RiverUnited States · US
Cahaba River
The Cahaba River is one of Alabama's most treasured wild places—a 194-mile free-flowing river that slips from its headwaters near Leeds all the way down to the Alabama River southwest of Selma, passing through some of the state's busiest suburbs without ever being dammed along much of its length. The result is a rare, unspoiled river of rocky shoals, deep pools and sandy bends that holds an astonishing abundance of life and offers paddling, fishing, hiking and swimming just minutes from Birmingham. What makes the Cahaba genuinely special is its water and its wildlife. The rock shoals that break the river into a rhythm of pools and riffles create habitat for rare species, and the river is home to more than 135 fish species—more than any other temperate river of its size. Each late spring, those shoals erupt in the white blooms of the Cahaba lily, a plant found in only a handful of rivers in the Southeast and the defining symbol of the river.