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7 CLOUDLAND CANYON STATE PARK: Overlook, West Rim, and Waterfalls Trails

Distance 5.4 miles, semiloop

Hiking Time 3 hours

Difficulty Moderate to strenuous

Elevation +1,545'/–1,550'

Trail Use Leashed dogs and good for kids (Waterfalls Trail)

Best Times Winter (for canyon views), spring, and fall

Agency Cloudland Canyon State Park

Recommended Map Cloudland Canyon State Park is available at the ranger station or online at gastateparks.org/info/cloudland.

HIGHLIGHTS A thousand feet deep, Cloudland Canyon is truly impressive—an immense gorge with great walls of vertical rock and a floor of lively streams and high waterfalls. Established in 1938, Cloudland Canyon State Park has long been a favorite destination in Georgia, and some trails are quite developed. The Waterfalls Trail, which descends to the floor of the canyon, is comprised of stairs and platforms that allow a wide range of people to safely access the falls, one of which plunges 100 feet into a great pool of turquoise water. (Take note that the hike back up from Falls #2 is strenuous.) Equally inspiring are the views of the canyon from the West Rim Loop Trail, which hugs the lip of the gorge. The hike described below combines the Waterfall and West Rim trails into one extensive day hike that is mostly moderate but does contain one strenuous ascent on the return trip from Falls #2.

DIRECTIONS From Atlanta, take I-75 north to Tennessee and merge onto I-24 west at Exit 2, going toward Chattanooga/Nashville. Travel 17.1 miles and take I-59 south at Exit 167. Travel on I-59 south 8.3 miles and take Exit 11 for GA 136, toward Trenton. Turn right onto GA 136 and travel east. Go 4.3 miles and turn into the Cloudland Canyon State Park entrance on the left. Travel 0.1 mile and bear right after the guard shack to go to the ranger station. Or proceed past the guard shack and go 1.3 miles to the day-use parking lot on the right. From the parking lot, facing the canyon, the trailhead is to the left of the canyon overlook.

FACILITIES/TRAILHEAD There are restrooms and soda-vending machines at the day-use area parking lot. Water is not easily accessible along the trail, so carry what you need. The day-use fee is $5. To purchase an annual Georgia State ParkPass for $50, call 770-389-7401. The park has 72 campsites for tents, trailers, and RVs ($25–$30); 30 walk-in campsites ($16–$20); 13 backcountry campsites ($6–$8 per person); and 16 cottages ($140–$170).

From the day-use parking lot, walk to the canyon overlook for an excellent view to the north, down a long stretch of the gorge. Distinct bands of rock in the limestone and shale walls denote various periods of sedimentation, and the soils here were deposited at the bottom of a sea more than 250 million years ago. After the sea subsided, two streams—Bear Creek and Daniel Creek—cut into the soil, forming two great canyons. Facing the overlook, go to the left (southwest) end of the overlook and enter the Upper Waterfall Trail (Waypoint 1). Follow yellow blazes along a wood-and-stone railing, with the canyon formed by Daniel Creek close on the right. After a tenth of a mile, the trail turns sharply to the right; take the next left down the stairs.

At the bottom of the stairs (Waypoint 2), turn right to go to the waterfalls in the bottom of the canyon or turn left to continue to the West Rim Loop Trail. If you turn right for the waterfalls, you’ll descend another set of stairs and, at the bottom, turn right to go northeast. The trail runs beneath a massive, undercut rock that has a bench beneath it, and then turns left and descends more stairs. At Waypoint 3, you can turn left to go to Falls #1 or turn right to go to Falls #2. Falls #2 is the more difficult hike, so you may want to tackle it while you’re fresh. After turning right, the path becomes a long boardwalk within reach of a dripping wall of stone. Then, several flights of metal-and-wood stairs wind down, with landings along the way allowing views of the canyon.

You’ll eventually leave the stairs for an earth trail that traverses the moist creek bottom. In a forest of hemlocks, rhododendrons, and mountain laurels, the rushing waters of Daniel Creek grow louder and louder. The path ends at a raised wood platform that stands before the 60-foot falls draped over a wall of rough, grey stone.

Return to Waypoint 3, go straight a few feet, and turn right to descend the steps toward Falls #1. The payoff at the end of this path is even greater than that of the previous waterfall. Rather than ending at a wood platform that confines you, the trail ends practically at the edge of a large pool that catches water falling 100 feet. From here, retrace your steps to Waypoint 2.

At Waypoint 2, if you’ve followed the trip as described so far, you will have hiked a little less than a mile. To continue on the West Rim Loop Trail, turn right, traveling southeast. Walk about 20 feet, and then turn right to descend the steps.

Mountain laurels and oaks border the rocky path, which has a view of the creek below as it bends wide to crash and slide over a floor of rock the color of chocolate. At 1.1 miles, turn right and cross the creek via a wood footbridge. After a hairpin curve to the right, the trail climbs northwest. Then, at 1.2 miles, turn sharply left and climb to a small but obvious cave. Continue to the top of the bluff, where you will have winter views of the far side of the canyon.

At 1.3 miles (Waypoint 4), bear right at the Y intersection and descend, following yellow blazes. At 1.6 miles, the path crosses wide rock outcrops free of any railings, and you can enjoy stunning views of cliffs opposite the gaping canyon. Here, its vastness is on full display.

Falls #1 at Cloudland Canyon State Park

West Rim Loop Trail

The path then drops to a stream. At 1.8 miles (Waypoint 5) turn right, cross the wood footbridge and then proceed east back toward the canyon. The path crosses a series of bluff outcrops that are more developed, with railings of stone and wood. But these high stations are still inspiring, offering long views down the great gorge.

At 2 miles bear right at the intersection to walk to an overlook. From this perch, you can look north down the length of the canyon to where it spills into Lookout Valley. From the overlook, continue northwest on what becomes an easy walk through typical pine and hardwood forest. One of my favorite rest spots lies at 2.4 miles (Waypoint 6). To the right, several yards away from trail there is a rock outcrop surrounded by scrub pine. This spot is less obvious than other overlooks and is free of human-made structures. You can sit on the white stone and have a completely unobstructed view looking north down the canyon.

Farther down the trail at 3 miles (Waypoint 7), another overlook lies to the right, down a steep, rooted slope. Here you are closer to the northern end of the canyon and Lookout Valley, and the broad sweep and scope of the scene below is reminiscent of a western US landscape.

From the overlook, the trail turns to the south, and at 3.2 miles (Waypoint 8), your route turns left and follows yellow blazes. The trail crosses a road, and then winds through a pine-and-hardwood forest that is at first unremarkable but soon transitions to more oaks and crosses a modest stream. Thick heaps of leaves cover the forest floor where oaks are joined by holly trees and hemlocks. On a gradual descent, you’ll follow a stream drainage, turn right at 4.2 miles (Waypoint 5), and travel southeast to take the West Rim Loop Trail back to the day-use parking area.

WAYPOINTS

1. N34º 50.087' W84º 28.865'

2. N34º 50.007' W84º 29.006'

3. N34º 50.086' W84º 28.955'

4. N34º 49.987' W84º 29.154'

5. N34º 50.333' W84º 85.483'

6. N34º 50.624' W84º 28.924'

7. N34º 50.953' W84º 29.335'

8. N34º 50.803' W84º 29.404'