Cloudland Canyon State Park — Attraction in LaFayette

We hiked the waterfall trails and were able to hang out on the rocks and put our feet in the water. It was a great way to cool off on a hot summer day. The hike is shady and pretty comfortable on the way down. There are a lot of stairs, so the hike back up requires a few stops to rest. There is a nice spot about halfway with a bench. The stairs are grated, so not very dog friendly, we saw a lot of dog owners carrying their dogs. We had lunch at the picnic tables and enjoyed the views of the canyon.

Check out the fishing pond. It's about a quarter of a mile from the parking lot and has several picnic tables. There were lots of small fish and lots of frogs! We caught a few of the small fish and threw them back.

We stayed in the yurt village, yurt #6. This was our first yurt experience, and we were very happy with the setup. The yurt has air conditioning and a ceiling fan, which was amazing! Water spigot at the camp site, picinic table, and a fire ring with a grate to cook on. (Tip: bring your own firewood, or you can purchase from the visitors center or tge camp host). The bathrooms nearby we're clean and well stocked. There is also a playground with a Pavillion that has grills and picnic tables.

The next day, we went on an amazing adventure to Sittons Cave. Starting at the interpretive center, we met our Caving guide, Jerry. Jerry outfit us with helmets and headlamps, knee pads, and gloves before we made our way to a nearby section of the park where we found the cave entrance. Jerry was an amazing guide! He taught us about safety, cave preservation, geology, caves, and the animals that live in them. Navigating through the cave was an unforgettable experience. We saw formations, stalagmites and stalactites, columns, and even 2 salamanders! The cave was instantly so much cooler than outside. I believe Jerry said it was 56° year round. I would highly recommend going on this adventure.

Here are a few things to know; you will wade in knee deep water at some points, you will army crawl through mud, you will squeeze through some tight spaces and at one point you will experience complete darkness.

Some tips for caving: Dress in pants that stretch but are durable as you will be sliding on your bottom across rocks. Wear a top that you is long on your midsection and long sleeves to protect from mud while army crawling. Skip bringing a backpack, opt for fanny pack. Bring a small flash light if you'd like to see more than just where your headlamp is pointing.

Check out the visitors' center for souvenirs and snacks. I personally really enjoyed the interpretive center. You can go to learn about native plants, animals, and all about the park.

I can't wait for our next...

My children and I visited Cloudland Canyon State Park on the morning of Thursday, October 17th, 2024. Thankfully, my first impression of the park didn't last very long. The young lady who was working in the visitor center seemed like she was either having a bad day or she was disinterested in being there.

There was ample parking where we were instructed to park near the main trailhead and Interpretive Center. There was also a convenient restroom and a picnic pavilion located on the perimeter of that parking lot. When we were preparing to leave the park, I noticed a poster affixed to the outside of the restrooms that had the schedule for Cloudland Canyon's events and activities for the month of October. There were three activities available for the day that we visited, but we were unaware of them prior to parking. That would be something worth sharing when visitors first arrive.

We seem to have chosen the best part of the day to visit. We arrived at the park just before 9:30 a.m., so we were able to enjoy most of our hike before the park became really busy.

We chose to hike the West Rim Loop and then hike to Cherokee Falls and Hemlock Falls. The West Rim Loop is rated "moderate," and I would agree. Much of the hike has rocks and roots to maneuver through. You'll also have a few areas with slight inclines. There are viewing stations along the route that allow you to enjoy the view and take lots of photos.

When we checked out the sign beside the main trailhead, I noticed that the hike to the falls was rated "strenuous." I told my kids that there must have been several rocks to climb before getting to the falls, but that's not the case at all. The "strenuous" part of the hike is the numerous steps you'll have to descend and then ascend after seeing the falls. It's definitely challenging, but it's worth it, and I loved it! Think of it as your workout for the day.

My favorite part was seeing the Cherokee Falls. If you're familiar with a show called Just Add Water, it reminds me of Mako Island. The view is absolutely breathtaking! You're almost completely surrounded by the canyon walls. I wish I'd taken more photos of just...

The circumstances that pained me to rate this place a four may not apply to everyone. I don't typically visit state parks and I believe it's a type of people that prefer the controlled version of the wild that do. However, the trails are absolutely stunning here with captivating views of the canyon and while the camping is not in my fashion, maybe you RV camp and that's right up your alley. If not you can hike to some campsites along the trails. You just got to get the permission.

I came to CCSP to go caving with a buddy of mine. Did you know there's caves at cloudland canyon?

There's a cave that you can get a tour of and then there's a cave that you can explore on your own if you're an experienced caver. I might make a point to mention that even though my friend and I are experienced cavers that doesn't mean we magically know where the caves are. I was kind of surprised that the park rangers didn't really have a solid direction either. You can tell by the many offshoot man-made trails that finding Case cave could be better described. It is not right next door to Sutton's cave. It's easily a quarter mile up the main trail from the lot. There's in fact a post that identifies the accurate trail leading to the cave. It would have been simple to provide these instructions. However the instructions we were provided is 'it's right next to Sutton's cave follow the trail halfway up and turn right. When you see boulders go up the mountain.' That said I would wonder if some of the rangers have actually been to the trail or these caves. They may not be aware that there are boulders everywhere. 😂 To be fair I do not know who my buddy chatted with. However in light of safety it would behoove the entire staff To be a little more familiar with giving directions to these caves.

On an almost unrelated note I was also pretty bummed to see that the buildings at the trailhead or not outhouses--Or porta potties. My friend informed me that they were changing stations. Is the caving traffic more heavy than I'm thinking that would justify two changing rooms over an outhouse or porta potty at...