Last weekend my boyfriend, David, and I planned to go backpacking. Unfortunately, we ended up working the whole weekend instead. So this weekend, we were determined to get outside and enjoy the fresh air, trees, and no work! While we spent Saturday working on the house (he regrouted the shower while I put together a new desk and did some cleaning), we did get outside for a nice hike on Sunday. We chose Cloudland Canyon as our destination and took along our dog, Monte, and a coworker, Christina. After grabbing a few sandwiches at Publix we headed up 75 toward Cloudland Canyon. The drive time was just over an hour.

While Sunday was sunny, it was a bit chilly, which seemed to deter many fair-weathered hikers from enjoying the park. When we parked at the main picnic ground area, the temperature on the car’s thermometer read 39 degrees Fahrenheit. And it was windy too. We took a quick glance at the canyon from the picnic overlook area, but didn’t linger long as the wind was whipping up the canyon. On a warmer and calmer day, we would have stayed longer to enjoy the views and take pictures. The West Rim Trail begins off this viewing spot (on your left as you are facing the canyon). The trail, according to Cloudland Canyon’s Web site is 4.8 miles. The terrain is a bit rough, with rocks and tree routes covering much of the trail, but it is well traveled and maintained. Yellow blazes mark the trail, which is fairly easy to stay on even without the blazes.

We haven’t had Monte on the trail in a while and he seems inclined more to colder weather, so he took off, pulling David along the whole time. Christina and I opted for a slower pace.

Along the trail are great places to stop off for pictures,

a lunch on the rocks, or just enjoying a quiet place (reading, writing, or just sitting). We stopped briefly at these spots to catch a few pics, drink some water, and then kept moving. We never completed the West Rim Trail, although we plan to do so one day.

We decided instead, to turn around and check out the waterfalls trail. So, we headed back the way we came and took the split off to the waterfalls. The trip down to the falls goes easily, as long as you don’t have knee trouble that makes walking downstairs painful. And the views there were great. The waterfalls empty into a shallow pool of water, but the park prohibits wading, swimming or playing on the rocks.

Instead, take pictures,

enjoy the sound of the water crashing against the limestone, and have fun climbing the 600 stairs back up to the top.

Located in Rising Fawn, Georgia, Cloudland Canyon offers great views, hiking, backpacking, camping, and much more. You could easily spend a long weekend camping out at one of their campsites or in on one their 16 cottages (some are even dog friendly, with an additional charge).

For reservations, prices and more info about Cloudland Canyon, check out: http://www.gastateparks.org/info/cloudland/

Cloudland Canyon is nestled near Lookout Mountain, which is a great place to hang glide.