 | This article is written like a travel guide. (December 2019) |
| Locust Fork of the Black Warrior River | |
|---|---|
 The sandstone shelf riverscour has rare plant species | |
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| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Alabama |
| County | Blount |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Length | 158 mi (254 km) |
| Basin size | 1,209 sq mi (3,130 km2) |
The Locust Fork River, in the U.S. State of Alabama, is one of three major tributaries of the Black Warrior River, stretching across Blount, and some portions of Etowah, Jefferson, and Marshall counties. Its 158-mile-long (254 km) course drains a watershed of 1,209 square miles (3,130 km2) and comprises challenging whitewater rapids popular with canoers and kayakers, as well as smooth water sections for tubing, and spots for sport fishing. Anglers hail some of those spots as among the best sport fishing in AL.
The Locust Fork River ranks in the top 2% of the nation's free flowing rivers with “outstandingly remarkable values” in all seven categories of the Nationwide Rivers Inventory of the National Park Service.[1]
The Locust Fork is home to the nationally sanctioned annual Locust Fork Canoe and Kayak Races.[2]
In the late 1980s, the Birmingham Water Works proposed damming the river as a source of drinking water. When those plans became public, the grass-roots Friends of the Locust Fork River formed to investigate. The group held public meetings and suggested better sources of water for the metropolis. Plans for the dam were finally suspended.