All About Cloudland Canyon Hiking Trails And Waterfalls

Cloudland Canyon State Park has some of the best hiking in a state park in the southeast. And you don’t have to take just my word for it- Backpacker Magazine named the Rim Trail as one of America’s Best Hiking Trails.

There aren’t a ton of trails to choose from, just enough for a great long weekend, but the most popular trails are good enough that you can hike them again and again. Which we have. I love doing the Rim Trail in different seasons and over the years with the kids.

There are 3 main hikes that are by far and away the most popular in the park:

• 1) the Overlook Trail,
• 2) the West Rim Loop Trail
• 3) the Waterfalls Trail.

Each of these hikes should be on your to do list on any visit (even repeat visits). If you have limited time, you could do all three in one day as long as your kids are fairly mobile and you start early.

Other Cloudland Canyon hiking trails to check out if you have time are Sitton’s Gulch Trail, Meadowlands Trail, and Bear Creek Backcountry Trail.

The Overlook Trail

1 mile RT, easy, 30 minutes

Extending along a flat section of the east rim of the canyon and encompassing multiple awe- inspiring view points, this trail is a highlight for anybody visiting Cloudland Canyon State Park. Its only drawback are the crowds during the summer and on fall weekends.

The Overlook Trail is the first thing day visitors to the park encounter, so it tends to get quite busy. But the kids will have fun clambering down to the Main Overlook as well as testing out the echo from there. (We thought the echo was the best from the West Rim Trail but it was pretty good from here too.)

Do walk over to the Bear Creek Overlook near the eastern end of the Overlook Trail as it was a little quieter than the Main Overlook. Also, check out the signs along the trail explaining the geology of the canyon and identifying the landmarks you can see from the overlooks.

West Rim Loop Trail

5 miles RT, moderate, 3- 4 hours

The West Rim Loop Trail has been voted by Backpacker magazine as one of the Top 10 hikes in the US and they aren’t wrong. It is 5 miles of simply spectacular scenery.

What I thought made it most appealing for families though, were the frequent points of interest. Every 15-20 minutes it seemed that there was something to pique the kids’ interest- overlooks, bridges, streams, giant boulders, cool bent trees, etc.

The twins discovered that many of the overlooks had an echo across the canyon. After that, our hiking speed dropped precipitously as they spent forever yelling random words out and giggling when the rocks answered them back.

Rated moderately strenuous because of its length and 2 short sections of gentle ascents of 100-200 feet, we found the West Rim Loop Trail easily doable with two 10 year old boys. We saw plenty of other families on the trail, including babies in carriers, so I would think this trail is achievable for most families.

One section of the trail I would watch out for though, is near the West Rim Campground where the trail gets narrow with a decent drop-off on one side. Probably a hand- holding section for little kids. Very near to this, the trail then crosses a large rock outcropping with several deep crevices where a little kid could easily fall into if they aren’t paying attention.

If someone gets a blister or taps out, there are numerous points along the trail (campgrounds, picnic areas, cabin areas) where you could wait while someone hikes back to the car. This trail was also good for dogs as evidenced by the numerous new friends we met on the trail. Need to have a max of a 6ft leash though if you are hiking with your fur baby.

Waterfalls Trail (Hemlock and Cherokee Falls)

2 miles RT, strenuous, 45-60 minutes

The Waterfalls Trail is another of the signature trails at Cloudland Canyon, and it is well worth the 600 stairs you will have to climb down (and back up!) to see the two tall waterfalls.

*Note- I will warn you that the waterfalls may be dry if you are there in late summer or during a dry spell in the fall. Still a fun hike but not nearly as a cool as when the water is roaring over the falls.

From the West Rim Trail, follow the signs to the waterfalls and start heading down, down, down.

Near the start of the trail, you will find a large alcove under a huge rock outcropping. My nephews had fun posing trying to hold up the rock, just as my sister-in-law did when she was a child. She said it looked exactly the same as when she was 10 years old, log bench and everything.

The trail splits soon after the huge rock outcropping. Go left on a short spur to reach the 60 foot tall Cherokee Falls. Go right and hike 0.5 miles of more stairs to reach the 90 foot tall Hemlock Falls.

I would go right and head down to Hemlock Falls first before heading back up if only because Cherokee Falls makes a nice break spot on your way back up all the stairs. (So. Many. Stairs.)

There is a little viewing platform so you can see Hemlock Falls from a distance, but at Cherokee Falls you can get closer to falls themselves and the pool just below. It is a lovely spot for a picnic or just to explore the rocks for awhile.

*NOT DOG FRIENDLY! The Waterfalls Trail is not dog- friendly because the metal stairs have small grates that hurt dogs’ feet. I saw people having to carry a 40lb pooch up 600 stairs because it refused to go further. Maybe it was some sort of CrossFit challenge but it did not look fun.

Sitton’s Gulch

6 miles RT, strenuous, 3-5 hours

The first mile of the Sitton’s Gulch trail is the same as the Waterfalls Trail. When you climb the stairs all the way down to Hemlock Falls, you will see the large bridge that crosses Daniel Creek. This marks the start of the Sitton’s Gulch Trail, an out and back trail.

From the bridge, you have a few more stairs and a pretty steady but mild descent for the next 2 miles until you reach a parking lot. This is the back entrance to the park and where you turnaround to head back to the canyon.

The trail follows Daniel Creek at the beginning until it meets up with Bear Creek to form Sitton Gulch Creek.

This is a great trail as 90% of your fellow visitors will stop at the waterfalls and do not continue on to Sitton’s Gulch Trail. Plus, there are 2 more small but lovely waterfalls on this trail and I always like hiking near a creek.

The big downside to this trail is the unforgiving rule of “What goes down, must come up.” From the turnaround at the parking lot at the back entrance of the park, you are looking at 3 miles of uphill, gentle at first but with the last mile being almost completely stairs. It can be a slog, probably too brutal for those with small children.

Meadowlands Trail

1 mile RT, easy, 30 min

A pretty trail and great for those with small kids as you can explore the paths around the meadow and find a ton of grasshoppers and other assorted bugs.

The trail goes by the park’s fishing pond which is stocked with catfish (you can borrow a pole for free from the Interpretive Center open on Sat & Sun). No fishing license is needed.

Bear Creek Trail

7 miles RT, strenuous, don’t know time because haven’t done it

This is probably the most remote of the trails in Cloudland Canyon so head here if it is too busy for you in the rest of the park.

Get to Bear Creek Trail by taking the connector trail down from the picnic area on the East Rim (by the Overlook Trail) to the intersection with Bear Creek trail.

As soon as you start on Bear Creek trail, be prepared to get wet because you will have to ford Bear Creek. There is no bridge and you cannot rock hop across. I have heard that the creek crossing is the most scenic part of the trail and well worth the trip just for it.

After you cross Bear Creek, you climb back up to loop around some of the forest on the far east side of the park. Two of the primitive campgrounds are on this loop but not much else, so make sure you have water and snacks.