Cheaha State Park, an Alabama State Park located near Anniston, Oxford and Talladega

CHEAHA STATE PARK

CHEAHA STATE PARK
19644 AL-281
Delta, Alabama 36258-8702

(lat:33.4703 lon:-85.8139)

Phone: (256) 488-5111
Toll Free: 800-252-7275
Reservations: 800-846-2654

Email:

Located in Clay and Cleburne Counties, Cheaha State Park is the pinnacle of natural beauty and awe in Alabama. Surrounded by the Talladega National Forest, this foothill of the Appalachian Mountains holds the reputation of the highest point in Alabama. Standing 2,407 ft. above sea level, it is no wonder why the local Creek Indians named this place "Chaha," meaning high place.

History of the Area

After the state of Alabama acquired lands in 1933, which today comprise 11 of the 22 State Parks, a cooperative effort with the State of Alabama and the National Park System, paved the way for the Civilian Conservation Corp's (CCC) development and construction of Cheaha State Park. Its continuous operation since 1933, makes Cheaha, Alabama's oldest continuously operating State Park.

FACILITIES AND ACTIVITIES OVERVIEW

Day-UseFishingyes

Hiking Trailyes

Picnickingyes

Picnic Shelters, #2

Swimming Beachyes

CampingPets Permittedyes

Camper Cabins, #3

AccommodationsLodge Rooms, #12

Family Cottages, #4

Restaurantyes

Cabins

The cabins at Cheaha feature bathtub/showers, fireplaces, heating & air, linens, microwaves, irons, ironing boards, coffee makers, kitchenettes. Daily housekeeping service is not available. Linens and towels may be exchanged at the hotel front desk daily between 12-p.m. - 3 p.m. Firewood can be purchased at the Park's country store between 8am - 4pm Sunday - Thursday. We welcome you to purchase firewood from us or bring your own wood. Bundles sold at stores will fit our fireplaces. No more than 3 over capacity per cabin.

There are four cabin choices:

Bluff Side Cabins ? Cabins 1-4 are located along the western bluff of the Mountain where guests can view spectacular sunsets. There is one Queen bed in one large room. SLEEPS 2

Cabin 16 pet friendly Camping Cabin ? also known as the ?museum cabin? is modern enough to be completely comfortable yet, rustic enough to show the historical aspect of its original design. There is one Queen bed. This is the only ?pet-friendly? cabin currently offered at the Park. this cabin does not have a full kitchen. SLEEPS 2 PEOPLE.

4-Capacity Cabins ? Cabins 7-10 are located across the street from the Park's Chalets. Each cabin features two Queen beds, a full kitchen, and bath, a small dining nook, and open ceilings. SLEEPS 4

Deluxe Cabins (Honeymoon cabins) ? Cabins 5 & 6 feature a screened porch, rustic wooden furniture and whirlpool tub. Like our Bluff Side Cabins, these cabins host one large room for sleeping and relaxing. Along with a Queen bed, these two cabins are furnished with a television and DVD player.

THE ONLY CABINS WITH TV AND DVD

Chalets

Featuring fireplaces, central heating and air, linens, kitchenettes (with microwaves) irons, ironing boards and coffee makers, each of our chalets offer the scenic beauty of the outdoors from the porch. No more than 3 over capacity per chalet.

Chalets 12 ? 14 are ?pet-friendly.? Also, these three Chalets are equipped with gas log fireplaces.

Chalet 15 offers an easy walk down a well lit path to its entrance. This Chalet is suited for guests who prefer not to walk up or down steep paths or stairs. Inside is a traditional woodburning fire place. Wood is for sale in the Park's country store.

Chalet 11 is ADA accessible featuring a well-lit ramp for our hand-capable guests. Also the chalet is equipped with an ADA-approved shower, widened doorways and appliances, lowered for easy access. Inside is a traditional woodburning fireplace. Wood is for sale in the Park's country store. Firewood can be purchased at the Park's country store between 8am - 4pm Sunday - Thursday. We welcome you to purchase firewood from us or bring your own wood. Bundles sold at stores will fit our fireplaces.

