Stephens Gap is a 143-foot vertical cave pit near Woodville where a waterfall drops through a skylight into the cavern, famous among photographers for the shaft of light over the falls. A free permit from the Southeastern Cave Conservancy is required, and the walk-in entrance is reached by a roughly 2-mile round-trip hike.
It lies in Jackson, Alabama. The site is on public land managed by Southeastern Cave Conservancy (Stephens Gap Callahan Cave Preserve).
This is a moderate hike waterfall: a longer day hike, roughly one to several miles each way. Reaching it takes a moderate walk, so budget time and pack water before you set out. The walk to the main viewpoint runs about 2 miles round trip. The nearest town is Woodville.
When to go: Winter/spring high flow (Dec-Apr). Flow usually peaks after snowmelt and heavy rain and tapers through late summer — a quick look at recent streamflow and the managing agency's conditions page can save a wasted trip.
