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Overview
Cloudland Canyon is located on Lookout Mountain in the Northwest corner of Georgia near Rising Fawn. It's a beautiful park with incredible scenery, two wonderful campgrounds, great hiking, awesome mountain biking, disc golf, playgrounds, and much more.

The terrain is rugged at Cloudland Canyon, but it's still a nice park to visit for just the day with parking just feet from some breathtaking views of the valley below and beyond. If you want a little exercise, there are a couple of fairly easy hikes around the rim of the canyon. For a more vigorous hike, follow the steps down to water fall #1. For an even more exhausting journey, visit falls #2. The walk down isn't bad, but the stair climb out is tough on those of us in not so great shape. For the really adventurous, there is a trail that connects Cloudland Canyon with nearby Lula Lake Land Trust.

Nights spent at Cloudland are silent with the exception of the waterfalls falls you may hear in the distance and an occasional train from far away. If you want to spend the night at Cloudland, there are a variety of choices. From cabins to primitive back country camping, Cloudland can accommodate. Their RV campground provides electric and water only, but the sites are relatively level and very large like most of the state parks in Georgia.

In summary, Cloudland Canyon is one of the most scenic state parks in Georgia. Camping and day-trips here are great. It's convenient to Chattanooga, Tennessee too, one of our favorite destinations.

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Adventure Journal
Entry Date: January 2011
The Tribe last visited Cloudland Canyon State Park in March of 2007. That was the family's maiden camping trip in Homer, our first little 24' camper. It was the trip where I first experienced the sensation of "total relaxation". A feeling I get most every time I camp. 

Rebecca and I wanted to revisit the park now that the kids are a little older, hoping the climb out of the canyon might be a little less stressful this time (the twins were just 2 on our first visit). On this trip, some very good friends packed-up their RV and kids and joined us. That always makes for more fun on a camping trip.

On our previous visit to Cloudland Canyon, we stayed in the very wooded and private campground on the Western rim. On this visit, we stayed on the opposite side. Both are nice, but the West-rim campground was closed on this particular visit (not sure if because of snow, cold, or seasonal). It really doesn't matter. With just a handful of campers in the campground, it was like having our own personal resort.

It was pretty cold on this trip, so we kept a rather large fire roaring at the campsite. We have learned how to dress warm, so camping in this weather doesn't bother us terribly much. We basked in the warmth of the campfire till pretty late the first night, but decided to enjoy a pre-bedtime movie in Homer II, our current RV.

Because of the cold, I like to run a small electric space heater in the forward portion of the camper. It saves LP gas, helps defeat the cold draft from the cab, and keeps the cab-over bunk nice and toasty. Homer II, a Winnebago Access, is also equipped with holding tank heaters, very helpful for dumping in frigid weather.

Saturday morning welcomed us with a chilly 20 degrees and a frozen water source. I have conquered the frozen-hose problem with heated tape (cable), but this time it was the spigot. A minute or two with a blow-dryer solved the problem.  After the kids indulged in a couple of lazy hours of warm camper, everyone emerged with layers of clothing: long-johns, jeans, sweats, gloves, trapper hats, and walking sticks. We were prepared!

The air was cool, but we were blessed with warm sunshine. We first wanted to show the kids the canyon from above. It had been a long time since our last visit, so the twins didn't remember it very well. We walked a short distance North from the campground to the "Point", an overlook that provides an awe-inspiring view of Sitton's Gulch, Daniel's Creek, and many miles Northward to Tennessee. Note: Parents and owners of small pets BEWARE! There are a couple of places at this overlook where it would be very easy to fall. Keep an eye (or hand) on young ones and pets at all times.

Next, we hiked down the massive steel and wooden staircases leading into the Southeastern end of the canyon. The descent was easy and safe, even with fresh snow on the surface of the boards. The steel steps are slip-free, and the boardwalks were easily navigable. The icicles clinging to the cliffs resembled glass organ pipes on cold gray walls of stone. Very surreal. I took dozens of pictures on the "trip" down (pardon the pun). The sights were something Rebecca and I will remember forever, and I think the kids will too.