Camping

Improved Campgrounds

(Full Hook-up)

Mountian Top Campground - Located on top of Cheaha Mountain this campground offers 43 full hook-up sites with two accessible full service bath houses. All the Park amenities including restaurant, picnic area, lodging and country store is within walking, hiking or driving distance.

Cheaha Lake Campground - Located near Cheaha Lake this campground offers 30 full hook-up sites with a full service bathhouse. A three-mile drive takes guest to all the Park amenities including restaurant, picnic area, lodging and country store.

Semi-Primitive / Tent Only Camping

(Water Only)

Picnic Trail Campground -Located along the observation tower road, the campground offers water service, restrooms, picnicking, playground, and within walking distance, the observation tower nestled at the highest point in the state.

Bunker Loop Campground - Located behind the full service campground, this campground offers easy access to two bathhouses. Most sites are equipped with grills and fire rings.

Lodge

Open year round, the Restaurant is known for its panoramic dining room view of the Talladega National Forest and the valley below (Dress is casual). Country cooking at its best. Motorcycle or bike riders and hikers enjoy this wonder at the top of Alabama.

BreakfastHours: 7:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.Breakfast Buffet is served in season and every weekend.Menu items (No Buffets) during off season on week days.

Closed for Breakfast (Due to the Slow Season) December 1, 2009 - December 18, 2009 and January 4, 2010 - February 26, 2010 on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday Mornings. Our over night Guest will have a free Continental Breakfast available in the hotel office from 7:30 am - 11:00 am .Select your breakfast items and take back to the comfort of your room.

Lunch - Try our Fried green tomato sandwich!Hours: 11:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Open DailyLunch buffet available on Saturdays, May - Nov. Country cooking!

DinnerMenu selections include: steaks, catfish, pasta, hamburgers and more.Hours:4:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. (Sun ? Thu)4:30 p. m. - 9:00 p.m. (Fri & Sat)

Wine and Beer will be served during Dinner hours Monday - Saturday soon!

Alcoholic beverages may be consumed in the restaurant or in designated meeting spaces only.

Buffet available on Saturday nights, May - November

Groups are welcome in the dining room for all meals. (Private dining room can be rented please contact [email protected] ) Please email us or call 1-800-846-2654 with your arrival date and time, and we will be happy to help plan a buffet or give you buffet information and accommodate your group for any meal. Our Dining room is first come first serve, please sign in as you arrive and we will seat you as soon as possible.

The Blackberry Sundae is a reason to drive up the mountain!

Meeting Rooms

The Cleburne Room - located in the Restaurant, will accommodate meetings or banquets for as many as 40 guests and can be used for wedding receptions and other functions. (Receptions up to 75 people.) Rental 8 a.m. - 8 p.m. Banquets and Receptions, includes tables, chairs and any A/V needed. Menus for group meals or breaks are available by request. All food and beverages must be purchased from Cheaha Restaurant (no outside food). Equipped with wireless Internet.

Activity Building/Wedding Chapel - This building is perfect for a seminar. Set up with pews the speaker can see everyone and make eye contact. The gas fireplace gives the event the feel of a retreat. This building is best know as the wedding chapel. The piano and organ can be used by any group. Must be reserved advance. No food or beverages allowed in this building.

Swimming

Cheaha Hotel Pool

The pool is open 8:00 am - 9:00 pm. Overnight guest have access to the pool located near the Hotel & Restaurant. Please bring your beach towels. Cheaha State Park does not supply towels for swimming. The swimming area generally opens for swimming on Memorial Day weekend - Labor Day.

Cheaha Lake

Take a swim and cool down in Cheaha Lake. The six-acre man made lake has its own play area, beach, diving platform and paddle boating. The swimming area generally opens for swimming and boating on Memorial Day weekend - Labor Day.

Please bring your beach towels.

Entrance fee will be charged for guest not staying over night.

