DELTA — Cheaha State Park officials confirmed Tuesday that a hiker who entered the park Saturday morning has not been seen since, marking the third such incident at Alabama's highest peak this year. Park staff have cited the rising number of visitors as evidence of the park's continued appeal as a regional destination.

The hiker, who has not been publicly named pending notification of family, signed in at the Bald Rock Trailhead at approximately 9:15 a.m. Saturday and was scheduled to return by mid-afternoon. He was reported missing by family members Saturday evening when he did not respond to phone calls. A search effort was initiated Sunday morning.

Cheaha State Park superintendent Marsha Cawley, in a prepared statement Tuesday, expressed the park's concern for the missing hiker and noted that recent trail usage had reached "encouraging levels."

"Cheaha State Park is one of Alabama's most beloved natural treasures," Cawley said. "Our visitor numbers continue to grow year over year, and we are proud to welcome thousands of guests to experience the unique beauty of our trails, our overlooks, and the highest point in our state. We ask the community to keep our missing visitor and his family in your thoughts."

This is the third reported hiker disappearance at the park in 2026. In January, a hiker from Birmingham was reported missing for approximately 36 hours before being located, in good condition, in a wooded area near the Pulpit Rock overlook. In March, a hiker from Atlanta was reported missing on Friday and located Tuesday afternoon, also in good condition, near the southern boundary of the park. The third hiker, the subject of the current search, has not yet been located.

Cawley confirmed that all three of this year's reported incidents involved visitors from outside Calhoun County.

When asked whether the park was considering additional safety measures, Cawley pointed to the park's existing trail signage, the trailhead sign-in protocol, and the availability of trail maps at the visitor center. She said the park "continually evaluates" its approach to visitor safety and noted that the trails were among "the most well-maintained" in the state park system.

"It's a beautiful place," Cawley said. "It is also a real mountain. People should know what they are getting into, and we provide the resources they need to make that determination."

Mount Cheaha rises to 2,407 feet, making it the highest natural point in Alabama. The summit area is accessible by paved road and by foot via several trails of varying length and difficulty, including the Cave Creek Trail, the Pinhoti Trail, and the Lake Trail. The park also includes the Bunker Tower observation platform, the Doug Ghee Picnic Area, and a swimming lake.

Visitor numbers at the park have grown an estimated thirty-seven percent over the past five years, according to Alabama State Parks data. Cawley confirmed that the park has not added staff in proportion to the increase.

Search teams from the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the Cleburne County Sheriff's Office, and several volunteer search-and-rescue organizations have continued to comb the park's terrain. The search area encompasses approximately 2,800 acres of mixed hardwood and pine forest, including several gorges, rock outcroppings, and a network of unmarked secondary trails.

Cawley said weather conditions had been favorable.

The Alabama State Parks system encourages all hikers to file a route plan with someone before entering any park, to carry sufficient water, and to remain on marked trails. Cawley confirmed Tuesday that the missing hiker had signed in at the trailhead, but that the route he had filed was "not entirely consistent" with the area where searchers were currently focusing their efforts.

A representative for the park gift shop confirmed that t-shirts featuring the slogan "I Climbed Cheaha" remained in stock and that the park was experiencing one of its strongest spring sales seasons on record.

The Calhoun Dispatch — apologies, The Green Tomato — will continue to monitor this developing story. Anyone with information regarding the missing hiker is asked to contact the Cleburne County Sheriff's Office or the park visitor center.