NOTE:  Preregistration is required, and trip is limited to 15 people.  State Park entry fee is also required.  Please email Rich Reaves at: 

Field Trip Leader:   Rich Reaves

Description:   We will visit the mouth of Cloudland Canyon to enjoy the spring flowers. We will walk the trail up into the canyon and backtrack to the parking area. Then we will walk down to the cave near the parking area. The grade is gentle unless you walk to the upper cave entrance, but all trails in the lower canyon are very rocky. This area is one of Georgia’s botanical wonders and among the plants we will see are up to 9 species of violets, decumbent trillium (Trillium decumbens), three species of toothwort: cut-leaf (Cardamine concatenata), eastern slender (C. angustata), and dissected (C. dissecta), and dwarf larkspur (Delphinium tricorne). Harbinger-of-spring (Erigenia bulbosa) ,yellow trout lily (Erythronium americanum ssp. harperi), and sharp-lobed hepatica (Hepatica acutiloba) may still be blooming.

Location & Directions:   From Atlanta take I-75 to exit 320. Go west on GA 136 through Villanow and Naomi (slight jog to left and then right). At Lafayette, take US 27 bypass around town to the north and follow the signs to stay on 136 past the Park’s main entrance & down the west side of the mountain.  As you near the bottom of the Mountain, Canyon Park Drive will be to the right off of 136 (see map & stone walls on either side of Canyon Park Drive). Turn onto Canyon Park Drive and then turn right again at the pool to reach the entrance to the park.  Turn on the gravel drive and follow it to the parking area.
Alternately, you can take interstate to Trenton (I-75 north to l-24 West to I59 South) and then follow 136 from east out of Trenton to Canyon Park Drive to the left as you start up the mountain (see map). Turn onto Canyon Park Drive and then turn right at the pool to reach the entrance to the park.  Turn on the gravel drive and follow it to the parking area.

Meet At:   The parking area for the Sitton Gulch Trail.

Bathroom Facilities:   None.

Walking Difficulty:   Moderate, primarily due to the rocky and uneven footing. No stairs on this trip! Sturdy shoes are recommended because of the rocky, uneven ground and parts of the walk to the cave may be wet depending on the recent weather.

Bring:   Lunch, water, snacks, bug spray, appropriate clothing for the forecast. We will eat somewhere in the canyon. You may wish to bring binoculars, hand lens, notebook, and camera.

Contact:   Rich Reaves, (no email day of trip), 770-827-5186 – cell but may not have service at trailhead.