Cheaha State Park, Alabama

Escaping Quarantine

After 2 months in quarantine, my family and I were going a little stir crazy. We wanted to take trip somewhere in the mountains because we had a vacation planned in Shenandoah National Park in Virginia but it was cancelled because of the virus. We found a state park in Alabama that was located in the mountains just like we wanted. The park was still up and running for those who needed an escape. We were told we would not have to wear a mask while on hikes or whenever we were outdoors. That sounded like a great way to make life feel a little normal again!

The park offers a few options for you to stay while visiting. You can camp in a tent or RV near the edge of the mountain. If you choose this option you will have your own small area of land that will include a grill, a picnic table, and a great view. Some other choices are: a group lodge, a small hotel, cabins, or a chalet. We went with the chalet. The chalet included a good size property with a grill, a patio, two bedrooms, one bathroom, a kitchen, and a living room. My favorite space in the chalet was by far the living room because in it was a window that took the place of a wall. It let in so much natural light and allowed us to have a good view of the scenery.

While on this trip we went on 3 total hikes. None of the hikes at Cheaha are very long distance so if you like lengthy hikes I would suggest doing multiple hikes a day. The longest hike we went on was only half a mile each way. That was the big foot hike which was my least favorite because it didn't involve mountainous scenery like the other trails. While on the big foot trail I was very dehydrated and my vision was turning white. Thankfully before we had left we bought hydration tablets because I had this problem occur at previous events so we knew we had to be prepared. I didn't even have to drink the whole water bottle before I started to feel better and energized. If you have similar problems, I recommend the ones by nuun. Once we finished the hike we were led to a small tower. This "tower" was closed during our trip due to Covid. The other two hikes we went on ended at the edge of rocky cliffs. The sights were filled with nature, natural rock formations, and some interestingly shaped trees. Although these last two hikes were only 0.3 miles, one of them was very steep and since it had rained earlier that day, it was muddy and slippery. However it was worth the view and the pictures I got out of it. The final hike we went on had a boardwalk with a lookout at the end. If you don't want to walk on the boardwalk, there are plenty of places that you can get off and walk through the woods alongside it. Something I found helpful was to bring my KAVU Sling Bag. It helped me to remain hands-free while on these hikes and still be able to bring whatever I would need.

Something I haven't mentioned is that the park and some of it's lodging are pet friendly! You can bring your pet along to enjoy the week with you! We brought our two dogs and took them on some walks around the park with us. We did not let them tag along when going on the hikes that led to cliffs, or mountain edges. If you have a dog with a calm attitude who will not be phased by a small rodent and will not run around and drag you with them, then you should be able to include your dog when going on these adventures without a problem. Our dogs had a great time exploring new settings and getting to smell all the scents of mountain air.

The flowers in Cheaha were very vibrant and full of life. While walking down the boardwalk to the lookout, I noticed a bright pink color in the middle of the woods. I got off the boardwalk to see if it was photo-worthy and to my surprise, it most definitely was! This flower shot is now one of my favorite pictures from the Cheaha trip.

This was such a fun trip and was a great way to escape the house after being stuck inside for 2 months. If you ever get the chance I would recommend that you check it out. May-August would probably be the best time to go for nice greenery, and the fall months would be nice for some colorful trees and cool temperatures.

Some extra pictures

Thank you so much for reading about my journey to Cheaha State Park! If you enjoyed, please subscribe to our mailing list and follow us on instagram @theteentrvlr .

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