Looking to get away and reconnect with nature? Glamping near Fort Payne is the perfect choice. The Dyrt can help find the best glamping in and around Fort Payne, AL. You're sure to find glamping for your Alabama camping excursion.
Resting on the western edge of northwest Georgia’s Lookout Mountain, Cloudland Canyon State Park is more than 3,000 acres—one of the state’s largest parks—of rugged geology, and offers visitors hiking, camping, rock climbing and more along the park’s most iconic feature: the deep gorge cut through the mountain (elevation varies from 800 to more than 1,800 feet!) by the Sitton Gulch Creek. Multiple waterfalls and cascades, including the uber-popular Hemlock Falls, can be found throughout the gorge, making this park feel like a hidden gem around Lookout Mountain.
Staring at the geographic anomaly isn’t the only thing to do at this park, however. Beyond the countless miles of hiking, biking and horse riding trails, geology fanatics can find rock climbing, rappelling and spelunking across the park—cave tours are even offered for beginning cave explorers at Sitton’s Cave.
The park holds a massive variety of camping options, including 72 spots suitable for both tent and RV campers, 30 walk-in sites, 13 dispersed sites, 16 cottages and 10 yurts, each in a different area of the park. With this many options, campers can find seclusion all around.
$65 / night
$8 - $110 / night
Lake Guntersville State Park offers Town Creek Primitive Campground which provides primitive campsites (boondock camping allowed 7 night maximum) on the water, bathhouses, boat rentals, ethanol-free gas (accessible by water), and the Town Creek Fishing Center.
Honeycomb Campground, the popular campground and day use area owned by the Tennessee Valley Authority on Lake Guntersville, AL, re-opened in 2009. There are currently 141 short-term and long-term stay sites available. Most of these sites have electricity and water. There is a dump station on site and a pumping service is available for campers who do not want to move their RV. The campground offers a newly built general store and laundry room. Our recently renovated bath houses are walk-in units offering complete privacy.
30 Walk-In Campsites
$25 / night
We offer pull through spots as well as luxury tiny cottages for those who want to visit without an RV. Each spot has cable, electric, water & sewer. Three swimming pools with a splash pad for the littles, 40x80 infinity edge pool, private boat launch, fishing piers, a clubhouse, laundry facilities, an RV supply store, fire pits, walking trail, and much more. We are also in walking distance to many area restaurants, shops, parks and other attractions. We welcome pets on a leash but they must not be left unattended. No tents. All of our buildings and facilities are non-smoking
Situated on 62 wooded acres in rural Cleburne County, Alabama between Piedmont, Alabama and Cedartown, Georgia with direct access to the Chief Ladiga Trail and the Pinhoti Trail and beautiful Terrapin Creek running through the property.
Activities currently available are hiking, biking, climbing, swimming, and fishing.
The Pinhoti Trail is a National Recreation Trail for hiking only. There are 150 miles of the trail in Alabama and 150 miles in Georgia and it connects to the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail in north Georgia. 140 of the Alabama miles are in the Talladega National Forest which borders the camp property.
The Chief Ladiga Trail is a paved converted railbed with 34 miles in Alabama (Anniston to the Georgia line). The trail allows use by hikers, bicyclists and skateboarders. It connects to the Silver Comet Trail in Georgia and continues over 60 miles to the outskirts of Atlanta. The most beautiful portion of this trail is in Cleburne County and it is the most recently completed portion of the trail as well.
The Talladega National Forest borders the property on three sides. The Talladega National Forest consists of 392,567 acres of protected public wilderness in North and Central Alabama. You can view more information about the Talladega National Forest at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talladega_National_Forest
Ranger
This is one of the few state parks in Georgia that offers yurts and the price is reasonable, making this a neat cool weather camping destination if glamping is more your style. Breath taking views that sort of make you wonder if you are still in Georgia.
TravelerVery clean with both day areas and multiple camping areas. Lots of rv sites and tent camping, along with walk in camp sites. Also have cabins and glamping!
Lots of trails, frezby golf and a fishing pond.
