Cheaha Falls Campground

This campsite is made up of multiple small campsites all around the falls near the trail. There are additional more private spaces further off the trail but I cover those in a different review. The advantage of these sites is that they don’t require additional trekking into the woods but the negative is that they are less secluded and can often be more crowded. Each site is fairly well established with a fire pit and cleared space for anywhere from 1-4 tents depending on the site. They all have easy access to water and an established fire ring. The location is not too far in from the main Cheaha road parking but still enough of a hike that you will want to have your gear packed up in a backpacking pack. Overall, this area is one of my favorite in Alabama to hike and camp, especially in the warmer months when other parts of the state can be unbearably hot.

There is so much to do and see here at the park.  For your stay, there is camping, cabins, chalets, and a lodge for accommodations.  There is mountain biking and hiking trails, along with a lake to swim, fish and paddle in; and a pool if you are a overnight visitor.  There is a camp store onsite along with various museums and buildings built by the CCC.  The staff hosted several educational activities and were extremely helpful and informative.  We will definitely be back - actually already plotting with our friends we went with. 

PROs: secluded park but with a lot of outdoor options within the park, Talladega Forrest and Pinhoti Trail.  Many accommodation options.  Great mountain biking, a dog run, playground, events center, etc.  A lot of historical buildings and nature activities.  Breathtaking views, quiet, peaceful, etc...  

CONs: some of the campground sites are right under street lights (these are pointed out on the campground maps) and a few of the pull-though sites have the road in front of your camper (as opposed to behind) leaving no room to use your awning; the picnic table and fire ring are behind/beside your camper.  No cell reception at lower campground (and spotty in general, but in all honesty this is more a PRO unless you have work or other obligations).

We had such a great time. We stayed at the lower improved campground and enjoyed it. The RV next to us said the upper improved campground is even nicer, but because they are gated, we couldn't drive through to see. Because they are gated, there is little traffic driving through. We enjoyed the playground and the lake with the kids. This is a place we will be back for sure.

Great little spots for tents! Smooth surfaces, very shady, and clean low maintenance bathroom.

This area near the waterfall encompasses several sites of varying sizes. They each have their own space but are still visible from each other. They all have easy access to the waterfall and are in such a beautiful area. Check out the video where I show you around a couple of the sites.

First time to Cheaha Falls State Park and it is extraordinary! I literally drove up into the clouds to get to the Cheaha Falls Campground. Very nice, well laid out campground with good size pull through and back in sites. Full hookup and nice showerhouses. You are pretty much going either up hill or downhill while here, not much level ground. The views are just WOW! There is a wooden ADA walkway to one of the overlooks and plenty of challenging trails to check out with more breathtaking views. The original CCC Lodge is cool to look at, you can rent it for events. This is just an awesome park to enjoy!

This walk in campsite is right next to the waterfalls. Tons of exploring can be done around camp or you could extend the trails and explore Devils Den Falls as well! There is an established fire ring, lots of flat places for tents and lots of trees for hammocks. The walk from Chinnabee Silent Parking lot is 1 mile. It looks like people also park along the entrance on road 600-G making it only a 1/2 mile walk into camp. 

I was sad to see trash left behind in the fire pit. Please pack out what you pack in (and help pick up along the way too!)

It was a well maintained and clean camp ground. Family had a lot of fun.

My first real camping trip with a tent. I chose an RV spot so we had electricity and water. There were a mix of RVs and tents so we weren't alone in our choice. The restrooms and bathhouse were nearby and clean. Amenities were the lake, hiking to Bald Rock on top of the mountain, had a nice supper at the restaurant on the second night and captured a gorgeous sunset. I liked the fact that you could add an extra tent for $5 extra dollars (grown daughter came with us). Many campgrounds only allow one tent so I didn't mind the extra fee for the second tent so we had elbow room. Only down side was second night there were noisy, drunk college kids walking around and was woken up around 4 a.m. An RV with air conditioning running would have drowned out the noise, but tent campers don't have that luxury (Oh well.) I did take it in stride and had a great time and plan to go back again. The drive up the mountain was gorgeous with several stops to admire the view.

Campground Review:

If I were asked my favorite place to backpack in Alabama I would easily say Mount Cheaha since it has the best views and you get an ever changing hike with rivers, waterfalls, and peaks all in a single day. One of the great backpacking loop within the Cheaha wilderness is the skyway trail and the Cheaha Falls Campground is my favorite place to stay while doing it. Although this site might not have some of the same spectacular views you get by staying on one of the peaks it has a waterfall and a cool fresh stream which can be a lifesaver in the Alabama heat. You also get the advantage of flat ground and plenty of sites to pick from and spread out. There are also enough spaces around to bring a whole group. 

This camping area is made up of around 3-4 separate spots that have their own built up fire pits and cleared tent areas. Since it is a backcountry site and you have to hike in several miles to get here there aren’t really any amenities and whoever sets up shop first gets the site. An alternative option if all sites are taken is to climb the hill and stay in the shelter but that often gets claimed first and requires carrying your water up a steep slope. 

If you do decide to stay here I highly recommend arriving early and following the stream down to get to the waterfall. You can scrabble along the steep slope and have a wonderful space to set up a hammock, dip your toes, or even go for a swim if the day is hot enough and the water level high. It is a perfect way to relax after a long day of climbing the peaks on the other side of the trail. 

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Product Review:

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get to test products. At this campground, I tested the Grandtrunk Nano 7 Premium Ultralight Hammock. I love bringing a hammock with me when I backpack so having one that is lightweight enough to not overload my pack was very exciting. Some of the things that I really loved about the Nano 7 hammock are:

1. Weight and size: This hammock is seriously light. I often struggle whether to bring along the hammock on backpacking trips when I wont be using it for sleeping but it wasn’t a question this time. It took up almost no space in the pack and didn’t take me overweight even with the lightweight straps. The decreased weight and footprint come with the cost of a slightly smaller surface that is tight for 2 people but it still works and is worth it in the end.
2. Comfortable material: The fabric used to make the hammock is a super lightweight nylon that feels somewhat different than other hammocks of the same quality and has a little more slick to it. I actually found it to be very comfortable and it even helped me feel cooler which was an advantage. 
3. Built in carabiners: Many of the hammocks on the market use heavy carabiners attached to additional rope to hold the ends of the hammock together but the Nano 7 has small lightweight carabiners that attach directly to the hammock material and make it easy to set up and hook into the tree straps.

Overall this hammock was well thought out and every aspect was designed to reduce weight while still remaining comfortable and easy to set up.