My husband and I had lunch at the restaurant for the first time and it was absolutely amazing! The view was completely breathtaking, the food was amazing, and the service from our waitress was awesome. All staff was friendly and we will definitely recommend to all our friends! Great Job!
Situated at the highest point in Alabama, Cheaha State Park is a bit tough to get to but worth the effort. If you can I would try to avoid the road from Lineville, its pretty windy with a lot of steep sections. Most of the campsites are not very level but they are full hookup sites. Cellphone coverage is spotty, kind of strange considering the huge com tower sprouting out of the top of the mountain. The observation tower is worth the 50 step climb (just don't look out the side facing the com tower). Also recommended is the Black Rock boardwalk that goes out to a nice lookout point. Its isolation is punctuated by the fact that the camp store sells gas out of an old pump (at 25 cents higher than the surrounding area) for those that don't think they've got enough to get back.
Do not stay at the Chehah State Park Hotel. Terrible service and horrible rooms. NO telephone in the rooms or internet, even though they advertise that they have it. Horrible continental breakfast.
My family and I visited Cheaha State Park for a three day weekend. We all had an amazing time! I checked us in at the Country Store while my husband took the kids over to the Indian Museum directly across the street. (They all loved the museum, as well as the volunteer that was running it.) The girls who checked me in were very friendly and helpful. I was given several maps of hiking trails in and around the park. I could tell we were going to have a great time!After checking into the hotel, we headed up to our two hotel rooms. (We let the kids have a separate room, but with connecting doors which worked out perfectly!) Both rooms had brand new pillow top mattresses. What luck! They were so comfortable! The hotel rooms were nicely furnished. Exactly how you would imagine a hotel in the mountains would be. After getting everything unloaded we headed over to the restaurant for lunch. The staff was very nice even with so many guests coming in all at once, and the view... SPECTACULAR. We all enjoyed the country buffet. (I personally loved the fried chicken!) It was country cooking at its finest. Our waiter was very friendly! He kept a smile on his face, even with the restaurant completely full of guests buzzing all around him. I was impressed! The hostess checking us out was so sweet! She asked how everything was, and gave us such a warm smile. After, we headed out to a scheduled nature walk. The kids had a blast! They asked questions about several different things along the trail, and the naturalist was able to respond with very interesting and informative answers. (You could tell she knows her park incredibly well.) We all learned so much, & had a blast! We spent the next two days eating picnic lunches at the gazebo & play ground down by the lake. Enjoyed a delicious breakfast buffet at the restaurant, and hiked the waterfall trails surrounding the park. We were even able to buy some allergy medicine down at the country store when my sinuses started acting up. (One girl at the store made a suggestion of what works for her the best! lol)All in all, it was a perfect weekend. Great food, great views, & the perfect setting for quality family time.
Great scenery, and what used to be an old favorite place to camp. We used to camp here a lot then had a very bad experience once. The problem occurred when a local cabinet company had some sort of reunion, and rented out a large portion of the sites, and basically rode herd on the rest of us. Noise, chainsaws, creosote lumber burning, kids throwing rocks and sticks on our fire, teens tapping on our camper walls late at night, and they pounded horseshoe poles in our camp driveway. Occasionally, these people would walk right through where we were sitting eating in what is supposed to be private campsites. We complained to the camp host, and forced the ranger to do something, but he stated he was related to them and did nothing since his dad used to work at the cabinet shop. The campground manager came and sat with us that night like we were friends or something. She told me a story about friends of hers that are in law enforcement in my area. To make a long story short, we moved camps, then since we complained, they hired a local TV variety show personality to move into a camp next to us so he could illegally film my family and children in our private camp. That's right, cameras..... We left early, but the host felt compelled to relieve us of that nights rent. This place is dirty, and I don't mean as in soil. I thought about official complaints to the parks, but when everybody is related and or knows each other, what good would it do? I have advised the governor's office that this took place. They are investigating. Its amazing, but one of the campground manager's friends from law enforcement called me at my residence a week later and acted like he was investigating something I supposedly did from the camping incident. I asked for his official investigation report number and his agency directors phone number and then he back peddled and ended up hanging up. I'm not going to be strong armed by a bunch of hicks and their corrupt cop buddies. Other than all of this, the shower houses are nasty with fungus, and the camp wifi sucks unless you need it at the toilet house.. Daily, herds of Harvey Davidson riders roar thru the campground scaring kids. The restaurant gave me a sour stomach from their food. It's simple..... Find somewhere else to camp. If you must, Beware of the issues that you could be confronted with when you have a complaint and think you can trust a public official that oversees the campgrounds. The ranger and campground manager here put friends and personal affiliations ahead of official duties and responsibilities. I have records of it.....
Don't waste time going up the look out tower. Enjoy the Majestic View from the rear of the restaurant on the top on the mountain.
We drove over 5 hours to reach Cheaha, escaping the beaches of the panhandle for something different. Our Chalet had two bedrooms, large main room, TV, small kitchenette and one full bath. It's dated, rustic and served it's purpose. A large deck allows a full view of the sunset and a fire pit and outdoor cooking area. The Park is really, really cool. We took the trail to Bald Rock first, it is stunning and fun to explore, but, Pulpit Rock is truly the gem. Our photos on this gorgeous sunny day are beautiful. There are so many trails, we had to ask the friendly staff at the store which ones are a "do not miss" destination. We had a great afternoon on a trail along the river that comes out of Lake Chinabee which leads to the Devils Den Falls [historic] and Cheaha Falls and High Falls. Great hiking, not too strenuous, highly recommend. The bike trail which starts near the camp store, is challenging, it's not for the "cruiser" type of biker. We found the breakfast buffet to be wonderful. I ate so much the first day, I was hardly hungry by dinner. They do a great job for a restaurant located in a State Park. Believe me, there are zero restaurants nearby. Also, the store does not have a lot of groceries, hot dogs and buns and small canned stuff. Bring groceries if you plan on cooking in your cabin, room or Chalet. The staff was very, very accomodating to us. We couldn't get the fireplace going, the pilot light was off, a member of the staff was there to help in minutes. Everyone is very helpful, just ask. The CCC Museum at the rock tower was fascinating. Volunteers are there to answer questions etc. The Park is a lesson in craftsmanship and historical beauty. It's impossible not to marvel at what these people were able to create in the 30's, building roads and cabins and trails in solid rock......truly amazing....Our next visit will include staying in a smaller cabin, there are many, built out of rocks from this very mountain, and I mean "small" cabin. One bed, kitchenette and bath, but, the views from most of them are spectacular, on the edge of the mountain. We got lucky and were able to see multiple colors of the leaves on our visit on the weekend of Nov. 1 and 2. It was beautiful, quiet, relaxing and full of cool discoveries. Don't miss it.
My husband & I stopped here on our way home from a recent trip. So beautiful! The mountains & fall colors are amazing! This is the highest point in Alabama, & it reminds me so much of Gatinburg. You can look out over the mountains & see forever. Breathtaking!!!! You have to see this place! We arrived in late afternoon & stayed to watch the sunset from atop the mountain! Awesome!
Cheaha is a great place to come anytime of the year. I came here hiking and I had a great time. There is a lot of beautiful scenery including a lake. The top of the mountain has a great scenic view.
Rv camping. Sites are not too close together, wooded, hilly, lovely. Bath houses have hot water. Went in november and the leaves were beautiful. Took the path to the lookout rock. Wow! Ate the buffett. Fair. Next time I will order off of the menu. My son did and his burger was very good. The atmosphere and lodge decor make it a must to eat at. Great view. Only had one night. Will return in the spring to see the flowers and waterfalls.