accommodation and two cabins. I’m hoping my next visit will be a stay in one of the romantic, cozy cabins. Even though the weekend was «booked» and there were two boy scout troops there, it was never loud or crowded (except for the men’s restroom at times).
I made the campsite reservation the weekend before but I think you would have to book much further in advance for the summer. The campsites are primitive but beautiful and well spaced from one another. We had Dead Water Bluff and it had a picnic table, trash can and fire ring. While we could hear a little of the campers from the Sleeping Waters site, we only saw them when we passed them on the trail. There is a hike from the car park to the site which is downhill, across a stream and a little uphill — make sure your stuff is very portable. My only complaint was there was not really a level spot to pitch a large tent and we pitched two tents, a 4-​person and a 6-​person so sleeping was a challenge.
In short, it is a place unlike any other and we had a fabulous weekend there.

I don’t even know where to start. A couple friends and I decided to go camping here. We tried to call for reservations multiple times during the week, in which the old man on the phone told us to call back at later dates. Finally, that Friday morning he told us to just come on up and he’d have a place for us.
Fast forward 3 hours in the car, we’re on our way there and decide to call to double check. The same man tells us we won’t arrive in time (10pm), and we’ll have to come back tomorrow. He said specifically if we came the next morning, he would have a site for us.
Meanwhile, we find a different place to camp up in NorthWest Alabama. We get up the next morning and go to Dismals Canyon, just like the man told us, to get our camp site. I walk in and ask him politely and immediately he responds with rudeness and tells me they have no camp sites available. I told him I spoke with him last night and he said he would. After quite a discussion, it turns out he’d given two spots to two other groups and because they called first, they got the spots. He said they had a «First Come First Serve» policy — but we were there first! And when we tried to call ahead of time he strictly told us he would not accept reservations and we had to come in to get a space. So we’re there first because he wouldn’t let us reserve over the phone, and we lose a space to two families who call over the phone! Ridiculous!
We ended up leaving without even walking into the park — the complete rudeness and unhelpful attitude (I can’t stress enough how incredibly condescending this man was… and he acted like he didn’t have time for us) of the staff was enough to turn us away for good. AND, the place looked like a faux fancy-​schmancy place looking for tourist camper dollars, anyway… ugh.