Bunker Tower in Cheaha Mountain State Park, highest point in the state of Alabama Photo courtesy Alabama Bureau of Tourism and Travel

Cheaha Mountain State Park

The Creek Indians named it Cheaha meaning "high place" -- an appropriate name, as Cheaha Mountain in Lineville, Alabama is the highest point in Alabama, at 2,407 feet above sea level. Cheaha Mountain State Park is one of the oldest in Alabama, and a jewel of the 24 parks which comprise Alabama's State Park system. Located 90 miles west of Atlanta in the foothills of the Appalachians, Cheaha is a 2,799-acre mountaintop retreat. Many of the structures in the park were constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), established in 1933 by President Franklin Roosevelt. The road to the park, lookout tower, cabins and caretaker's house were constructed by 200 CCC workers; the rocks and timber used in their construction were taken from the top of the mountain. The park officially opened on June 7, 1939, after nearly six years of construction of its buildings and roads.

Today the park offers a resort inn, swimming pool, restaurant, vacation cottages, chalets, modern campground, picnic area and pavilions. Unique plant and rock formations add to the individuality of the park. Three short hikes can be made in within a few hours including trails to Bald Rock, Pulpit Rock, and the Rock Garden. Bald Rock Trail connects with the 10-mile-long Odom Scout Trail, blazed by Boy Scouts in 1961, and part of the Pinhoti Trail System. In the spring, azaleas, rhododendron and other flowers are in bloom all over the mountain. A spring-fed lake or swimming pool provide summer recreation. In the fall, colors explode in the area in a spectacular display. More than 279,000 visitors came to Cheaha Mountain State Park in 1998.

The project is documented with four pages of text, nine color slides and two 4 x 5 black-and-white photographs.

Originally submitted by: Bob Riley, Representative (3rd District).

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