Hytop, AL

Hytop sits on the Cumberland Plateau in western Jackson County, about five miles south of the Alabama-Tennessee line. The 2020 census counted 441 residents. Alabama 79 runs through town, connecting Hytop with Skyline to the south and Tennessee to the north. The town covers roughly 3.5 square miles at about 1,709 feet, and its name fits the setting: homes and roads occupy the plateau top above the valleys around it.

ATTRBrian Stansberry / CC BY 4.0

The Walls of Jericho lies about two miles north, making Hytop the starting point many visitors use for the canyon and trail system. The route drops toward Hurricane Creek and the Tennessee line, where limestone walls, pools, and waterfalls shape one of Jackson County's best-known outdoor areas. Hytop incorporated in 1991 after having a post office since 1894. The volunteer fire department also serves the town and the surrounding trail country, responding to fires, wrecks, and medical calls. Hytop is a plateau town whose municipal line sits beside a much larger backcountry landscape.