Alabama built an entire state park on top of its highest mountain, and it connects to the Appalachian Trail

It’s called “high place” for a reason

Cheaha Mountain stands 2,407 feet above sea level, and Alabama built an entire state park on top of it.

You get 2,799 acres of overlooks, waterfalls, stone towers, and trails that connect to the Appalachian Trail, all surrounded by nearly 400,000 acres of Talladega National Forest.

The park straddles Clay and Cleburne Counties in the southernmost Appalachian foothills, roughly halfway between Birmingham and Atlanta. The name comes from the Muskogee Creek word “chaha,” meaning “high place.”

What sits up here has been drawing people since 1933, and the story of how it got built starts during the Great Depression.

Depression-era workers carved a retreat from raw stone

Cheaha is Alabama’s oldest continuously operating state park. It opened in 1933, and the Civilian Conservation Corps did the heavy lifting.

CCC workers quarried local stone and used it to build roads, cabins, bridges, a lake, and trails across the mountaintop.

Many of those original structures still stand and still serve their purpose, including stone cabins, pavilions, a bathhouse, and the Bald Rock Group Lodge.

You can follow a self-guided CCC driving tour that starts at the Mountain Store and winds past the surviving buildings throughout the park.

A boardwalk through the trees ends at open sky

The Doug Ghee Accessible Trail runs about a quarter mile along a wooden boardwalk with a gentle grade the whole way.

Covered rest alcoves line the path, and interpretive signs share details about Creek Indian heritage, local wildlife, and natural history. The boardwalk is wheelchair-accessible, so it works for just about anyone.

It ends at Bald Rock Overlook, a massive rock outcropping with nothing between you and the Talladega National Forest valley below.

The rock face points west with clear sightlines, and it fills up at sunset for good reason.

Climb Bunker Tower to stand on Alabama’s roof

Bunker Tower sits at the very top of Cheaha Mountain, built by the CCC from local quartzite and dedicated in 1936.

You climb interior stairs to the observation deck, where the views can stretch toward Birmingham on a clear day. At the base, a carved “X” in the stone marks the exact highest point in the state.

The tower is named after Colonel Page S. Bunker, Alabama’s first State Park Director.

Inside the base, the CCC Museum displays tools, photographs, and artifacts from the workers who built everything around you.

The Pinhoti Trail starts here and reaches the AT

Cheaha State Park holds the Cheaha Trailhead of the Pinhoti Trail, a long-distance route that runs through Alabama and into Georgia.

Connector routes in Georgia link the Pinhoti to the Appalachian Trail, placing this park inside a much larger hiking corridor.

The trail passes through the Cheaha Wilderness, a federally designated wilderness area within the Talladega National Forest. You don’t have to commit to all of it.

Shorter sections from the trailhead lead to McDill Point overlook, and the Cave Creek Trail gives you longer loop options with mountain views and moderate elevation changes.

Pulpit Rock juts out over nothing but valley

A short, steep trail marked with red blazes leads to Pulpit Rock, a quartzite outcropping that juts straight out from the mountainside.

The views open wide over the surrounding forest with nothing blocking your sightline.

Rock climbing and rappelling are allowed here and at the nearby Rock Gardens, but you need a permit from the Mountain Store first. The park doesn’t provide gear or guides, so bring your own or hire a professional.

A lot of people make the hike specifically for sunset, when the exposed position puts the whole sky over the valley in front of you.

Three waterfalls wait at the base of the mountain

Cheaha Falls, Devil’s Den Falls, and High Falls all sit near the park in the Talladega National Forest.

You reach the first two via the Chinnabee Silent Trail, a path Boy Scout Troop 29 from the Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind built in 1977.

The hike to Cheaha Falls is about two miles round trip on mostly flat ground. Devil’s Den Falls has a swimming hole that gets heavy use in warm months.

High Falls drops in three tiers, and the trail to reach it includes a rock wall ladder section. Flow runs strongest in winter and early spring.

CCC workers dug Cheaha Lake with hand tools

Cheaha Lake covers six acres at the foot of the mountain, and CCC workers created it using nothing but hand tools. You can swim at the beach area, jump off the diving platform, or fish for bass and bluegill.

Most anglers 16 and older need a valid Alabama fishing license, with exemptions set by state law. Only hand-launched boats are allowed on the water.

The historic CCC Lake House next to the lake became the park’s Interpretive Center in 2021, with nature exhibits, hands-on activities, and environmental education programs inside.

Five mountain biking trails carve up the east side

The park runs five dedicated mountain biking trails on its eastern slopes: Cheaha Express, Deer Run, Lower Spring Loop, Upper Spring Loop, and Cheaha Run. Cheaha Express is the most popular.

It starts near the Bald Rock parking area and rolls through a mix of smooth singletrack and rocky technical sections. The east-side trails give you views you can’t get anywhere else in the park.

Hikers can use the biking trails but should yield to riders.

The park hosts mountain biking events, so check the current calendar for scheduled races before you go.

The 26-mile scenic drive up is half the trip

The Talladega Scenic Drive, Alabama Highway 281, is a nationally designated scenic byway that leads directly to the park entrance.

The route runs about 26 miles along the crest of the Horseblock and Cheaha Mountains through the Talladega National Forest. The road handles large recreational vehicles without trouble.

Overlooks along the way give you panoramic mountain and forest views before you even reach the park gate. In fall, the ridgeline draws hawk watchers tracking the migration.

White-tailed deer, wild turkey, and bald eagles show up along the drive year-round.

Sleep in CCC stone cabins or glamping safari tents

The overnight options here spread across the full range. Stone cabins built by the CCC come with fireplaces and kitchenettes.

A-frame chalets sleep up to four and face the mountains.

Glamping safari tents arrive fully furnished with beds, A/C, heating, ceiling fans, and outdoor seating with fire rings and hammocks.

Campgrounds include full-hookup RV sites, primitive tent spots, and rustic camping near Cheaha Lake. The Bald Rock Group Lodge has 12 bedrooms and handles group rentals for weddings, reunions, and retreats.

The Bosarge Memorial Dog Park keeps your pet covered too.

Three museums tell three different stories in one park

The CCC Museum inside Bunker Tower covers the workers who built the park in the 1930s with tools, photographs, and artifacts.

Near the Mountain Store outside the pay gate, the Walter Farr Native American Relic Museum holds hundreds of pieces collected by local historian Walt Farr, including arrowheads, knives, pottery, and bird points.

The Interpretive Center in the restored CCC Lake House opened in 2021 and runs nature exhibits, environmental literacy programs, and a classroom.

Museum hours vary, so check the park’s official website or stop by the Mountain Store for current schedules.

Explore Cheaha State Park in Alabama

You can find the park at 19644 Highway 281 in Delta, Alabama, in Clay and Cleburne Counties. Heflin, Oxford, Anniston, and Talladega are all within roughly 30 to 50 minutes depending on your route.

The park recommends coming in via the Talladega Scenic Drive for the full experience.

Cheaha stays open year-round with a day-use admission fee, so check the official website for current rates and seasonal hours.

The Vista Cliffside Restaurant at the mountaintop serves casual food with valley views, and the Mountain Store carries supplies and souvenirs.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

Read more from this brand:

• This Minnesota drive along Lake Superior has waterfalls, shipwrecks, and a river that disappears underground
• Old-growth forest, an 88-foot waterfall, and a volcano: one Washington road has all three
• Between Brookings and Gold Beach, Oregon hid its best 12 miles in plain sight