One of the largest and most scenic parks in Georgia, it contains rugged geology, and offers visitors a range of vistas across the deep gorge cut through the mountain by Sitton Gulch Creek, where the elevation varies from 800 to over 1,800 feet.

Under President Franklin D. Roosevelt, a project of Civilian Conservation Corps during the Great Depression built the first facilities and signs in the park, which opened the following year.

[4] The flat-topped mountains of the Cumberland Plateau are significantly different from the narrow Armuchee ridges beyond nearby Chickamauga Valley to the east.

From a geological standpoint, Lookout Mountain is transitional between the flat-lying sedimentary beds of central Tennessee, and the ridges and valley to the east, which display more intensive folding and faulting.

The concave shape of the top of Lookout Mountain also drains rainwater through fissures into the underlying limestone, forming miles of caves in the area.

In contrast, the 4.8-mile (7.7 km) long West Rim Loop Trail is rated as moderately difficult, although it contains a few short, steep rocky sections.

[10] A scenic hike[11] beginning at the Daniels Creek Bridge, it offers panoramic views before climbing out of the canyon and onto the plateau.

Rhododendron and mountain laurel thickets are interspersed with sour gum and dogwood; large oaks, hickories, hemlocks and maples shade the trail.

[11] The 2.0-mile (3.2 km) Backcountry Loop Trail provides access to the park's eleven secluded primitive hike-in camping sites.

[12] Beginning at the parking area for group camping, the trail passes through hemlock groves, before descending on a moderate grade into a hollow filled with spring and summer flowers.

At the far end of the loop, hikers emerge from the hemlock groves onto level trail, among oaks and hickories, before returning to the parking area.

In 2023, the 34 mile long River to Clouds trail was announced, connecting Cloudland Canyon State Park to St. Elmo in Chattanooga.

[15] Picnic areas include a group pavilion, tennis courts, a children's playground and a disc golf course.