Legend
Jake from the Dyrt here! Quail Run Farm is new to the Dyrt, and we are happy to have them and their several glamping options, tiny homes & RV Site accommodation. Check them out and show them some love!
ScoutI’m a mom and aunt to 4 kiddos and decided to go camping with them but they are 10, 8, 6 and 3 so I knew I would struggle to get the tent up for all of us, and it was a bit chilly for the littles. So, I opted for the yurt option at Cloudland Canyon! It was a beautiful spot! Had everything we needed within the state park. Snacks/drinks at check in. Felt secluded but had other yurts nearby and a very clean bathroom and shower area! I’ve tent camped a lot and this was a very memorable experience for all the kids! We made breakfast on the campfire, watched Hocus Pocus late inside the yurt (using my computer and Hot spot from my phone) and hiked during the day! The views were spectacular (but whoa if you are afraid of heights) 😬 I will go back!
ScoutKinda far from the main area of the park. Basic sites. They are nice. Yurt spots available also
Traveler
Just w shirt weekend trip with some friends and we thought we'd do something different so we rented the yurts. It was amazing!
Legend
Ashley here from The Dyrt! We’re excited to have this new partner online. This property offers 2 Yurts, surrounded by nature and mountains. Check them out and leave them some love!
TravelerThere is two rv/tent camping areas, east and west rim. West has more sites but I prefer the east because of the access to the Canyon. Also yurts and primitive Camping plus cabins as well. The Canyon is beautiful from the top but you must hike down to see the falls!
LegendWooded tent and RV sites that are very nice and well spaced out to give plenty of privacy. This area also has yurts available that are set up with beds and heating/AC so they make a good option in the hot months. Lots of great hiking and views on this side of the canyon and it also tends to be a little less crowded.
RangerCampground is good with lots of options including yurts. Cabins have a great view, but at least some of them have the hiking trail right behind them. But this is an amazing park! Terrific hiking that will really give you a challenge, with lots of stairs up and down, but with some amazing waterfalls that make it all worth it. I definitely want to come back and spend more time camping here in the future.
LegendWe have been here many times, it's one of our favorite state parks! The hiking and scenery is one you don't want to miss! If you can, make the hike down to Cherokee Falls and pack your swimsuit and a picnic! As far as camping, they have literally everything a camper needs and more!! RV, hookups, tent, picnic tables, grills, firepit, yurts, cabins, restrooms, bathhouse, laundry, group lodging, etc. Super friendly and pretty clean!
GuideThere are a TON of different ways to camp here. There are cabins, primitive sites, YURTS, etc. So, there is a lot to choose from. The park was pretty clean even though it can get pretty busy in the summer months. There is a little camp store where you can purchase things you forgot as well. And the hiking is great! The West Rim Loop Trail has stunning views a few waterfalls and overlooks. Great park!
TravelerDespite what the website shows there are a couple of pull through sites. Nice state park that is well maintained. Awesome views from the rim trails. Power and water hookups only. Clean bath houses with laundry facilities. Lots of covered pavilions for group gatherings. Cabins and yurts available to rent. Lots of trails from mild to exterme. Walk in tent sites. Mountain bike rentals, disc golf and tennis courts as well as a fishing lake.
Sites are nice with grill and picnic table.
Great spot with lots of activities.
LegendCloudland Canyon SP in Georgia is on the top of Lookout Mountain. A small stream runs through the park, and has cut a deep gorge into the mountain. The view down the gorge is spectacular in fall. There are 2 campground loops, walk-in tent sites and a yurt village. The west loop is larger, mostly wooded, with level sites, with water and electric. The east loop sites are closer together, and not as private. The Waterfalls Trail is a steep climb, with stairs down to Cherokee Falls and Hemlock Falls. There is also a cave to explore with a guide.
