Jackie Steffan Some good friends of ours always plan their road trips around good hiking. They always have stories of stopping midway to their destination and stretching their legs for a few miles. After hearing their stories for a few years, we were inspired to stop at Cloudland Canyon State Park on the way home from a trip to Atlanta. We learned about Cloudland Canyon on another hiking trip at Great Smoky Mountain National Park. You always meet the best people deep on the trails in national parks. An older couple from Georgia mentioned the park and another woman from Florida said she had just been there the day before. We filed the name away and finally got to go in 2022.
Cloudland Canyon State Park is located in Northwest Georgia, just south of Chattanooga, TN. The park has miles of hiking, camping, mountain biking, fishing, and disk golf. The icon of the park is the stunning thousand foot canyon. The park has a trail ranked by Backpackers Magazine as one of the top 10 trails in the United States, the West Rim Loop Trail. This was the main trail we used.
The park has a $5 entrance fee. They only take cash, so make sure you have that. We are generally card only people and got lucky we had cash on hand! Once you get into the park, make sure to stay right on the roads to get to the main parking area. Directions on your phone will have you turn left onto Cloudland Canyon Park Rd. Do not follow those directions. The parking area at the Interpretive Center will take you to the Main Overlook as well as trailheads of most of the hikes in the park.
A map of the park is located here.
West Rim Loop Trail
The West Rim Loop Trail is a five mile moderate trail with countless views of the canyon. There are yellow blazes marking the trail. The hike starts on the Main Overlook trail. If you are looking at the canyon, go to the left and behind the cottages. The trail starts paved and turns quickly to dirt. Continue down the trail, you will eventually reach a split with the Waterfalls Trail. Keep left on the main trail. The trail goes down in elevation and over Daniel Creek before rising on the other side of the canyon. You’ll pass by the Yurt Village and West Rim Campground before reaching the loop. I recommend going right at the split. You will get all the views on the first half of the loop before your energy starts to dwindle. Make sure to take all the side trails to get unique views of the canyon throughout!
Waterfalls Trail
From the West Rim Loop Trail, you can also take the Waterfalls trail. This is a 1.8 mile roundtrip trail featuring over 600 metal steps. Make sure to note the flow of the waterfalls varies greatly throughout the year. We unfortunately went in October, the month with the lowest rainfall and the waterfall had a very low flow. We opted to only go to Cherokee Falls. If you have you heart set on seeing the waterfalls, winter and early spring have the greatest rainfall. My pro tip on waterfalls is to go after a big rainstorm for the best views.
Overlook Trail
If you are short on time or looking for an easier hike, try the overlook trail. This is the paved trail near the parking area that takes you from the main overlook to a second overlook to the right. The trail is one mile roundtrip, flat, and easy. There are benches along the path to take in the magnificent views of the canyon. Light blue blazes mark this trail.
The grassy area around the main parking lot is also a great area to relax and have lunch or a snack, there are plenty of benches, picnic tables, and trees to provide shade from the hot Georgia sun.
