Cheaha State Park is full of things to explore, making it a place that you can use as a base camp for a lot of adventures in the park and very close by. So far I’ve been twice and done entirely different activities each time, which is a positive thing. So here’s my list of things to do and explore IN Cheaha and NEAR Cheaha.
THINGS TO DO IN CHEAHA STATE PARK
- Visit the Observation Tower because it is the HIGH POINT of Alabama at 2407 ft above sea level. Some people are high pointers, meaning they visit the high point in every state or hope to, and this is the spot for Alabama. You’ll find the tower was made by the CCC and after ascending it you’ll get a view across the whole region. On my first visit I stayed in the state park’s semi-primitive campground which is next to the tower and I was at the highest spot, so for a couple of nights I personally was sleeping at a higher altitude than anyone else in the entire state!
- While on the topic of the camping as something to do, there is the semi-primitive that I mentioned, which means you get a fire pit, water and a place to put a tent. There is a bathroom but it is also an old converted CCC building that just has flush toilets and sinks. You will not find a shower or electric in this camping area. It is also quite windy because it is as high as you can go in the state so there’s nothing to block the wind on the mountain. I believe it is the original campground for the park. Two more modern full service campgrounds known as the Upper & Lower campgrounds (both of which are lower elevation wise) have the usual trimmings of water, electric, showers and you’ll find the RV crowd in those.
- Running from the primitive campground to the park store is the Bigfoot Trail. It isn’t long, and I won’t spoil it for you, but you’re going to see “bigfoot” when you hike this. I did it slightly inebriated in the dark to make it interesting.
- Bald Rock is a lookout point on the north side of the park that you can take the 0.3 mile long Bald Rock Trail to visit or a boardwalk. The view is spectacular from being up so high.
- Pulpit Rock is about the most iconic thing in the whole of Cheaha State Park. It also has a 0.3 mile long trail known of course as the Pulpit Rock Trail leading to it. Imagine a boulder jutting out over nothingness and forest for miles and miles below. If you’re afraid of heights you may not like it, but if you are not then you can climb out on the rock and feel like you’re floating over the world. I went to buy a refrigerator magnet for the surrounding Talladega National Forest which you see a lot of from Pulpit Rock, and was not surprised when one of the best choices I could find online was a picture of the rock and the view.
- Waterfalls are present, seasonally, allegedly. There is the CCC Reservoir Falls and dam that is kind of fall like in my opinion, but dinky. There is also Laurel Falls that flows over the edge at part of the Laurel Trail. I’ve only seen the first in action on my original visit, and when I tried to hunt down the later on my second visit it was too dry. To make the waterfall situation more confusing there seem to be several waterfall books on the market that have other names for these falls within the park boundaries. Adding to that a waterfall bearing the park’s name exists near in the forest but outside the park boundaries. If you came to the park itself for waterfalls, don’t get too excited, save that for when you get into the forest just beyond. More on that in a moment.
- On my second adventure to Cheaha State Park I hiked the Lake Trail. This became my favorite hike in the whole park! It is a mile long and runs from the top of the mountain down to Lake Cheaha, with a 1000 foot change in elevation. Part of it is easy to hike, and part of it is steep boulders you have to navigate, which I consider to be fun. I did not think this hike would be a big deal since it was only a mile long, two miles round trip, and knowing the elevation change was part of it I opted to ditch all my hiking gear for some dumb reason to be lighter weight. This was a poor choice, and normally I’m a lot more paranoid and carry at least water and some basics on me, but no, I became the idiot that was nearly dehydrated on the way back up. Thankfully a wonderful woman gave me one of her extra waters. So take water, at least, and on this trail you’ll benefit from hiking poles if you are into that because it is steep. I would do it again in a heartbeat though. Lake Cheaha at the bottom can easily be driven to and is a recreation area in itself, so you’re really just tackling this trail for the challenge of going up and down a steep mountain side of the highest mountain in the state.
THINGS TO DO NEAR CHEAHA STATE PARK in the Talladega National Forest which surrounds it.
- Cheaha Falls is a great hike and nice looking waterfall that isn’t too far away or hard to find from the park.
- Devil’s Den Falls and Lake Chinnabee are worth exploring.
- The broader Talladega National Forest contains additional waterfalls, sections of the Pinhoti Trail & the Chinnabee Silent Trail.
