Hike 3 Beautiful Moderate to Strenuous trails in Cloudland Canyon State Park

Hike 3 beautiful moderate to strenuous trails in Cloudland Canyon State Park.

Cloudland Canyon is located at 122 Cloudland Canyon Park Rd, Rising Fawn, Georgia. Located on the western edge of Lookout Mountain, Cloudland Canyon is one of the largest and most scenic parks in the state of Georgia. Home to thousand-foot-deep canyons, sandstone cliffs, wild caves, waterfalls, cascading creeks, dense woodland and abundant wildlife, the park offers plenty of options. There are 64 miles of hiking trails. We only had time to hike 3 beautiful moderate to strenuous hikes there.

We wanted a few harder hikes to test our gear and bodies during this visit to Cloudland Canyon State Park.Bear Creek Backcountry Trail (strenuous trail)

Bear Creek Backcountry Trail (hard trail)

We chose to hike the Bear Creek Backcountry Trail on Day 1 of hiking. I had read conflicting information about it, so as soon as we arrived to the park, we went to the visitors center to figure it out. I had read the trail was permanently closed and that it was open but required a permit. Well neither of those were true. We found out it is open and no longer requires a permit to hike it. Bear Creek Backcountry Trail is a 7.3 mile strenuous trail.

I was very concerned before the hike, but with every step made me even more concerned. The trail was very rocky and covered in leaves, so we had to step carefully. There was a lot of uphill with no real switchbacks to make the uphill easier. It was definitely hard because at 2.3 miles I decided we needed to turn back. My back and my hip was hurting, so I was concerned that it would just get worse if we continued on. We hiked about 4.6 miles of the trail and I can definitely say it earned its strenuous rating.

After hiking, we headed up to our AirBnB “Bluebird Cottage” in Walker County for our weekend in Cloudland Canyon. There are closer places to stay in Rising Fawn, but we went for a more budget friendly and updated home to stay in. Counting macros requires a lot of cooking, so I needed a full kitchen. This little cottage was a perfect space for us empty nesters

The Bluebird Cottage is a one-bedroom, one-bathroom cottage but is fully appointed. Everything was perfectly clean, cozy and welcoming.  The hosts really thought the design of this cottage down to every detail.  They even left us a snack basket for us.  

After we checked out the cottage and unloaded the car, we headed to Chattanooga to Whole Foods. We needed to stock up on groceries for the weekend; we had to make sure to hit all our macro counts.  We are currently eating pretty clean and counting calories and macros for training towards our Inca Trail hike in fall of 2023.

Sitton’s Gulch Trail (moderate trail)

Day 2 of hiking, we woke up ate breakfast and headed towards the park. We decided to hike Sitton’s Gulch Trail along with the waterfalls trail which is 5.8 miles round trip and considered moderate.

Beginning at the Main Trailhead, Sitton’s Gulch Trail follows the Waterfalls Trail down deep into the canyon; The strenuous Waterfalls Trail begins at the Main Trailhead and drops quickly down into the canyon depths to two sizable waterfalls, Cherokee and Hemlock Falls. It is approximately ½ mile to Cherokee Falls, and a much steeper ½ mile further down to Hemlock Falls. The trail includes 600 metal stair steps. Remember what you walk down, you must walk up!

Then Sitton’s Gulch continues all the way down to the canyon mouth in Trenton. The trail follows Daniel Creek through open, green hemlock groves and overlooks numerous small waterfalls cascading through limestone crevices. We retraced our steps back up for a strenuous climb back up those stairs. 

The water level at the falls was very low on this trip. I have seen these falls flowing much fuller on previous trips here.

Cherokee Falls

West Rim Loop Trail (moderate trail)

Hiking Day 3, we woke up, ate breakfast and packed up the car. We chose to hike the West Rim Loop Trail which is 5 miles Round Trip and considered Moderate. 

This popular trail was formerly rated by Backpacker Magazine as one of the top 10 hikes in the United States! It offers several scenic viewpoints of Cloudland Canyon as well as more distant terrain. The rocky, rooty trail is most easily accessed from the Main Trailhead. The West Rim Loop Trail is a lollipop-style hike; the first and last mile cover the same section of trail, and there is a three-mile loop in the middle of the hike.

All of the overlooks along the route are beautiful; be sure to stop at each one! We saw armadillos and deer along the trail too.

Over the three days, we hiked 3 hikes totaling 15.5 miles. What beautiful hikes we got to explore this weekend. Thankful for no injuries and beautiful weather! Check out Alabama hiking – Great 1-day itinerary

-S&E