The Bald Rock Group Lodge no longer operates a restaurant, but guests can use the full-service kitchen to prepare their own meals. Large groups can also arrange for the park restaurant to cater events at the lodge or elsewhere in the park.
Saying ‘I do’
Many wedding parties book the Bald Rock for lodging, the ceremony or reception. Wedding parties can also hold ceremonies in the Wedding Chapel or hold the reception on the restaurant deck overlooking the valley. The chapel can accommodate up to 75 guests and offers pew seating, a dressing or storage room, a piano, an organ and a fireplace. “Many people come here to get married, hold family reunions or to enjoy the hiking and biking trails,” Powers says. “Many weddings take place on the restaurant deck because it overlooks the Talladega National Forest. The restaurant deck can accommodate up to 200 people and is the number one requested wedding spot in the park because it offers such a breathtaking view.” Besides catering, the Cheaha Mountain Restaurant staff prepares three meals per day for park guests and day visitors. Many bikers ride up the mountain just to eat in the restaurant and enjoy the panoramic view. The restaurant serves outstanding steaks, desserts, sandwiches and other country cuisine. Don’t forget to sample the fried green tomatoes!
Stocked with fish, Cheaha Lake covers six acres. Laborers dug the lake by hand in the 1930s using shovels.
Fishing anyone?
The CCC dug the six-acre Cheaha Lake by hand using shovels in the 1930s. Anglers can rent johnboats or paddleboats to fish the lake. In the forest a few miles from the park, anglers may fish in the 17-acre Lake Chinnabee. The park does not allow hunting, but many sportsmen camp in the park or rent a cabin to hunt the adjacent national forest. “Many local people drive up for the day and spend time swimming, fishing or picnicking at the lake,” Power says. “In the fall, many people come up just to see the leaves. During race season at Talladega Superspeedway, about 25 miles from the park, we’re wrapped up with people. Many race fans stay here because they like the quiet and serenity of the park after the hubbub at the track. Some people pass their tickets and annual reservations here to their children in their wills.”
On the road Build of local stone in the 1930s, the Bald Rock Group Lodge once served as the park hotel. No longer used as a hotel, it can still be rented for weddings, conferences, church retreats and other group functions.
Take a hike
Behind the Bald Rock Group Lodge, the ADA Bald Rock Boardwalk Trail runs less than half a mile. Accessible to people in wheelchairs or with difficulty walking, the elevated trail terminates at one of the most scenic overlooks in Alabama. Along the way, hikers can stop to read signs describing the area flora and fauna. Several other trails wander through the park, offering various degrees of difficulty. The most difficult trail in the park, the Lake Trail eventually leads to Cheaha Lake after making a thousandfoot descent off the mountain. People wishing to make a longer hike may explore the Pinhoti Trail, which connects to the Appalachian Trail. “We are the southern connection to the Appalachian Trail,” Power says. “From here, people can hike all the way to Maine. The total length is approximately 2,200 miles. We get people come through here who have been on the trail for months. They just want a room, a bath, a nice meal and to talk to someone.”
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Within a short drive of the park, area visitors may also wish to tour the White Oak Vineyards where the park restaurant buys many wines. The Anniston Museum of Natural History displays prehistoric artifacts including dinosaur bones and Egyptian mummies. The Berman Museum exhibits various artifacts from World War II and earlier times. “I grew up in this area,” Power says. “It gets in your blood. My first memory of this park was coming here on a field trip to hike Bald Rock Trail. We sat out on Bald Rock and looked at the view. It made an impact. Now I’ve worked in the park 31 years.” For more information on Cheaha State Park, call 256-488-5115 or 800-846-2654 or visit www.alapark.com/CheahaResort. A
Cheaha State Park sits in the middle of the 392,567-acre Talladega National Forest and overlooks a beautiful valley. Visitors can hike through many mountain trails throughout the park. Much of it looks like it did centuries ago. www.alabamaliving.coop