Officials Dedicate Alabama's New Showpiece, The Lodge at Cheaha State Park

Blankenship credited State Senator Randy Price, whose district encompasses Cheaha State Park, as instrumental in bringing the vision to life. Following an overnight stay at the park during the planning phase, Senator Price urged the Department to aim big.

"I told him it's either your bulldozer or mine," Sen. Price said. "It was a combined effort with a lot of talented folks. I had a chance to visit a couple of times when the construction was going on and see the marvelous job they have done. You could tell the passion they had for being here on the highest point in the state of Alabama.

"We're looking forward to many, many years of people being able to come here and enjoy another great park."

Inspiration for the lodge's design came during a meeting in Huntsville, where Blankenship saw mass timber construction firsthand. The sustainable material uses compressed layers of wood to achieve a strength-to-weight ratio comparable to concrete. To execute the vision, ADCNR partnered with architecture firm Chambliss King and general contractor Murray Construction, both experienced in complex mass timber builds in challenging mountain environments.

"In order to build something like this, we had to have a contractor that could not only do big projects in harsh environments like the top of a mountain with rocks and all the other things that go into it but also had the ability to do the mass timber construction," Blankenship said. "Murray Construction did a fantastic job."

State Representative Chad Robertson said he grew up within a few miles of Cheaha and his grandfather was a Cheaha Park Ranger.

"This is such a blessing for this area," Rep. Robertson said. "It's so beautiful up here with waterfalls and caves. This project will share this with the world and greatly increase our tourism. We hope people will come, stay, and make their own memories."

State Senator David Sessions, chair of the Legislature's State Parks Joint Oversight Committee, traveled from Dauphin Island with an elevation of 3 feet to Cheaha at 2,407 feet.

"There are legislators on our committee that know the work done by Conservation at our State Parks, and the investments made will generate returns we will be getting for years to come," Sen. Sessions said. "This project was a no-brainer."