Cloudland Canyon State Park Camping: for Anyone and Everyone

With 140 camping and glamping options, you won’t want to miss out on Cloudland Canyon State Park camping reservations!  The views alone are worth visiting for, and if you just so happen to also enjoy hiking, the well over 50 miles of hiking trails are worth staying for!

I’ll be getting into all the details from types of campsites, hiking in this park, a possible itinerary, and even a price comparison!

But what do I mean by “camping for anyone and everyone”?  That’s a pretty bold claim.  But it’s definitely true here!  

They have hike-in campsites, for those who like a challenge.  Walk-in sites for a cheaper and more spread out camping option.  And who could forget those who love their RV/Camper (up to 50 feet too)!  And finally, they have yurts and even cottages for a cozier (and more expensive) stay.     

Whatever your camping vibe, there is something for everyone and every price range.  

Important Links

Cloudland Canyon State Park website

Cloudland Canyon State Park Camping – Reserve Here!

State Park Map

State Park Trail Map

Hiking in Cloudland Canyon State Park Post

Location

30 minutes south of Chattanooga, TN and 2 hours north of Atlanta, GA, this stunning state park is the perfect weekend getaway for anyone near the tri-state lines of Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia.  

Cloudland Canyon State Park has so much to offer!  From hiking to biking to horseback riding and of course, camping!  Whether you are looking for a day trip, weekend getaway or a week in a Yurt, this state park has it all.  

The official address is

122 Cloudland Canyon Park Road

Rising Fawn, GA 30738

But we all know you can just type in Cloudland Canyon State Park into your favorite map app (Apple, Google, Waze) and it’ll take you right where you need to go.     

Time to Spend Here

This section is always a little challenging because I don’t know your schedule, your budget, or activities you are into.  So, as usual it is hard to tell you exactly how much time to spend here. 

But here is my advice.

If you are looking to just see the views and maybe walk to see the famous overlook, then you won’t need more than a few hours at this park.  I’ll also say that you’re missing out on some awesome hiking, but you do you!

If you are like us (a bit of a weekend warrior) who wants to hike the highlights of Cloudland Canyon State Park, then you’ll want to spend a weekend here. I highly recommend the canyon rim (West Rim Trail) and seeing the stunning waterfalls!  Our weekend itinerary is below.  Feel free to copy it or to adapt it and make your own.  

And finally, if you are looking to hike all, or most, of the trails or just need a getaway and want to enjoy a peaceful place in north Georgia, then you could stay for a week or more here.  The quiet woods, stunning waterfalls, awe-inspiring canyon and just overall peace surrounding this place will definitely help you to get away from the insanity of life.  

But again, this is for you to decide!

Our Itinerary is below, so feel free to copy it, modify it, or ignore it and do your own thing.  Regardless, Cloudland Canyon State Park is definitely worth seeing if you’re anywhere nearby!

Our Itinerary

Friday: Drive from home to Cloudland Canyon State Park (Rising Fawn, Georgia).  Walked into our campsite, set up our tent, ate dinner and went to bed.  Oh, and of course a massive storm blew in and we barely slept, but that’s just normal camping things.

Saturday: Woke up, ate breakfast, hit the trails.  We hiked the West Rim Loop Trail and the Waterfalls Trail.  We came back, had a fire, ate some delicious grilled chicken sandwiches, and enjoyed some quiet time in the woods.

Sunday: Had breakfast and packed up camp.  Since we had the walk-in campsite, we had to walk all of our stuff out to the truck and this is when we decided to be very careful about what sort of walk-in campsite we would book in the future.  We walked the Overlook Trail to see the famous views of this state park.  Finally, we headed home to end the weekend.

Hiking Options 

There are many miles of trails within the Cloudland Canyon State Park.  And while I won’t go into too much detail with this post, you can check out my Hiking Cloudland Canyon Post here!

But for a brief overview, the trails are as follows:

• Overlook Trail – 1 mile out and back – Easy
• West Rim Loop Trail – 5 miles round trip – Moderately Strenuous: Elevation Gain 750 ft
• Waterfalls Trail – 2 miles round trip – Strenuous: Elevation Gain 500 ft.
• Sitton’s Gulch Trail – 6 miles round trip – Strenuous: Elevation Gain 1000 ft
• Two Mile Backcountry Loop – 2 miles round trip – Moderate: Elevation Gain 220 ft
• Meadowlands Trail – 1 mile round trip – Moderate
• 5 Points Recreation Area – 10 mile round trip – Moderate: Elevation Gain 800 ft
• Cloudland Connector Trail – 7 miles – Hard: Elevation Gain 560 ft.

Regardless of what trail you choose, there are beautiful views all over this park.  And Georgia will put up a good fight with some of the elevation changes on these trails.  

For more details on our hikes, check out my post on Hiking in Cloudland Canyon State Park.  This will provide pictures and details of the trails we did, plus some great information about the park!

Campground 

When considering Cloudland Canyon State Park Camping, there are 140 campsites to choose from.  And while that is a lot, there are several different types to pick from based on your preference.  As in, how outdoorsy do you really want to get? 

Just make sure you book sooner rather than later.  Like most popular state parks, there were no openings on the weekend that we camped here.

But let’s talk about this level of “outdoorsy-ness” (yes, I’m making this a word).  

Most Outdoorsy: For those campers who like a challenge and want to hike into their camping location, there are 13 backcountry sites.  

More Outdoorsy: Or the campers who prefer primitive tent camping, there are 30 walk-in sites.  This is the option we chose because of how cheap it is.  But be warned, you are truly walking in your gear, so pack light!

Outdoorsy: Then there are those recreational vehicle campers, better known as RVs or Travel Trailers.  There are 75 back-in and pull-through sites that were just upgraded not too long ago.  So enjoy that electricity and water!

Not Outdoorsy: And for our glampers, there are 10 yurt options and 16 cottages to choose from.  Who says camping can’t be luxurious!?

One final word about this campground (and all campgrounds for that matter!).  Be sure to read the description of the site before you book.  Some are listed with a limit of a 25 foot camper while others can accommodate up to a 50 foot camper.  

In my experience, Georgia State Parks are great at listing all the details of the campsite, but only after you click on them.  So before you bust out those credit card numbers, make sure you read every line so you aren’t caught in a difficult spot when you get there.  

Details

• 75 tent/camper/RV sites
• 16 cottages
• 10 Yurts
• 30 walk-in tent sites
• 13 backcountry campsites
• Playgrounds
• Bath houses and Bathrooms throughout each campground section

Walk-In Sites – Tent ONLY (dog friendly)

Walk-In Sites are a great and cheap option for a solo traveler or a family of up to 6 people.  There is no electricity here, so bring your charger packs, but it’s a great way to get away on a weekend without breaking the bank.

Oh, and these sites are for tent only, so don’t accidentally book here if you aren’t going to be using a tent.  

If you aren’t familiar with walk-in sites, there is a brutal truth in the name.  You walk into your site, leaving your car at a parking lot nearby.  Or not so nearby depending on which site you book.  

I will admit it was Cloudland Canyon State Park where I first booked a walk-in site.  Only problem was, I didn’t realize what I was booking and we had to walk over a quarter mile to our site while lugging our stuff all the way out there.  Oops!  Don’t make my mistake!

So if you have a lot of gear, either consider only taking the essentials, or looking at a tent/camper/RV site where you will be able to park right next to your tent.  

On a positive note, this walk-in section does have a bath house with showers, so you aren’t going to be COMPLETELY roughing it.  

Backcountry Campsites (dog friendly)

Speaking of roughing it, you also have the option to book a backcountry site. There are 13 options here at Cloudland Canyon to choose from.  

Now, these sites are not in a loop, but instead all spaced out around the Bear Creek Backcountry Trail or the 2 Mile Backcountry Trail (yes, this is its name).  11 of these sites are listed as requiring a mild hike to reach the site, while the remaining 2 require a strenuous hike to reach them.

This is a screenshot straight from the website.  I have taken the liberty to circle the backcountry sites for you and you can see that most of them (the mild hike required ones) are all clustered together.  But the remaining 2 are separate and will require a much harder hike.  

There is no bathroom nearby, so bring your TP and don’t forget, you are in bear country so be cautious about your food.  

While this isn’t my cup of tea, if you are looking for something a little more wild in your camping adventure, go for it!  They just require that you be at the site 1 hour before dark so you aren’t hiking in the dark and trying to set up in the pitch black of night.  

But if you are like the average state park camper, and prefer to have access to a bathhouse, to be able to park your car on your site, and to be near some people,  this brings us to the next option.

Tent/Camper/RV Sites (dog friendly)

These sites are the typical camping sites where you park your car, take 3 steps and boom you’ve reached your campsite for the weekend.  Simply set up your tent or level your rig and you’re good to go.  

Above is a photo straight from the Cloudland Canyon website of Campsite 50. This is how most of the sites are set up.

All the sites on this loop can accommodate tents, campers, or RVs.  But be sure to read the description of how big of a rig the site you are looking at can take.  They have several options on the website.  

Sites for 25 foot and under campers/RVs.  Sites for 40 foot campers/RVs, 45 foot sites and all the way up to 50 foot sites.  There is a filter on the reservation site, so you can easily enter what type of equipment you have and then determine which sites would be a good fit for you.  Just remember, the larger your rig, the fewer options you have.  In other words, book sooner rather than later. 

One other thing to note, is that not all sites are created equal.  Some just have 30AMP hook-up and others have 50AMP hook-up AND water hook-up.  So again, be sure to read the description or you might be in for a rough surprise when you get there! 

But now, for the most luxurious options, we have the Yurt and the Cottage options.  

Yurt and Cottage Sites

One exciting thing about Cloudland Canyon State Park Camping is there are two glamorous options. Yurts and Cottages.

Yurts (Not dog friendly)

Let’s start with Yurts.  First off, if you don’t know what a yurt is, it’s basically a round standing tent that is based on ancient nomadic people’s dwellings.  But now, they are pretty much used for glampers who want a slightly more outdoorsy feel to their stay.

As you can see from the photos directly from Cloudland Canyon’s website, they look to be quite nice!  We did walk past a couple as they are very close to the West Rim Trail that we hiked.  

There is a maximum of 6 people who can stay in a yurt, so take that into consideration when booking. Dogs are not allowed in the yurts so leave the fur balls at home or the kennel for the weekend.

Now onto the cottages.

Cottages (3 are dog friendly)

There are a couple types of cottages, but essentially it boils down to how many bedrooms are in the cottage.  There are 2 bedroom cottages and 3 bedroom cottages.  

The 2 bedroom cottage can hold 6 people or 8 people, so make sure you read the description and the 3 bedroom cottage has a capacity of 8 people.  

And as you can see from the photos on the website, these cabins look adorable and the perfect way to stay in Cloudland Canyon State Park.  It appears that the 2 bedroom options are more dated, but they are also more affordable.  

In other news, only 3 of the cottages allow dogs.  If you plan to bring your furry friend along, make sure you book early! And as usual with any permanent type of camping, there is a pet fee that will be collected at check-in.

But at the end of the day, the most important part of going Cloudland Canyon State Park Camping is being able to afford to stay here.  So let’s get down the cost of all the options!

Price Comparison

• 1 Backcountry site is $10 per night, or $70 per week
• 1 Walk-in site is $22 per night, or $154 per week
• 1 Standard Tent/Camper/RV site is $38.00 Per Night, $266.00 Per Week
• 1 Premium Tent/Camper/RV site is $42.00 Per Night, $294.00 Per Week
• 2 Bedroom Cottage is $185.00 Per Night, $1,295.00 Per Week
• 3 Bedroom Cottage is $225.00 Per Night, $1,575.00 Per Week

Depending on your budget, there is something for everyone.  We chose the Walk-In option as this was a very cheap option while still having access to the bathhouse.  

But what did we really think of the campground?  Keep reading.

Our Camping Experience

Upon arrival at Cloudland Canyon State Park, we followed the provided map to the walk-in loop where we were staying. This was my first time booking a walk-in site.  

Admittedly, I didn’t realize how far of a walk this would be and we quickly realized we weren’t going to be able to carry all of our totes of gear up to the site.

So after digging around in our containers, and lugging our required gear up to the campsite, we had a quick dinner and headed to bed.  

After this minor setback we really enjoyed our stay here.  We hiked nearly all day Saturday and then had a fire and relaxed Saturday evening.  We slept there that night and then packed up the next morning.

I will say, we loved how spaced out the campsites were from one another.  Meaning we weren’t hearing our neighbors talking during the day or snoring in the night.  

The bathhouse was a bit of a walk from our site, but it was newly renovated when we were there and had a very nice shower.  I will say there were a very limited number of showers for all of those sites, so I would suggest taking a shower earlier in the evening so you don’t have to wait in a line to get clean.  

But honestly, we quite enjoyed our stay here and we do plan on returning to Cloudland Canyon once we get our camper hopefully within the next year!

Conclusion

Cloudland Canyon State Park Camping can be done in a tent, a camper, a cottage or even Yurt.  The peaceful campground and proximity to great hiking made this an awesome location you won’t want to miss.

If you are in the market for a weekend getaway in the mountains of north Georgia, you aren’t going to want to miss this beautiful place.  It’s the perfect getaway location for everyone and anyone.  

Hopefully this article answered all of your questions about staying in Cloudland Canyon!

If you still have questions or if you have a comment, I would love to hear from you!  You can comment here or email me at [email protected]

Happy Camping!