Cloudland Canyon

As we left Chickamauga from our weekend get-away, we took the long way home.  We drove south along the flank of the Lookout Mountain, then west to the interstate highway.  Along that route is a Georgia state park with a name that intrigued me… Cloudland Canyon. 

 

 

A stop at the front gate had a photo similar to this one I made… and we decided it would be WELL worth the $5 entrance fee to visit.

 

My cobbled together photo does no justice to the canyon.  It’s over 1000 feet deep and way longer than it appears (I couldn’t find anything that tells how long the west canyon actually is). 

 

 

 

There are several waterfalls in the park; this cascade is the largest of them.

 

 

The two above photos were taken at the main overlook of the park; I imagine it looks very much like this one – which is on the opposite side.

 

 

I was disappointed with the trail down to the over look tho.  There were a few places that had stairs… uneven, narrow, and without hand rails. 

 

 

But most of the pathway looked like this – jutting roots and stones, steep, and loose soil.  Very dangerous.  Personally I would not let small children go down it. 

 

 

There is a path down into the canyon to view the waterfalls: “The Waterfalls Trail begins on a paved section, at the main overlook, and progresses into the canyon along a 40-degree slope. Most of the trail consists of gravel, and a 600-step staircase.”

 

(Note: in reading a TripAdvisor review, one reviewer stated when they were there in October a man came running, as best he could, up the stairs carrying his yelping dog.  It had been bitten by a copperhead ON THE MAIN TRAIL.)

 

Himself decided to go down… I declined the trip.  Do you see that snow along the path?  It was COLD (mid-30s) and this girl doesn’t hike in snow-able weather!  Besides, stairs and I are not friends.

 

 

More of the trail down.

 

 

It was beautiful down there.  I’m glad Himself took pictures so I could see.

 

 

But I’m still glad I did NOT go down there!  BRRRR!!!!!