GuideWe LOVE this park and wanted to spend more time to camp there as a family. It was a wonderful experience! We camped the weekend before July 4 so it was pretty full, but from our walk-in campsite #20 we felt like we had our own little corner of the woods. There are no site specific reservations. It is first come first served. At site #20 we had the sand pit for our large tent, a fire ring with grill, picnic table, and pitched our small tent in another clear area on the site. We found 2 perfect spots to hang our hammocks as well. It was hot, but a dip in the falls cools you right off. Technically there is no swimming at the falls. Shhhh! Don’t tell anyone.
There is a little bit everything at Cloudland: backcountry, walk-in, yurts, cabins, and a large group site on the east side. Our west-rim campsite had clean, well stocked facilities. The comfort stations increase in quality as you increase in site fees. The yurt c.s. was nicer than our walk-in station, but I loved our walk-in camping experience. I wouldn’t change a thing. All of our kids had a blast and the fur babies too! The walking trails and waterfalls are gorgeous! They have places for ultimate frisbee, biking trails, and fishing as well as a stocked visitors center in case you forget something. I am sure we will be back again his fall.
LegendCloudland Canyon State Park is located in North Georgia at the end of Lookout Mountain. The views there are breathtaking! There are trails to a waterfall and several overlook spots, perfect for pics! The campground is divided into two sections- east rim and west rim, plus there are backcountry sites, pioneer sites, and a yurt village. There’s so much to explore here, I can’t imagine getting bored, but if you do, Chattanooga is just a short 20 min drive.
The campgrounds are gated, so if you will be arriving late, you’ll need to call and get a gate code. Also, there’s a two night minimum on the weekends, however if a site is only open for one night, you can call the park directly and they will book it for you.
We stayed in the west rim loop on site #47, it was a 50amp pull through. All the sites were very spacious, and I love how the fire rings were off the picnic area, and there was a charcoal grill as well. The west rim loop is heavily wooded, so there’s lots of privacy and also lots of good hammock space. The restrooms were ok, nothing special.
The east rim loop looked to be much more open, not in the woods, but it is very close to the main overlook, so there could be some really nice views there.
The yurt village looked really cool, I’m hoping to stay there sometime. The bathhouse in that area looked really nice too.
I really love this area, and the camping is great!
LegendIf you are looking for options this State Park has a little bit of everything. This is an extremely large campground spread out all over the park. We stayed in the west rim campground and the sites were giant and secluded. Bathrooms were nothing special but clean and accessible. There is plenty of canopy cover in this west rim whereas the east rim was far more wide open, without much cover. They have Pioneer/walk-in sites, a Yurt loop as well as cottages. The sight seeing and hiking is awesome in this area. There is a day use area for those who just want to checkout the main overlook and or waterfall. We are most certainly looking forward to coming back to this campground and state park to explore. If needing a campsite near Chattanooga it is close enough even though it’s located in north Georgia. Be sure to do some exploring and at least check out the overlook!
LegendOutside Trenton, Ga, off of I59 Cloudland Canyon State Park has the views!
The West Rim trail was not super difficult but lots of roots and rocks, so watch your step. Plenty of overlook opportunities, the main overlook is at the Interpretive Center. Bear Creak is a back country 7+ mile adventure, check in before you go. There are several other shorter trails including a waterfall Trail. Then there's 5 Points Recreation Area which has bike, horse and hiking trails.
There are cabins, yurts, RV camping, back country sites and walk in tent sites, BUT reserve early! Friendly helpful staff have taken good care of the maintenance of the camping areas and the trails.
I liked the walkin campsite. It was far enough away from the other sites to not be disturbed, had connector trails to other areas of the park and a stream nearby. Plenty of room for more then one tent or hammocks and a picnic table and fire ring.
LegendMy first experience with Cloudland Canyon State Park was on a day hike, and my second was photographing a wedding here--which should set the stage for what type of place this is!
The park can be spoken of in two separate sections; the East Rim and the West Rim. The East Rim is home to several cabins, the group lodge, one of the full service campgrounds, and the main trailhead, as well as the ADA accessible overlook trail which is where many of the iconic photographs of this park come from. This side is very popular for day use as the one mile out and back hike to Cherokee Falls draws in campers and people from Chattanooga coming in to enjoy the towering waterfall and the swimming hole below. The campground here is smaller, and less private than the west rim loop, offering 24 tent/RV sites that have 30A electrical hookup, gravel tent pads, picnic tables, and fire rings, along with a bathhouse and playground. The main road to the trailheads and day use area runs past this loop and while there are trees for shade they do not offer any privacy.
