Hi all. Goodness I’ve been busy. And I’m afraid with the holidays fast approaching it’s going to get worse. So please excuse me if I forget to post one week. I’ve been so busy I haven’t even thought of a destination! But I saw a sign getting off the interstate on my way home that made me think about it. It was for an arts and crafts festival way up the road that I missed. Drat! But it was a location I love. So I will share that with you tonight.
Our journey tonight takes us to the far north west corner of Georgia: Cloudland Canyon. Cloudland is a beautiful place and one of my favorite Georgia State Parks.
It’s located on the western edge of Lookout Mountain and straddles a deep gorge cut by Sitton Gulch Creek. The elevation varies from 800 feet to 1,980 feet. The park was started in 1939 when the state purchased the land from three families, who ‘s descendants still live in the nearby area. The park continues to grow sporadically as the state purchases new land as often as it becomes available. It was originally 1,924 acres but is now 3,485 acres. Until 1939, it was only accessible through Alabama or Tennessee. See? When I said the North west corner, I wasn’t joking. That same year, the state began building Highway 136 to connect U.S. 41 to the new park.
The park mostly consists of sandstone and shale layers that show the transition between the flat-lying sedimentary beds of central Tennessee and the ridges and valleys to the east, that display more folding and faulting. Thanks to the concave shape of Lookout Mountain, the rainwater in the area is drawn down through fissures in the rocks into the limestone below. This has caused miles of subterranean caves to form in the area. Georgia Girl Guides is the approved place to go if you’d like to tour some of those caves. They offer guided tours, with lights, handrails, ect. or “wild” tours, with no lights, hand rails, and more physical challenges.
Cloudland also has plenty of trails. If you aren’t much of a hiker, but still want a nice view, don’t worry! There’s a great view a quarter mile from the parking lot that overlooks the gorge.
One of my favorite trails is the Waterfall trail that takes you to the canyon floor, and quite literally, the base of the falls. It starts on a paved section near the parking area. But be warned, these trails are considered moderate and you’ll need water (love that Georgia heat). This trail goes down at about a 40 degree angle, and is mostly gravel. Except for the 600 stairs. I did mention stairs, right? 
Like, a lot of stairs. But I promise it’s worth it. I wouldn’t tell you about it if it isn’t. There are several benches along the way to stop and catch your breath. Don’t be afraid to use them! This trail goes to two falls. Cherokee Falls is 0.3 miles from the trail head. Hemlock Falls is at the bottom (0.5 miles). They fall down 60 and 90 foot (respectively) sheer faces to pool at the bottom before continuing down boulder strewn streams. At the bottom, the shade and coolness of the falls is a welcome relief from the stifling southern heat at the parking area. The Sitton Gulch trail starts here at the bottom of the falls and continues to a parking area in Trenton.
There is also the 4.8 mile West Rim Loop Trail (which I haven’t done, can’t convince the boyfriend due to his tendinitis in his knees. Barely got him back up the stairs.) It begins at the Daniels Creek Bridge and offers a panoramic view before climbing out of the canyon onto the plateau. You can also see nearby Trenton and Sand Mountain from the trail. Rhododendron and mountain laurel, sorghum and dogwood, large oaks, hickories, and hemlocks can all be seen along the trail. Cottages and walk-in camping areas area accessible by this trail.
The 2 mile Back Country Loop provides access to the park’s 11 primitive walk-in camping sites. The park has also re-opened the Bear Creek Trail, which was closed for nearly a decade. It is 9 miles long. It begins as a spur off the back country loop and goes down to Bear Creek. After crossing the creek, it loops around the northeastern part of the park. During the wet season, it can be very difficult as there is no bridge or dry crossing over the creek.
In case this is a bit much for a day trip, there are many camping options. The park is home to 72 camp sites, 10 yurts, 16 cottages, 1 group lodge, 5 picnic shelters, 1 group shelter, 4 pioneer camps, and 13 back country camp sites. There is also a play ground, tennis courts, and a disc golf course.
It’s worth the drive, hike, and time. I promise.
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“We believe in ordinary acts of bravery, in the courage that drives one person to stand up for another.” – Veronica Roth Divergent
“I used to think that when people fell in love, they just landed where they landed, and they had no choice in the matter afterward. And maybe that’s true of beginnings, but it’s not true of this, now. I fell in love with him. But I don’t just stay with him by default as if there’s no one else available to me. I stay with him because I choose to, every day that we fight or lie to each other or disappoint each other. I choose him over and over again, and he chooses me.” – Veronica Roth Allegiant
” I know that I am birdlike, made narrow and small as if for taking flight, build straight-waisted and fragile. But when he touches me like he can’t bear to take his hand away, I don’t wish I was any different.” – Veronica Roth Insurgent
“There are so many ways to be brave in this world. Sometimes bravery involves laying down your life for something bigger than yourself, or for someone else. Sometimes it involves giving up everything you have ever known, or everyone you have ever loved, for the sake of something greater. But sometimes it doesn’t. Sometimes it is nothing more than gritting your teeth through pain, and the work of every day, the slow walk toward a better life. That is the sort of bravery I have now.” – Veronica Roth
“She taught me all about real sacrifice. That it should be done from love… That it should be done from necessity, not without exhausting all other options. That it should be done for people who need your strength because they don’t have enough of their own.” – Veronica Roth Insurgent
“Grief is not as heavy as guilt, but it takes more away from you.” – Veronica Roth Insurgent
“Since I was young, I have always known this: Life damages us, every one. We can’t escape that damage. But now, I am also learning this: We can be mended. We mend each other.” – Veronica Roth
“This is a love story. I never knew there were so many kinds of love or that love could make people do so many different things. I never knew there were so many different ways to say good bye.” – Maggie Stiefvater Linger
“People shouldn’t have to earn kindness. They should have to earn cruelty.” – Maggie Stiefvater Shiver
“Mutual, respectful, enduring love is completely attainable as long as you swear you won’t settle for less.” – Maggie Stiefvater Forever
See You Starside 