New lodge coming to Alabama’s Cheaha State Park
Article written by Josh Bean of the Alabama News Center
A rendering shows the main entry to the Cheaha State Park Lodge projected to open in early 2026, with 32 units in various configurations. (Chambless King Architects)
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 lodge at Cheaha State Park atop Cheaha Mountain in Delta.
“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 Chris Blankenship, ADCNR commissioner. “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.”
The new Cheaha State Park Lodge will feature three hotel towers with 32 guest units in a variety of configurations. The towers will be connected by breezeways clad in copper-colored aluminum designed to reflect sunlight in a way similar to The Narrows in Zion National Park and will align with the summer solstice. Each hotel unit will have a private balcony with stunning views of the surrounding mountains and valley below. The project design also includes a rooftop bar and a meeting space that can accommodate conferences, business meetings, executive retreats, weddings or family reunions.
“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.”
A rendering shows a front view of the Cheaha State Park Lodge, which will feature three hotel towers with 32 guest units in a variety of configurations. (Chambless King Architects)
The 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 Civilian Conservation Corps structures. 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.
See renderings and learn more about the Cheaha State Park Lodge