The West Rim side houses the pioneer camping, west rim loop, the yurt village, and the remaining cabins. We have not been able to see the inside of the yurts, but they are spaced away from each other and off the road, and offer a lot of privacy; the loop that serves the yurts it not connected to any other road, and has a shelter, playground, and bathhouse.
The West Rim camping loop has a total of 48 tent/RV sites with 30 or 50A hookups, water, gravel tent pads, picnic tables, and fire rings. This loop is far more wooded and offers a greater variety of site size and privacy, and has an extremely quiet and peaceful vibe to it. If the east rim is good for those using their campsite as a home base for exploring, the west rim is perfect for campers who want the convenience of a bathhouse with running water and/or the ability to run electric in their RVs, but without giving up the feeling of being immersed in nature. Sites 4-9 are well spaced from each other and great for tent campers and families who want their kids to have room to play, and while site 37 does not have as much privacy being in the center of the loop, it does have one of the most perfect climbing trees I have ever seen in a public campground.
There are 16 cottages/cabins, and Georgia State Park cabins really cannot be overstated; they are well appointed, well maintained, and absolutely beautiful, and are spaced out to offer a feeling of seclusion: perfect for winter getaways, or for people who enjoy total creature comforts at night with nearby adventure during the day. Word of advice; cabins 1-5 are on the east rim and the waterfall trail runs almost directly behind them, so there is a loss of privacy there, especially on busy weekends.
Finally, the park offers 4 pioneer sites and 30 walk-in backcountry sites. I have not seen these in person yet, but it is worth noting this park has accommodations for every type of camper out there.
There is not enough good I can say about Cloudland Canyon. About 45 minutes from Chattanooga, it is a must-see for anyone traveling from out of state who want to add adventure to their tour of the city, a home base for the many hiking and climbing opportunities within the park, or just a beautiful and peaceful place to spend a few nights out in nature.
TravelerCloudland Canyon is one of the most popular state parks in Georgia and for good reason. The breath taking views from the rim are gorgeous at anytime of year The waterfalls a great to cool off in during the summer and are a spectacle to behold during the cooler months. There are also plenty of trails to explore, some tracing the perimeter of the canyon, and others diving deep into its depths. This Park makes a great place for a picnic, a family fun day, or even some Disc Golf with some friends. After a long day of fun, visitors can camp out over night. They have yurts, pioneer camping, RV camping, and back country camping. The back country campsites are located on a easy 2 mike loop, long enough to feel secluded and embrace nature, but close enough to have access to whatever you need. the sites themselves are fairly spread out with plenty of space cleared for tents, hammocks, or whatever else visitors might set up. They each have a wooden picnic table and a couple fire pits with logs to sit on when enjoy the fire. All in all, this place has it all and I would highly recommend this location to anyone looking for a quick getaway.
LegendI’ve been to Cloudland several times. It’s always a wonderful camping experience with great hiking. There are 2 camping loops, the East Loop has 30 mostly RV sites. They have 30 & 50 amp service, and water. Bathroom and shower are centralized. This loop is closer to the trail heads. The West loop is larger, with 42 sites. These are more wooded and offer better privacy. The west loop is water & electric only as well, with 2 shower/bath houses. There are 2 dump stations in the park. There are also 20 yurts, a pioneer camping area, 30 walk-in camp sites, and cabins. The bathrooms are showing some wear. They are not the most modern, but there was plenty of hot water and the water pressure was adequate. The park offers a catch & release pond, disk golf and caving with a guide. There is a security gate that automatically closes at 10 pm, so be sure to get the gate code if you are planning to be out of the park in the evening. The park is only 20 miles from Chattanooga, TN, and the Chickamauga National Battlefield, and an easy drive to Russell Cave National Monument & Little River Canyon.
