Cloudland Canyon State Park
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Intro:
Cloudland Canyon State Park is located in the mountains of Northwest Georgia in Dade County. It is home to one of the most scenic canyons in the state. With views from over 900ft atop Cloudland Canyon, and two scenic waterfalls, this is a hike you definitely want to go on.
Trail Head:
Trail heads are located on park property
To access the trail head: You can get a trail map at the guard shack when you enter the park that will have the location of each trail head.
Difficulty:
The waterfall trails are steep. They have metal stairways on the way down the falls. The hike back up is a bit physically demanding but worth it. The other trails I would rate about a medium on difficulty.
Hiking the Trail:
For my hike I chose to hike down to Sitton Gulch Creek and then the West Rim trail. I began my hike at the main overlook area. From there you can take the waterfall trail down to each waterfall via stairways. It is a steep climb back up to the top of the canyon. There are signs directing you to the base of each waterfall. You will definitely want to make the effort to visit these falls. Once at the bottom you are at the scenic Sitton Gulch Creek. I only walked a short distance along the creek due to the fact I wanted to have time to hike the West Rim trail. After making the hike back to the top you can then follow the signs to the West Rim trail. The West Rim trail is about a 5 mile loop with several scenic overlooks at different points along the canyon. This loop is pretty flat and easy. There are other trails at the park as well, but a good scenic 6 or 7 mile day hike would be down to Sitton Gulch Creek and the West Rim loop.
Scenery:
At Cloudland Canyon State Park you will see scenic waterfalls, forest, and excellent views looking into Cloudland Canyon.
Trail Maintenance:
The trails are well maintained
Facilities:
Cloudland Canyon State Park offers RV camping, primitive camping, and cabins.