That first sighting is such a pivotal moment in the journey. There’s a specific psychological shift that happens when the horizon stops being a flat line and starts to ripple.
Coming up from the Gulf Coast, that transition through Alabama is essentially the “gateway” to the entire Appalachian chain. You leave the coastal plains and the piney woods behind, pass through the industrial pulse of Birmingham, and suddenly the terrain begins to buckle and rise. By the time you hit the northeast corner of the state—areas like DeKalb and Etowah counties—you aren’t just looking at hills anymore; you’re looking at the southern terminus of the Blue Ridge and Ridge-and-Valley provinces.
It’s that “altitude adjustment” I need—not just for the car, but for the spirit. Seeing the silhouette of Lookout Mountain or the Sand Mountain plateau for the first time is the official signal that the “Dreams” part of our trip has finally begun.
The highest point is marked with a USGS benchmark in front of Bunker Tower, a stone Civilian Conservation Corps building with an observation deck on top. The CCC also constructed a road to Cheaha, but the road has been closed for years. The old road is known as CC Road and contains interesting ruins. Near the peak is Bald Rock, which was recently improved with a wheelchair-accessible wooden walkway that provides an impressive overlook of the surrounding region. The entire area gives an impression of being at a much higher elevation than it actually is, in part because of the relatively low elevation of the adjacent area to the west.
Wikipedia contributors. Cheaha Mountain. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. September 11, 2022, 00:09 UTC. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cheaha_Mountain&oldid=1109632118. Accessed May 9, 2023.
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