Cloudland Canyon (formerly Sitton Gulch) cuts into the northwest face of Lookout Mountain in Georgia's Dade County. Sitton Creek flows north through Cloudland Canyon toward the Tennessee River. A Georgia state park encloses the canyon's apex and rim, with cabins, campsites, and trails into the gorge.
Lookout mountain rock is typical of the Ridge and Valley: layered sandstone, limestone, and shale. Sitton Creek cuts through these strata in a series of cascades from Lookout Mountain's flat top. Sandstone layers resist erosion, standing in sheer faces. Shale layers erode more easily, producing a stepped series of near-vertical sandstone cliffs and gentler vegetated shale slopes. Limestone layers may conceal cavern networks conducting groundwater to springs at the cliff face. Trails into the gorge reveal geologic details such as a sediment-filled ancient stream channel visible at the base of the upper falls.
Cloudland Canyon scenery, like that of Alabama's Little River Canyon, has a dramatic beauty unlike that of other Georgia mountains. Both the Cohuttas and northeast Georgia's Blue Ridge peaks have more roundly eroded forms; whereas northwest Georgia's mountains and ridges have an abrupt linear look, juxtaposed with open valleys.
For more information on Cloudland Canyon, consult:
