Back to Cloudland Canyon Georgia
Posted: Fri Aug 24, 2012 12:32 pm
I am posting this story and pictures a little late. This has been a busy summer for me, only slowing down this month to catch up on some things. Me and the boys went back to Cloudland Canyon Georgia, well they had never been so I figured in the mountains it will be nice and cool late July in Georgia. Sometimes it is, this time it was not. It was in the 90's except for the night, thank goodness I own fans for camping. We got to the site late, it is a drive on the highway and up the mountain for sure from Atlanta, but a great ride when you get off the main roads. We passed just south of the Chickamauga Battlefield, the site of a big Confederate victory in the Civil War, and crossed the path of the retreating Rebel army after the battle of Chattanooga.
The park was nearly deserted. We walked around and went to the scenic overhang. We had most of the park to ourselves. Here is my son enjoying the view. (Over his left shoulder, around that bend far below, is where we would end up the next day).
We had a little time to look around before setting up camp. The breeze was great!
We set up camp. Ravioli, Spagettios, s'mores for dinner, eggs and sausage for breakfast. In the morning we had deer pass close by on the way to the woods here. My little boy, who last year wanted to chase a black bear at Unicoi park with a fish net, rant to the Bus when he first saw them. As soon as the passed however, he wanted to track them. We did for a little way, but we had to break camp and get moving.
The plan was to look at the park, the go to Chickamauga and see some of the battlefield. But as John Lennon once said, life is what happens when you make plans. My younger son really wanted to go down into the canyon. As there were two waterfalls down there, and I thought they may like to see them, we descended into the abyss. It is a lot of stairs, and a lot of walking to get to the bottom. But it is worth it. We climbed down with a trail bar, two waters and a can of Creme Soda. I do love it so. This is at the bottom, looking up at the scenic overhang pictured above. Even down here it was in the upper 80's.
Some of the cliffs. This canyon has lots of the cliff boulders at the bottom.
Millipedes were all over the place. This kind spray a mist that will burn your eyes. One climbed on my younger son when we sat down, he never did sit down again until we got back up to the top.
One of the waterfalls. It was fairly dry here and not much of a falls, but it is still pretty.
I had thought the boys just wanted to see the waterfalls, but over a wooden bridge spanned a trail that according to the map, was 8 miles round trip not including the walk back up the canyon. To my amazement both boys wanted to press on! I had images of me carrying my tired little boy out of the canyon, but he was adamant to keep going, so we did. Over the bridge we went.
We followed the creek. My older son thought this was the most interesting and peaceful camping trip we had ever done.
Another cliff side. This place has to have lots of slides.
Boulders as big as houses.
Fungi and moss on a tree:
This is the trail on the way down. When we were coming back up, we help my son's hand and helped pull him along. He did indeed want em to carry him a few times, but he hung in there like a trooper! I don't think he has ever walked this far before.
Huge rocks at odd angles that have fallen down the cliffs.
There were scattered on the valley floor.
This is back at the top, four hours, eight miles later and tired! My older son really wants to come here in the snow, it would be pretty but you would slide all over the place. I am sure we will be back here often.
The park was nearly deserted. We walked around and went to the scenic overhang. We had most of the park to ourselves. Here is my son enjoying the view. (Over his left shoulder, around that bend far below, is where we would end up the next day).
We had a little time to look around before setting up camp. The breeze was great!
We set up camp. Ravioli, Spagettios, s'mores for dinner, eggs and sausage for breakfast. In the morning we had deer pass close by on the way to the woods here. My little boy, who last year wanted to chase a black bear at Unicoi park with a fish net, rant to the Bus when he first saw them. As soon as the passed however, he wanted to track them. We did for a little way, but we had to break camp and get moving.
The plan was to look at the park, the go to Chickamauga and see some of the battlefield. But as John Lennon once said, life is what happens when you make plans. My younger son really wanted to go down into the canyon. As there were two waterfalls down there, and I thought they may like to see them, we descended into the abyss. It is a lot of stairs, and a lot of walking to get to the bottom. But it is worth it. We climbed down with a trail bar, two waters and a can of Creme Soda. I do love it so. This is at the bottom, looking up at the scenic overhang pictured above. Even down here it was in the upper 80's.
Some of the cliffs. This canyon has lots of the cliff boulders at the bottom.
Millipedes were all over the place. This kind spray a mist that will burn your eyes. One climbed on my younger son when we sat down, he never did sit down again until we got back up to the top.
One of the waterfalls. It was fairly dry here and not much of a falls, but it is still pretty.
I had thought the boys just wanted to see the waterfalls, but over a wooden bridge spanned a trail that according to the map, was 8 miles round trip not including the walk back up the canyon. To my amazement both boys wanted to press on! I had images of me carrying my tired little boy out of the canyon, but he was adamant to keep going, so we did. Over the bridge we went.
We followed the creek. My older son thought this was the most interesting and peaceful camping trip we had ever done.
Another cliff side. This place has to have lots of slides.
Boulders as big as houses.
Fungi and moss on a tree:
This is the trail on the way down. When we were coming back up, we help my son's hand and helped pull him along. He did indeed want em to carry him a few times, but he hung in there like a trooper! I don't think he has ever walked this far before.
Huge rocks at odd angles that have fallen down the cliffs.
There were scattered on the valley floor.
This is back at the top, four hours, eight miles later and tired! My older son really wants to come here in the snow, it would be pretty but you would slide all over the place. I am sure we will be back here often.
