Cloudland Canyon State Park

Cloudland Canyon State Park is tucked away in a corner of Georgia so remote that until the early 20th century it was more readily accessible from neighboring Alabama or Tennessee. This TAG Corner (for Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia) occupies an unusual landscape of high mesas and narrow linear valleys — unlike the knobby, sheltered Blue Ridge Mountains to the east. Even within this landscape, Cloudland Canyon occupies an unexpected topography. The 3,485-acre park straddles a deep gorge cut into the mountain by Sitton Gulch Creek, and the elevation varies from 800 to 1,980 feet. Rim trails provide panoramic overlooks — the 5-mile West Rim ...

Cloudland Canyon State Park is tucked away in a corner of Georgia so remote that until the early 20th century it was more readily accessible from neighboring Alabama or Tennessee. This TAG Corner (for Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia) occupies an unusual landscape of high mesas and narrow linear valleys — unlike the knobby, sheltered Blue Ridge Mountains to the east. Even within this landscape, Cloudland Canyon occupies an unexpected topography. The 3,485-acre park straddles a deep gorge cut into the mountain by Sitton Gulch Creek, and the elevation varies from 800 to 1,980 feet. Rim trails provide panoramic overlooks — the 5-mile West Rim Trail crosses Daniel Creek and loops into a mixed hardwood forest (spectacular in autumn); the 7-mile East Rim Trail leads to backcountry campsites (permits required). Waterfall trails lead down hundreds of steps and switchbacks into the canyon to two dramatic cataracts (worth the agonizing return trip uphill). Near the rim, spacious cottages and a campground (including walk-in sites) provide a quiet, isolated retreat. Overnight visitors would want to carry all they need to avoid a lengthy descent into Trenton.

About the Expert

Kap Stann has written or contributed to many guidebooks to the American Southeast for such publishers as Moon, Avalon Travel, Lonely Planet, DK Eyewitness, and Mobil Guides.