The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is constructing a new lodge on Cheaha Mountain, the state's highest point. The 26,000-sq.-ft. structure will feature 32 guest units, a rooftop bar and meeting spaces. The lodge, set to open in early 2026, aims to showcase Alabama's natural beauty and promote sustainable building practices. Funding was secured through an $85 million bond measure, with site preparation starting in December 2024. Area attractions include the Talladega National Forest, Pinhoti National Recreation Trail and Talladega SuperSpeedway.
Alabama State Parks Division render
The State Parks Division of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) is working on one of its most anticipated projects in years: a new 26,000-sq.-ft. lodge atop Cheaha Mountain in Cheaha State Park, south of Anniston, Ala.
The State Parks Division of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) is working on one of its most anticipated projects in years: a new 26,000-sq.-ft. lodge atop Cheaha Mountain in Cheaha State Park, south of Anniston, Ala.
"We are very excited to announce the new Cheaha State Park Lodge as well as a few additional renovations to this iconic state park," said ADCNR Commissioner Chris Blankenship in a March 14, 2025 news release from his agency. "Our state parks system has made massive strides in recent years on its way to being one of the best in the nation. With this project, we are adding another world-class facility to our growing list of exceptional overnight accommodations and amenities. We look forward to welcoming lodge guests in early 2026."
Cheaha Mountain, which reaches an elevation of 2,407 ft., is the highest natural point in Alabama. It is part of the Talladega Mountains in the east-central portion of the state.
The new Cheaha State Park Lodge will feature three hotel towers with 32 guest units in a variety of configurations. Each tower will be connected by breezeways clad in copper-colored aluminum designed to reflect sunlight in a way similar to The Narrows in Utah's Zion National Park and will align with the summer solstice.
A private balcony with stunning views of the surrounding mountains and valley below will be a key feature of each of the guest rooms. The project design also includes a rooftop bar and a meeting space that can accommodate conferences, business meetings, executive retreats, weddings or family reunions, ADCNR noted.
"This new lodge will showcase the best of what Alabama state parks have to offer in one of the most beautiful locations in the southeast," said Matthew Capps, director of ADCNR's state parks division. "We are grateful for all the hard work Commissioner Blankenship and the state legislature undertook to get the bond measure on the ballot in 2022 and to the citizens who voted in support of Alabama state parks. This facility will be an important addition to our state parks system, and we look forward to sharing it with the public next year."
Lodge to Be Built With Strong Exposed Mass Timber, Stone
The proposed Cheaha State Park Lodge project will use building materials sustainably sourced in Alabama, including exposed mass timber and stone that celebrate the landscape of Cheaha Mountain and complement the distinctive features of the park's 1930s-era structures, built by the federal Civilian Conservation Corps.
The exposed mass timbers are a sustainable building material made from compressed layers of wood that create strong, structural load-bearing elements with a strength-to-weight ratio similar to concrete.
During the construction and renovation phase of the project, most of the existing hotel will be replaced with the new guest units. The new hotel units will be connected to the existing Vista Event Center (previously the park's restaurant), which will be renovated to serve as the lodge's lobby with guest check-in services, office space for staff, merchandise sales and a coffee shop.
In addition, the existing pool will be converted into an observation deck and event pavilion that can accommodate up to 100 guests, as well as serve as a trailhead for Pulpit Rock.
To ensure visitors access the hotel and event center prior to the paid point of entry to the park, the gatehouse will be moved 500 ft. up the hill. The new gatehouse also will share design elements with Cheaha's new hotel and lodge.
The design for the new Cheaha State Park Lodge was led by Chambless King Architects, an award-winning architectural design firm with offices in Montgomery and Birmingham.
"Our firm's guiding principle to create environments that resonate with their place and foster genuine human connection is fully realized in our work at Cheaha," said Jared Fulton, the principal and lead project architect at Chambless King Architects. "The design will create a hotel facility that leverages its extraordinary location atop Mount Cheaha and generates the sense of a vibrant, lived-in mountaintop village that honors the site's significance within the Creek Nation and as Alabama's first state park."
"We hope the completed project will enrich the lives of overnight guests and visitors at Cheaha State Park, encouraging them to treasure the mountain for its beauty, ecological impact and historical importance," Fulton added.
Funding for the Cheaha project was provided through an $85 million bond measure approved by voters in 2022. Site preparation for the Cheaha State Park Lodge began in December 2024, and the project is expected to be completed in early 2026.
Cheaha State Park, near the town of Delta in Clay and Cleburne counties, features 2,799 acres of rugged mountain landscapes in the Appalachian foothills. The park offers primitive and improved camping, cabins, chalets and hiking and mountain bike trails. The upper and lower campgrounds, cabins and chalets have recently been renovated and will remain open during the lodge construction, according to ADCNR.
Area attractions include the Talladega National Forest, Pinhoti National Recreation Trail, Cheaha Wilderness, Chief Ladiga Trail, Forever Wild Coldwater Mountain bike trails, historic downtown Heflin, the Freedom Riders National Monument and the Talladega SuperSpeedway.
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