Over our 4th of July trip, we decided to go to Cloudland Canyon State Park, which is located in the northwest corner of Georgia about 25 miles from Chattanooga, Tennessee. This Georgia state park covers 3,485 acres on the western edge of Lookout Mountain. Rugged landscaping and views of Sitton Gulch Creek, which splits the mountain.
There is a paved, wheelchair accessible for about a quarter of a mile that overlooks the edge of the canyon. There are 4 more hiking trails that are range from moderate to strenuous.
The Waterfalls Trail starts off paved and then moves into the canyon on a 40-degree slope, which is gravel and includes a 600-step metal staircases. At the end of the trail there’s a beautiful 60 foot waterfall that stems from Daniel Creek. Cherokee Falls trail is a .3 miles from the trailhead. Hemlock Falls trail is about a half mile.
This sign is no lie! The 600+ stairs on the way back up are brutal. Make sure you have water with when hiking, but especially if you come to Cloudland Canyon!
When you’re hiking along and you see something like the picture below, it is absolutely breath-taking and mind blowing.
Here’s some great resources:
https://www.gastateparks.org/content/Georgia/parks/trail_maps/CloudlandCanyon-2012.pdf
http://www.aboutnorthgeorgia.com/ang/Cloudland_Canyon_State_Park
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloudland_Canyon_State_Park
http://www.exploregeorgia.org/listing/890-cloudland-canyon-state-park
http://www.atlantatrails.com/cloudland-canyon/