Cloudland Canyon State Park

Georgia has some amazing state parks and Cloudland Canyon in northwest Georgia is a perfect example. A large, rugged canyon, incredible waterfalls and very nice camping options makes a great combination for a travel destination.

Generally, it’s hard to find full hookup RV camping at state parks across the country, but in Georgia full hookup sites are plentiful in their state parks along with consistently friendly and accommodating staff. In addition to RV camping, they offer really cool yurts, cabins snuck back in the woods and primitive camping options in a beautiful, forested setting.

The experience you have at Cloudland Canyon might depend on the season you visit. We were there in late February and into March when the weather was perfect and the water flowing at the falls was plentiful. But at this time of year, the trees that line the canyon floor are bare. As beautiful as the canyon views are (and those views are plentiful) I kept thinking to myself how this might look when it was green and plush… or with autumn colors. However, the tradeoff there, is that the waterfalls may not be running as strong in the summer or autumn. And the lack of tree cover provides more open views of the waterfalls and river.

The easy, mostly paved Overlook Trail on the top of the ridge is the most accessible spot to view the canyon and arguably some of the best canyon views. This is the area that everyone can enjoy and experience the dramatic views, but there’s so much more.

In addition to the Overlook Trail, there are three other particularly great trail options in the park. If you are staying in the West Rim Campground, as we did, most of these trails can be accessed directly from the campground, otherwise there are main trailheads that you will have to use.

The Waterfalls Trail takes you to the amazing Cherokee and Hemlock falls. The trail can be accessed from the end of the Overlook Trail via the West Rim Loop Trail or by turning right from the campground spur trail. Either way it’s a short hike, but don’t let that fool you. The 600 steps down, and back up, is a real workout! These waterfalls are as pretty as some of the high elevation waterfalls, we’ve seen that took us considerably more effort to reach, so the 600 steps shouldn’t be a deterrent for the reward that you get. We caught the falls raging with water but also happened upon this at a unique time. There had just been a short but considerably cold few days which turned the sides of the canyon walls into a masterful icicle display from runoff water. The icicles, dripping water and regular cracking of ice breaking loose, added to the experience. It was a little sketchy in a few spots, but we made it through all the steps and falling ice.

The West Rim Loop Trail continues from the Waterfall Trail but can also be accessed by a trailhead on the other side to make this a little shorter of a hike. If you’re staying at the West Rim Campground, you will turn left from the campground spur trail to reach the rest of the West Rim Loop. This was a very enjoyable and not very difficult hike, with many spectacular viewpoints of the canyon along the way.

Finally, the last trail is Sitton’s Gulch Trail, which runs through the bottom of the canyon. You can reach this trail from the bottom of the Waterfall Trail, which requires managing “the stairs” once again, or cheat a bit and access the trailhead at the other end in the town of Trenton. We chose the latter, since we had already experienced the stairs and you know what they say about too much of a good thing! The sense you get of hiking into a canyon is something special and Sitton’s Gulch was no exception. For two plus miles into the canyon you traverse along the raging river with cascading water over huge boulders, while listening to the river soundtrack. This was an extremely enjoyable hike with a great spot to stop on the rocks at the end with two additional waterfalls below the walking bridge. The trail is a little steep in spots but levels out quickly and much easier on the way out.

Day Trip to Desoto Falls

About a 40 minute drive south of Cloudland Canyon in neighboring Alabama is Desoto State Park and the namesake falls. A 40 minute drive to visit another state park and waterfall? Why not! The trailhead for Desoto Falls is actually several miles from the parks main entrance and about a mile before the Desoto Falls Picnic Area and viewpoint. The main park area, although surprisingly difficult to locate, has a lot to offer and many other hiking options with additional waterfalls, but we were there to see the main show.

There’s a mix of three trails to see the falls from the upper and lower viewpoints along with a very cool cave along the way. Altogether it’s just over 2 miles of hiking on really fun trails. There’s some elevation up and down and a bit of rock scrambling to do along the way. The trail to the lower viewpoint is especially magnificent with the tall canyon walls and large water pool below the falls. The upper falls viewpoint provides a stunning vantage point from across the canyon, but watch your step, there are no railings at the end of the trail.

When you’re done with the hike be sure to drive down to the picnic area for another view of the falls and the mosaic art project on the steps leading to the viewpoint. You’ll also notice a swimming area and boat launch adjacent to the spillway! I can’t imagine taking kids there to swim or launching a boat, but I guess I’ll leave that for the locals to decide.

Cloudland Canyon State Park and the surrounding area made for a very pleasant stop for us. It’s always relaxing camping in the woods, especially when the weather is nice. This area is also about 35 minutes from another significant attraction, but you’ll have to wait for our next blog to learn about that.

Stay tuned, check out our pictures and see you down the road a piece.