LegendGreat park. There are so many great trails and waterfalls here. There are two main waterfalls but if you continue the trails there are many more. We stayed in west camp site #9. We loved our site. It backed to wooded area and was spacious but there is no buffer between sites. Water and electric and site was gravel and there are gray water dumps throughout camp. We could get to trails from the back of our campsite which was awesome. There is an east camp which is closer to the canyon rim but sites are closer together and not much shade. The 2 main waterfalls are a short hike once you go down 300 stairs. But therefore you must go up 300 stairs. There are plenty of platforms to rest. There are also yurts to rent. There is a small town with grocery and fast food about 30 minutes away. Chattanooga is not far from this park. We stayed 5 days and it was not enough time to hike and relax. We absolutely loved this park. Beware waterfalls are dependent upon rainfall. We camped here in April. Water flow was great. Temps were great 70s in day and got down to 40s at night. Perfect camping weather.
LegendCloudland Canyon State Park was worth the drive! Below Chattanooga, Tn off of GA I59 at Trenton .
The drive through the Georgia countryside was enjoyable with some fun roads (if you like snaking roads) and excellent views.
The staff was super helpful and informative and the campground selection good (reserve ahead!) RV , Cabins, yurts, backcountry sites as well as walkin campsites. The RV sites are gravel with picnic table and fire ring; plenty big to spread out in . Clean, newer facilities and well maintained.
The walk in campsites are large, spaced well apart, with picnic table and fire ring . There are connector trails near all of the different areas which links pretty much everything within the park. So once you walk into your dwelling of choice you do not have to use your vehicle again to get to the many trails and activities
The trails are moderate to strenuous and take you to some pretty awesome sights. From overlooks, to waterfalls and Georgia foliage there is a lot to discover. 5 Points Recreation Area is nearby( also has a connector trail) and offers bike, horse and hiking trails) Bear Creak is a 7+ mile back country loop that is challenging.
GuideThe walkin sites are amazing here! We had site number 21 and it had plenty of trees to hang our 4 hammocks. The west rim hike was nice and accessible from the campsite. It was in the 90s while we were there, but enjoyable under the shade of the trees. Rangers were super helpful with any questions we had. Bathrooms were ok at the walkin area, but not the best I've seen. The showers were hard to manage for my husband who is 6 ft. He said the shower head was at his chest and the stall was on the small side. Other than that, I have no complaints and would definitely go back. There were no mosquitoes when we went in July. The crickets are super loud when it gets dark. Drove around the west and east campgrounds too. The west have more privacy and tree coverage. the east is closer to the falls with less trees and more traffic through. The cabins looked super nice on the east side and the yurts were on the west side of the park. I would totally stay in the walkin sites again. We also visited nearby Lula Lake while we were there. They have certain weekends when they are open to the public. Hiking trails and more waterfalls to see.
GuideThe drive is one of a lovely country side, but about 10 miles from the park, you notice you are going up... up... with an occasional clear peep at the beautiful farm valley below. Sometimes those same views are veiled with clouds.
Upon entering the park you check in with friendly, helpful staff. The store is filled with items you may have forgotten, various treats and branded goods.
The wooded campsites are roomy and comfortable with picnic tables and fire rings. Our campsite had a little unmarked path that went down to a little stream with a foot-bridge and intersected with a larger path. Close by the campsite are various well marked trailheads.
If you want to take in the beauty nearby, there are various levels of hiking available, from easy to very challenging. If it is a more easygoing level you seek, just head over to the Nature Center in the middle of the park. Right behind it the view that is stunning. When they say “pictures don’t do it justice” they mean it. You see a 800-900 ft gorge and a multilevel waterfall. You must just sit and listen to the waterfall and feel the cool breeze. If looking for a challenge, take one of the several trails to see waterfalls or overlooks. There is no lack of photo opportunities.
The park is well kept. The comfort stations were a bit disappointing and not maintained well, though this could have been an anomaly.
