Chewacla State Park

I absolutely loved this place. My dog and I were in heaven. We walked some trials and start out at the open beach area then went to see the waterfall. We were both tapped out after but this place had so much more to offer than just that and I can’t wait to go back in July.

What a great place to have right in town! There are miles and miles of hiking trails. There’s a lake that you kayak or canoe across. The water fall is so fun to hang out around and play on the rocks. It’s a great place to bring your dog! Bring a picnic and just hang out all day! There’s also a wonderful bike trail as well.

Awesome mountain bike trails with great scenery a short drive from the Auburn University campus and Interstate 85. The Ranger and his staff are always nice as well as the visitors!

Who ever thought there was a water fall in the college town of Auburn Alabama. Bring cash for parking, and be prepared to walk a little bit. Once u get there the site is amazing and a true beauty. Rocks are slippery of course but feel free to wear crocs or other stable shoes to get your feet wet in. If you’re a nature buff I’d recommend it definitely!!!

GreAt time! Will come back in a heartbeat. No reason to travel any further. Cabin #3 was great. It is small. Built in 1930 so keep that in mind.
Activities galore. Enjoy nature or go to town. Water park within 2 miles. Trip to the falls was great. No too intimidating for this 60+ couple.
Brought our Brittany spaniel and all she wanted to do was be outside. We brought our cable leash and she could watch, watch, watch. Kudos on having dog friendly cabins.

When touring a new area I always try to explore the natural side. This was my first time in Auburn and by far I thought this park would be the highlight of the week. It’s the only state park in the area and dates back to President Theodore Roosevelt’s time. As a matter of fact it was his «New Deal» program during the depression that put people to work and built many of the buildings you will still see today. Finding Chewacia State Park is not difficult since it is off the main drag of the city and signage is good at Shell Toomer Pkwy.
When entering the park you check in at the small stone ranger station. I pulled over to get park info and chatted with park staff. They were wonderful in providing everything I needed to explore the grounds. I knew that I would be coming a few times, so I was not going to hit everything in one day. The price is dirt cheap at $ 2 for most and this allows you to do everything outside of a few rental items on the water.
The most notable sign of improvements was right up front and boy was it really cool. A newer mountain bike obstacle course looks off the hook amazing. I witnessed a few kids doing it and they were having a ball. The park has a total of 16 miles of bike trail and this is something they are hoping to expand even more due to a high level of interest. It does not cost a dime more, so bring your two wheelers and take on their huge 15 foot wall. This is a mountain biker enthusiast dream come true.
I checked out the park map to find around a fifteen unique trails to enjoy. All 8 miles is pet friendly if on a leash. I knew there was no way to conquer this in one day, but set off to enjoy what I could over several visits. They were really great. Several of the trails do have serious erosion issues which need to be addressed, I am unsure if anything is currently being done, but a plan should be in place to restore them. I assume there is such a plan with scarce funding for the park being central to the problem.
The 26 acre lake is the parks main attraction and sets among beautiful trees. As you enter it will be on your right. Play grounds and a larger building housing changing rooms and restroom are at the top of the hill before descending to the lake. The building is an old 1930’s CCC project and is all stone like other construction at the park. It’s adequate, but in need of restoration.
The playground equipment is old steel type and in poor shape with flaking chips of paint on everything I saw. The two sections are divided by a bridge and both are old. Obviously the recent resources in the bike trail were a higher priority than the play area. In my opinion it needs to be a top priority. Some things you can be nostalgic about, this is not one for me, it just too old and too poor of shape and presents safety concerns.
Swimming is permitted on the beach area that is by the playgrounds. Rentals are available to paddle boat and canoe at $ 5 per hour. The paddle boats I saw docked did not look in great shape, however I am sure functional. Now when it comes to the water quality of this lake I am no expert, but personally I would not let my kids swim in it. It looked even worse in an area by the bridge cross over. Stagnant trash filled algae water is just unsightly.
I drove deeper into the park and encountered pavilions that were again original CCC construction. None were dilapidated, but all looked like they needed some amount of renovation. The pavilions are a reasonable rental at just $ 50 for an entire day. This is money well spend for family gatherings, or group functions. The largest is top of the hill close to the man made waterfall. This would be my first choice. It not only had a stunning view and close proximity to the falls, but it had a gigantic green space for recreation.
I did venture down the steep hill to the man made water falls on one of my days at the park. I can tell you it’s a lot easier to descend it than climb it. So enjoy your view going down, because it will be a bear coming back up. I would recommend bringing a bottle of water for any type of trail walking, especially in the Summer.
The hike down to the falls is worth your effort, they are spectacular. Be careful with a steep incline and high altitude drop once your at the bottom. I loved boulder skipping and taking in the wonderful view. However, what was a complete shock was the amount of debris in the landing area by the rocks. It was a complete eye sore was not all recent. There were even abandon clothing. This moved my opinion from a 4 to a 3 star review in a heart beat.
There is a lot Chewacia has to offer with cabins, camping, hiking, swimming and new bike trails. The park holds a lot of history and is a rustic beauty. Funding for a new playground, shoring up eroded trails and water quality need to be a priority. I would recommend this as a must for anyone wanting to explore the natural side of Auburn

They have cabins if you don’t want to bring your own tent or camper, awesome trails for running and mountain biking, lake to swim in and plenty of camp sites. The area is very clean and is awesome to be able to get out and just enjoy the natural beauty that this park has. I have only been here once and did not see a lot of areas but after reading others reviews I can’t wait to come back.

Small park, fun hike, very scenic… I went on the recomendation of a local and had a great time!

If you love nature trails, waterfalls, beautiful lawns and scenic views, this place is a must see!

This is one of Auburn’s jewels. My friends and I go out to the park every couple of weeks to go hiking and rock climbing/​hopping. There’s a lot more to do here than meets the eye. There are secluded parts of this park that you can set up a hammock and just relax. There is a rope swing, but you’ll have to find it (I don’t want it to get taken down). There are a few places to boulder. There are a few secluded swimming holes. The people who gave the bad reviews haven’t actually explored Chewacla. The price to get in is well worth an afternoon of exploring.

If you’re visiting Auburn, and like nature, this is a definite stop. Sure, it’s not as great as Yosemite Falls or anything like that; but it’s a relatively short hike to the falls and a great way to spend an afternoon. The bathrooms are clean, and the trails are manageable (even in flip flops). The rocks are nice to sunbathe on, and picnic areas are pretty well kept. I think it’s $ 2 per person on the weekdays and $ 3 on the weekends. That price for the amount of time rock hopping and trails makes it worth it.

The fact that they charge money to go in gets this thing a lower rating, but the fact that they are too stupid to block back entrances into the park gives the actual park a bonus star.
Camping is fun there.

I hate to be so negative, but this is the lamest state park I’ve ever been to. They charge you $ to get in, but there are literally two things worth seeing in this park. The first is the waterfalls, which are somewhat underwhelming, but pretty. The second is the lake, which is pretty tepid and scary. I haven’t swum in it, but the water temperature seems to be very warm. But is it worth the money? I don’t think so.