Cloudland Canyon State Park - Sun, Sep 14 2025

REGISTRATION REQUIRED: Once you've reviewed the event details, and decided you'd like to join us, you MUST sign up at the bottom of this page.



Cloudland Canyon State Park


The Basics:
Event Type:Hike
Event Location: Cloudland Canyon State Park   Hike: Cloudland Canyon State Park  National Weather Service Forecast
Date(s) & Time:Sun, Sep 14 2025  9:05 am >> Sun, Sep 14 2025 2:05 pm  (Carpool Departure: 7:00 am   *log in for location*)
Registration Opens: Mon, Sep 8 2025 7:05 pm
Registration Cut Off: Sat, Sep 13 2025 12:05 pm
Event Duration:5 Hours
Difficulty Rating:D4: Moderate to Difficult (Exploratory)
Distance:11.5 Miles
Pace:Moderate
Trip Leader(s):
Kelly
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Member Cost:None

Participant Info:
Who's Invited: Members Only, 21 And Older Only
Maximum Group Size:10
Minimum Group Size:4
Number Registered So Far: 8 / 0 (To see who's signed up, log in to the Member Area)
Are Dogs Permitted: No

Note: This is an "EXPLORATORY" trip. This means that there are parts of this trip, or perhaps the whole trip, that is new to your Trip Leader(s). However, they are confident that this will not be an issue.
This note is here so that you can make an informed decision. When a Trip Leader isn't personally familiar with a trip, there is an increased chance of things not going as planned and you need to be prepared. The Trip Leader may have additional details in the itinerary.

Itinerary:

Located on the western edge of Lookout Mountain, Cloudland Canyon is one of the largest and most scenic parks in the state. Home to thousand-foot deep canyons, sandstone cliffs, wild caves, waterfalls, cascading creeks, dense woodland and abundant wildlife.

For this event, we will hike two of the trails in the park at a moderate pace with stops for photos and lunch:

Waterfalls Trail to Sitton's Gulch Trail - 6.5 miles
We will take the Waterfalls Trail to the Sitton's Gulch Trail winding down stairsteps and officially beginning at the new Daniel's Creek bridge. This shaded trail follows Daniel Creek through open, green hemlock groves and overlooks numerous small waterfalls cascading through limestone crevices. It ends at the park boundry where we will retrace our steps for a steady, and at times strenous, hike back to where we started. 

After a break at the Interpretive Center we will do our second hike.

West Rim Loop Trail - 5 miles
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 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. Most of the hike is moderately difficult, becoming strenuous on several short sections.

Both trails have some steep slopes with a mixture of gravel and stairs. Total elevation gain is around 1725 ft. We will hike together and try to maintain an average hiking speed of around 2.7 mph with breaks for water, views and lunch. If you don't have recent D4 experience with the club expect an email from the trip leader to discuss your hiking experience. 


Required Items to Bring:

Water or Energy Drinks
Trail Snacks
Lunch
Good Hiking Shoes/Boots

Recommended Items to Bring:
Use our Event Checklists to make sure you have everything you need.

Trekking Poles
Sunscreen


How to Get There:
Event Directions:

Cloudland Canyon State Park
122 Cloudland Canyon Park Rd.
Rising Fawn, GA 30738

Located on Ga. Route 136, 8 miles east of Trenton and I-59 (Exit #11), and 18 miles west of LaFayette.

Carpool to Event Distance (round trip):200Mile(s)
Carpool Departure Time: 7:00 am
Carpool Location:   Log in for location
Carpool Directions:   Log in for directions
Carpool Cost: Estimated cost per vehicle for this event is $80.00 using a reimbursement rate guideline of $0.400 per mile. The total amount should be divided by the number of people in the vehicle, including the driver. This is a guideline, not a rule, for drivers but the cost should not be higher unless there are extenuating circumstances.

Notes:
* We encourage all members to follow our Etiquette Guidelines while participating in AOC events.

Cost Includes:

Free, but there is a $5.00 parking fee per car, if you do not already have a Georgia State Park parking pass.


Cancellation/Partial Attendance:   Please review the AOC cancellation policy.