Whether you want to walk in, drive in, tent camp, RV, cabin or yurt, your adventure sensibilities will not be hurt!!
LegendOur criteria for a good campground was met at Cloudland:
Level sites– check
On-duty hosts– check (there were three in the west rim loop)
Clean bathrooms– check
Reasonable separation between sites– check
Wow, we were surprised when we arrived here at 2:30 pm on a Tuesday in November to find only four available campsites still available (out of 72), so I would recommend making reservations! This is our second Georgia state park, and both have been consistently good in terms of quality. The sites are all level with water and electric and gravel pads. Each site has a very large picnic table, lantern hook, bbq, and fire pit with a grate. Two of the sites in the west rim loop were clearly defined as ADA accessible. There are also 10 yurts and 16 cottages in the park.
Cloudland is a very large park with lots to do, including hiking, biking, fishing, caving, and disc golf. There is also a nice visitor center/store where you check-in. You can buy firewood at the visitor center or there was a number you could call to have it delivered to your campsite. The person checking us in was very friendly.
We appreciate a campground where you can directly access trails, and this automatically earns an extra star in my reviews. The West Rim campground has access to several trails (it did not look like direct access was available from the East Rim campground). The trails were very well marked with signs and blazes. We hiked to the two waterfalls, likely the most popular trail in the park. Note that there are 600 steps down to the bottom of the canyon to view the waterfalls (and 600 steps back up) and during droughts, the waterfalls can all but disappear. The All Trails app indicated they were dry a week before we were there but the recent significant rainfall just before we arrived had both falls flowing again.
The bathrooms/showers were clean although one shower looked a bit worn.
As with many other campgrounds, you will hear the mournful wail of the train whistle at times throughout the night, but it was not as loud at Cloudland as in other campgrounds where we have recently stayed.
Legend**Campground Review: **
This is the second year in a row for us visiting Cloudland Canyon in the fall. Cloudland Canyon is a large state park with 72 water and electrics campsites, 30 walk-in primitive campsites, and 13 backcountry campsites. There are also cabins and yurts to rent. The RV sites are split between the east rim where the sites are close together and are in more of an open field, and the west rim, where the sites are in a wooded setting, shaded, and slightly separated. All of sites include a picnic table and fire ring.
Check-in was easy at the office at the entrance of the campground. We stayed on site 36 on the west rim. This site was mainly level and close to the bathhouse.
The bathhouse is centrally located and older, but functional and cleaned daily. There are also laundry machines available between the men’s and women’s area..
Firewood, ice, limited supplies, and souvenirs were available at the office. At the office, you can also pick up the phone number to a local that sells firewood by the cord or half cord and will deliver right to your site. We got a half cord(equivalent to about 6 bundles) for$23.
We found good cell phone service with Verizon throughout the property. The campground did not have wi-fi.
There is tons of hiking in and around the state park. On this visit, we hiked about 14 miles on trails in different areas of the park. The west rim campground also has connector trails to some of the main trails and we had our own personal connector off of site 36 to the trail system. The view on both the west and east rims area amazing, and if you decide to take on the 600 stairs to the bottom of the canyon there are two impressive waterfalls.
With this being our second year to stop here, we have fallen in love with the area. We recommend this campground and will keep returning to this area. I really like that it is less than 2 hours away from home, so we can visit this park often.
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**Product Review: **
As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get to test products. At this campground, I tested the RovR RollR 60 Cooler. This cooler from RovR is a new addition to our standard camp gear list. The RollR 60 is a sturdy cooler that has the ability to hold temperature for long periods. During our 5 days of use, we did have some ice melt, but the ice water stayed super cold, kept our items very cold, and some ice remained the entire time. The all-terrain tires and handle made it easy for moving throughout the terrain found at our campsite. The wagon bin that fits on top is great for storing miscellaneous gear and the dry bin inside the cooler is perfect for keeping those items you want cold, but not wet. I also like the fact that is has heavy-duty rubber latches to keep the lid closed tight and the critters out. I highly recommend this cooler and am excited to have this as part of our gear loadout.
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