DELTA, Ala. — Alabama State Parks has dedicated a new 32-room lodge at Cheaha State Park, adding modern mountaintop accommodations overlooking the Talladega National Forest to Alabama’s oldest continuously operating state park.
State and local officials gathered Friday, Oct. 16, for a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Lodge at Cheaha State Park. Although the building has been dedicated, reservations are not yet open. The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources said bookings are expected to become available in late November.
The department puts the project’s cost at $28 million. The lodge replaces a facility built in 1973 and is among the improvements supported by an $85 million bond issue Alabama voters approved in 2022.
Each guest room has a private balcony overlooking the surrounding forest. The lodge also features a rooftop bistro and a bluff-side observation pavilion, expanding the park’s offerings for overnight visitors, weddings and other gatherings.
The four-story building combines rustic materials with modern design, including mass timber construction using Alabama-sourced southern yellow pine. It stands alongside the Vista Cliffside Events Center.
“We’re excited to welcome guests to the new lodge,” Alabama State Parks Director Matthew Capps said in a department news release. “Cheaha has always been a special place, and this gives people another reason to come and stay awhile.”
Guest Services Inc., which also manages lodging and hospitality operations at Lake Guntersville State Park, will manage the new lodge. Chambless King Architects designed the project, Murray Construction served as general contractor and HPM provided construction management services.
The redevelopment began with site preparation in December 2024, according to Chambless King. Plans called for replacing much of the former hotel while renovating portions of the existing facilities.
The project marks the latest chapter in a park history that stretches back more than nine decades. Established in 1933, Cheaha State Park encompasses 2,799 acres and includes Alabama’s highest point, 2,407 feet above sea level.
Much of its early development came through the Civilian Conservation Corps, the Depression-era work program established under President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal. Workers built roads, cabins, picnic facilities and other structures that helped make the mountain accessible to visitors.
Their work included Cheaha Lake, a six-acre lake at the foot of the mountain, and landmarks such as Bald Rock Lodge and Bunker Tower. The stone observation tower served both as a public lookout and a fire observation post.
Built of local stone, the park’s original structures reflected both their mountain setting and the practical skills workers learned on the job. Surviving cabins, pavilions and other facilities remain a visible connection to that period.
The new hotel is separate from the historic Bald Rock Lodge, a Civilian Conservation Corps-era group facility with 12 bedrooms and bathrooms. Cheaha also offers cabins, A-frame chalets and developed and primitive camping.
Beyond overnight accommodations, visitors can explore the accessible Bald Rock boardwalk, hike to Pulpit Rock, climb Bunker Tower or visit Cheaha Lake for swimming, fishing and picnicking.
Reservation updates for the new lodge will be posted at thelodgeatcheaha.com, according to the conservation department.