NO LIFEGUARDS ON DUTY AT THE LAKE OR POOL.CHILDREN MUST BE ACCOMPANIED BY AN ADULT.*** Life jackets are required to be worn by persons 12 years old and younger. An adult must accompany those persons under 12.

*** Fishing is NOT permitted from the paddle boats.

*** No boats are allowed in swimming or beach areas.

Fishing

Nestled at the foot of Cheaha Mountain you will find Lake Cheaha. Hand dug by the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) this six-acre lake offers some of the best recreational bass and bluegill fishing in the immediate area. Located three miles from the Mountain Top Resort and across the street from the primitive and lower campgrounds, families can enjoy picnicking, sunning, swimming and paddle boats*. A day use admission is charged and taken by an on-duty attendant during the spring, summer and fall (honor box systems are in effect during the winter.) Overnight guests may fish and access all of the Lake?s amenities at no charge. Alabama Law does require that all eligible anglers 16 years of age and older, have in their possession a valid State of Alabama Fishing License; these may be purchased at the Park's Country Store on the Mountain Top or online. Other area fishing attractions: Clay County Lake, located one mile west of Delta, AL on State Lake Road.

Due to the size of our lake, we only allow hand launched boats and electric motors.

*Paddle Boats & Jon Boats are available for rental between Memorial Day & Labor Day.

Location

Cheaha State Park is located near Anniston, Oxford and Talladega

Nearby Parks

Freedom Riders National Monument

Talladega National Forest

Picnicking

Spread a blanket on the ground in the field near the lake, claim a picnic table near the highest point in the state, or reserve an entire pavillion for you family, organization or company at one of our four pavilions.

The picnic trail is located on top of the mountain near the CCC Observation tower, which at its base is Alabama's Highest Point ? 2047 ft. above sea level.

Further down the trail you will find several picnic tables, a playground and two pavilions. Built by the CCC, the upper stone pavilion has its own Men's and Women's restrooms and working fireplaces. Sharing a parking area with the stone pavilion is an open air wooden pavilion.

CCC Observation Tower

Located near Cheaha Lake you will find swimming, picnic tables and two more pavilions. The larger of the two pavilions was constructed by the CCC and offers a working fireplace. Closer to the lake you will find the smaller pavilion. Its proximity to the playground and the swimming area make this pavilion very desirable.

***The restrooms at Cheaha Lake are closed for the winter from October 15th through April 1st.

Trails

Cheaha Resort State Park offers several hiking-only trails.

Near the Bald Rock Group Lodge is the ADA Bald Rock Boardwalk Trail. One-quarter-mile in length, this interpretive trail terminates in a scenic overlook from where views stretch halfway to Birmingham.

Further down the road is the Pulpit Rock Trail. A moderate hike, Pulpit Rock is a quartzite rock facing where many guests come to repel or just take in the view.

Further down the road is the Rock Garden and Lake Trail, the most difficult trail in the park. The lake trail is responsible for more than a 1,000-foot elevation change in the first 1/2 mile of the trail.

Each year, Cheaha Resort State Park hosts the Annual Mountain Bike Chamipionship Race. The race follows a 10-mile course set-up on the Park's Mt. Cheaha Express Bike Trail.

Centrally located in the Talladega National Forest, Cheaha Resort State Park is ideal for access to the Kentuck ORV trail, an ATV trail built and maintained by the National Forest Service. The Park is home to the Cheaha Trailhead of the Pinhoti Trail, a 107-mile trail eventually connecting into the National Parks Service, Appalachian Trail, accessing trails like the Odum Scout Trail or the Chinnabee Silent Trail where there are some of the most beautiful waterfalls in the area.

*** The Talladega National Forest charges day use fees in some of its recreation areas. These fees are separate from any day use fee charged at Cheaha Resort State Park.

*** All National Forest Trails are subject to Rules and Regulations dictated by the National Forest Service.

Birding

Located atop the highest point in Alabama, it offers diverse birding opportunities across various habitats. The park's forests are home to species like Pileated Woodpeckers and Eastern Towhees. Birdwatchers can spot raptors such as Red-tailed Hawks soaring above mountain ridges. Migratory birds including warblers pass through during spring and fall migrations. Bald Rock Trail provides accessible viewing for a variety of woodland birds year-round.

