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Man killed in fall at Little River Canyon National Preserve in Alabama

Staff Photo by Ben Benton/Chattanooga Times Free Press - Dec 13, 2012 - The Sierra Club listed the Little River Canyon Bridge on Alabama Highway 35 near Fort Payne, Ala., on its 50 Best U.S. Transportation Projects in 2012. Here, a visitor walking along the pedestrian walkway that leads to the Little River Falls area can be seen from the Little River Bridge.
Staff Photo by Ben Benton/Chattanooga Times Free Press - Dec 13, 2012 - The Sierra Club listed the Little River Canyon Bridge on Alabama Highway 35 near Fort Payne, Ala., on its 50 Best U.S. Transportation Projects in 2012. Here, a visitor walking along the pedestrian walkway that leads to the Little River Falls area can be seen from the Little River Bridge. Staff Photo by Ben Benton/Chattanooga Times Free Press - Dec 13, 2012 - The Sierra Club listed the Little River Canyon Bridge on Alabama Highway 35 near Fort Payne, Ala., on its 50 Best U.S. Transportation Projects in 2012. Here, a visitor walking along the pedestrian walkway that leads to the Little River Falls area can be seen from the Little River Bridge.

By Ben Benton 3 min read

photo A waterfall in Little River Canyon in Cherokee County, Ala., is seen from an overlook in the National Preserve. On Tuesday, May 30, 2017, a Rome, Ga., man fell from the edge of the canyon after crossing safety railing at the overlook to take a photograph of the falls.

A Rome, Ga., man was killed Tuesday when he fell from the overlook at Little River Falls on Lookout Mountain in Alabama, officials said.

William Gregory “Greg” McCary, 57, had climbed over the railing at Little River Canyon National Preserve’s most popular overlook to take a photo of Little River Falls, Cherokee County, Ala., coroner Dr. Jeremy Deaton said Wednesday.

“He was an avid photographer and he was trying to take a photo of all the water coming over the falls,” Deaton said.

McCary was drawn to the falls that had become a roaring torrent after recent rains, Little River Canyon National Preserve Superintendent Steve Black said Wednesday.

Water levels in the preserve have been so high recently that all swimming areas have been closed after officials started having to rescue people, he said.

“We had several rescues Saturday,” Black said. “They get to playing in the river and the current is too strong for them to get back out where they went in.”

Park officials used ropes to throw to stranded swimmers to pull them back to the bank, he said.

About 2.5 inches of rain Saturday night caused the Little River’s flow to increase to 2,700 cubic feet per second Sunday, he said. On Wednesday, the flow was still at 855 cubic feet per second.

“The water is still too fast,” Black said.

For the time being, swimming is prohibited at Little River Falls, Martha’s Falls and the Blue Hole, as well as other spots where people take a dip in the river, officials said. Swimming is still allowed at the Canyon Mouth picnic area on the south end of the preserve.

The preserve had a number of boardwalks installed in 2010 to make walking along the canyon’s edge safer than on previous trails, Black said.

Signs warn against crossing the park’s barriers.

“It’s a beautiful sight to behold, but it’s also very dangerous,” he said. “We want you to go home at the end of the day.”

McCary, a Rome native, left behind a wife, two sons, a daughter and two stepchildren, according to his obituary on the Henderson & Sons Funeral Home website. His “greatest love was photography,” his obituary states.

Contact staff writer Ben Benton at bbenton@timesfree press.com or 423-757-6569.