A new, three-towered hotel and lodge will be built atop Cheaha Mountain in Delta, the highest point in Alabama.
The State Parks Division of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) made the announcement saying the project is one of its most anticipated in years.
“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 a total of 32 guest units. Each unit will have a private balcony.
There will also be a meeting space and a rooftop bar.
“This new lodge will showcase the best of what Alabama State Parks has 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.”
The new hotel will be connected to the existing Vista Event Center, which was previously the park’s restaurant and will serve as the lodge's lobby.
Chambless King Architects led the design for the new Cheaha State Park Lodge.
“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, firm 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,” he added.
A $85 million bond measure approved by voters in 2022 provided funding. The project is expected to be completed in early 2026.
The highest point in Alabama is also the southernmost tip of the Appalachian Mountain range.
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