The scene at the first set of waterfalls was magical. The mist from the crashing water had crystallized on everything surrounding the pool at the base. The images to the right don't begin to capture the sunlight and the colors of the canyon. The rocks, the trees, the logs, everything had a sheet of ice. The kids would have been happy to stay there playing and exploring all day. But it was cold in the shadows of the canyon, and we had more to see. From here, we doubled back to the point to go right to exit, or to go left to seet the second set of falls. Decision time...

After peering down the seemingly endless sets of stairways descending to the second waterfall, some of the Tribe decided to take a rest before heading out of the canyon. Others, myself included, decided to bite the bullet and trek the additional distance to see the sites at the bottom. I have mixed emotions about the choice I made. It was just 3/10 of a mile, but it was mostly steps. Whew! Climbing out was going to be a job. I photographed the second waterfall as well as the footbridge crossing Daniel's creek before heading out of the canyon.

The climb out was exhausting for this "nearly fifty"  guy, but I caught-up with most of the younger members of the group before reaching the canyon's rim. We were all eager for a comfortable chair, a warm fire, and a hardy supper. I broke out the 12' Dutch Oven and prepared some delicious Au Gratin Ham (frozen from Thanksgiving) and Potatoes based on a recipe I found online.

We were tired and "comfortably sore" when we tucked ourselves into our cozy little camper that night. memories like this don't come without a price. We could have stayed at home and watched TV, but we probably would never remember that.

After packing-up the camper and Jeep Sunday morning, we headed for Chattanooga for a little shopping and Lunch/Supper at Logan's Roadhouse.

Future Review?
En route to Chattanooga, we stopped by Lookout Mountain KOA (Chattanooga West) to check-out the facilities. I'll reserve judgment for later. Firstly, it's not on Lookout Mountain. Secondly: While I see some potential in the location, there seems to be a lot of work in store for the owners. The inner roads are worn out, and it seems most of the park is very tired, tacky, and in need of a major facelift (they're working on it!). We will not formally review this campground because they're not ready for a review. Would I stay there if I had to? Yes. Would this be a destination? no, not yet. Unfortunately, RV camping near Chattanooga remains very limited.  

Watch for special events!
Features	Rating (1-10)	Description
Official Website	9	Georgia's State Parks website is very well done. Could use more pictures of campsites and amenities. Making reservations is a breeze!
Featured Events - More	8	Wild Cave Tours: Georgia Girl Guides offers a variety wild cave tours for individuals, families, and for groups, starting at ages 6 and up. If you do not see a tour that fits your days, please contact them. They need a minimum of 4 participants to book a tour. $30-$60 plus $5 parking. 706-913-7170. See other Cloudland Events
Campground - Reserve	8	72 Tent, Trailer, RV Campsites* ($25-$28), some on the East and some on the West side of canyon. Water and electricity only. 30 Walk-in Campsites ($15), 11 Backcountry Campsites ($6/person)
Cottages/Cabins - Reserve	*	16 Cottages
Other Facilities	*	4 Pioneer Camps, 1 Group Shelter - Reserve, 5 Picnic Shelters, 1 Group Lodge (sleeps 40), s - Reserve
Playground	8	The kids loved the playground on
Hiking/Mountain Biking	10	More than you can imagine. From here, you can hike all the way to the Lula Lake Land Trust, Hiking - 4.8-mile West Rim Loop, 2-mile Waterfalls Trail, 2-mile Backcountry Loop, 6.5-mile Sitton's Gulch Trail and 5.6-mile Long Branch Trail
Disc Golf	*	Seems like a nice course.
Tennis	*	Haven't played there.
Geocaching	*	Geocaching is available, but we didn't have a chance.
Rockhounding	8	There are a lot of rockhounding opportunities in the area. This is very near the old Durham mine, a terrific place for fossil hunting.
Local Attractions	9	Chattanooga, Lookout Mountain, Rock City, Ruby Falls, Tennessee River, Tennessee Aquarium, Lula Lake Land Trust, Chester Frost Park (camping), Chattanooga Choo Choo, and more..
*Note: We rate only the amenities we have personally reviewed. **Accommodation pricing is based on 2011 http://gastateparks.org website pricing. No financial consideration or favor has been received for listing in PB&J Adventures' website. We are in no way affiliated with this facility or any other facility we review. Any paid advertising seen on this site was arranged after the destination was reviewed. You can trust the reviews to be unbiased.

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January 2011

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March 2007