The park features several overlooks where visitors may observe vireos, tanagers, and other canopy dwellers.
Bird enthusiasts often find thrushes along the quieter trails within mixed hardwood-pine ecosystems.
During winter months, finches and kinglets frequent feeders near cabins and picnic areas.
Lake Cheaha attracts waterfowl while offering serene spots for patient observation.

Visitors should check local sightings reports for seasonal variations in avian populations present at any given time

Area Attractions

Alabama's Talladega National Forest, Cheaha State Park's neighbor, has many interesting and exciting adventures readily accessible from the Park. Many visitors to Cheaha also enjoy hiking to one of several waterfalls near the Park, like, High Falls, Devil's Den and Cheaha Falls. Directions to these sites are available at the Country Store and Hotel Front Desk. Be sure to check with the National Forest to obtain detailed use, rule and regulations information.

Multi-Use Playground

It should be the goal of every park to provide a habitat for fond memories. For this reason, Cheaha State Park is proud to boast about our newest playground. Located at Cheaha?s own 6 acre lake, this multi-station playground was erected to replace the out-dated and antiquated equipment installed in this same location years ago.

In 1933 the Civilian Conservation Corps began construction on Cheaha State Park. Aside, from the stone structures on the Mountain?s Top and the two stone pavilions in the park, the only out door recreational opportunities at Cheaha were a few trails and the hand-dug Cheaha Lake. In the 1950?s a playground was erected on the shores of Cheaha Lake to provide entertainment for children that frequented the park with their families. Eventually, over the past 30 years, this equipment began to show its age and wear.

At a cost of over $27,000.00, a new playground was purchased through donations from various persons who love our park, and by those made in memoriam of persons like: Mr. Derek Fell and others. $15,000.00 of those monies used for this equipment?s purchase was made possible by Senator Kim Benefield and the Alabama Department of Economic & Community Affairs (ADECA). Had it not been for persons and agencies such as these this playground may not be here today for our children.

Saturday, October 25, 2008, Cheaha State Park officially opened our new playground with a small ribbon cutting ceremony. Park employees, guests, parents and children, including those from the BSA & Cub Scout Troop 1990 in Douglasville, GA celebrated this occasion. Now open for all of our guests we invite you to bring the kids and have a ball!

Visitor Comments, Memories and Reviews

November 6

After taking a four hour ride to the park and looking forward to a great lunch we were highly disappointed. Restaurant could not even tell us how long the wait was as there were so many people waiting in and around the restaurant. No one looked happy however the views and park are beautiful. Just go with a full tummy.

November 25 restaurant by Chris

13 people in our motorcycle group rode to this park for a day ride from Georgia. We ate at the restaurant. The service was bad and rude. The food was not any good. We all said it was a waste of money. WE may ride there again but will never eat in the restaurant again !!!!

June 23 Love it all!

l Live in west Ga. hr. drive to peace, quite, good food and service, good walking trails. A Great place to eat on Thanksgiving.

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Area Campgrounds

Scenic Drive RV Park and Campground
Anniston, AL
256-201-8012

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Directions

Location: Cheaha State Park is located twelves miles south of I-20 off State Highway 281 in northeast Alabama.

Directions:

From I-20, take exit to AL-77. Turn right onto AL-77 and travel approximately 13 miles. Turn left onto AL-21 (Haynes St) and travel less than a mile. Turn right onto AL-21 (North St E) and continue on AL-21 approximately 5 miles. Bear right onto McElderry Rd (CR-398) and continue on McElderry for less than a mile. Turn right onto Cheaha Rd (CR-385) and conetinue on Cheaha Rd approximately 8 miles. Continue onto AL-281 and travel approximately 2 miles to the park entrance.

Nearby Parks

Freedom Riders National Monument

Talladega National Forest

Alabama State Parks

Alabama State Parks