Hike the West Rim Trail to Cherokee Falls

Good luck finding something you dislike about Cloudland Canyon State Park - one of Georgia's largest and most scenic parks. Sitting on the western edge of Lookout Mountain, it is home to a plethora of luscious trails, easily-accessible campgrounds or yurts, and flowing waterfalls.

The West Rim Loop Trail offers the most epic views from the upper canyon and connects you to a handful of other trails. There are many points to hop onto this trail and it is extremely well-marked, so I suggest you head south on the trail no matter where you join it. The first few miles are full of mud, trees, and beautiful greenery, until the trail opens up onto boulders and a vast overlook of the canyon. The trail continues along the canyon wall and, even from these heights, the roar of the waterfalls below can be heard. Over the course of the entire loop, you will encounter just under 2,000 feet of total elevation gain.

You will soon approach the Waterfalls trail. It clings to the rock wall, passing several interesting formations before turning into grated metal staircases. At the junction for the two falls, go left to Cherokee Falls - a particularly beautiful, 60ft waterfall into a large pool partly surrounded by an arcing rocks wall. From Cherokee Falls, you can hike back up to the intersection then head to waterfall #2 (Hemlock Falls) or head back to the West Rim Trail. It’s all uphill to get back to the West Rim Loop trail, but levels out once you hit it.

I suggest you head into this park with a full day, as we did not even make a dent in the 4 hours we were there. But that is never a bad problem to have, is it? Lastly, if home is north of the park, cruise through Chattanooga's Flying Squirrel or Terminal Brewhouse for a drink and grub post-hike.