Tucked away in the mountains of northern Georgia, Tallulah Gorge State Park welcomes visitors with the roar of waterfalls, surreal landscapes, and the quiet serenity of forested trails.
Hiking, camping, and rock climbing are all popular activities. Spectacular views await around every turn as the North and South Rim Trails lead adventurers to some of the gorge’s most breathtaking views-no descent to the gorge floor required.
Permits can be obtained for gorge floor access for the more adventurous.
Check out the website for more details:
https://gastateparks.org/TallulahGorge
Best Time to Visit Tallulah Gorge
Spring is a joyous time to visit Tallulah Gorge, with budding trees, calling birds, the greatest waterfall flow, and moderate temperatures.
During autumn, nature provides stunning displays of fall color.
Winter, with its sparse foliage, gives the best chance for unobstructed photography.
Count on it, summer can be brutal. It is the south, after all. During times of high heat index, park officials will limit access to the gorge floor. Check the park website for updates.
Like most popular beauty spots, weekends can be extremely busy. Park staff may limit the number of vehicles allowed inside to reduce congestion. Come early, or visit on a weekday if possible.
Safety
Always stay on marked trails. Know your limitations. Please don’t enter prohibited areas. Gorge floor access is by permit only, limited to 100 per day. Water releases and weather conditions will also affect access.
Accessibility
The park does not offer an accessible trails.
Tallulah Gorge Trails
North and South Rim Trails
These trails offer easy access to view the park waterfalls at a leisurely pace, without having to stress too much about dangerous access points. You can pretty much see all the waterfalls and have an amazing adventure. There are 10 overlooks with breath taking views.
North Rim Trail
This is the first trail you come to after leaving the visitor center. It is approximately 0.75 miles long, with a few easy stairs and inclines. The first portion is made of a recycled tire material, then transitions to a hard-packed dirt surface.
Overlook one has the best southern view of the park, known as “inspiration Point”.
Look closely to see Bridal Veil Falls in the distance.
From overlook two, the gorge depth is 350 feet. My breath was taken away at the first sighting of Hawthorne pool and the top of Tempesta Falls. Overlook three looks back at this view and the gorge walls, the depth here is 250 feet.
Overlook four gives a great view of Tallulah Falls Dam. Tallulah Gorge State Park collaborates with Georgia Power and provides hydroelectric power for northern Georgia.
As you come to the end of the North Rim Trail, you will need to climb a stairway and turn left to cross the bridge over the dam, walking next to the highway. Then you will come out at the start of the South Rim Trail. Because the signs painted on the sidewalk are a little faded, it’s easy to get turned around.
South Rim Trail
From this trail you will see expansive views down into the gorge. Overlooks 5 and 6 show Tempesta Falls, and another look at Hawthorne Pool. The trail is rated as moderate, but I found it pretty easy. Gorge Depth is 400 feet.
Overlooks 7-9 have views of Hurricane and Oceana Falls. The gorge depth is 500 feet.
After finishing this trail, you can turn around and return on the North and South Rim Trails. I decided to brave the Hurricane Falls Trail instead, by just backtracking about 0.2 miles.
Hurricane Falls Trail
You can descend to the suspension bridge without a permit. This is about halfway down to the gorge floor.
Warning, this involves lots of steps, so be prepared, and heed the warning signs.
The staircase is 680 steps (340 down and 340 up) to access the suspension bridge. If you are going all the way to the gorge floor (permit required) it is 1122 steps.
The stairway consists of really shallow steps, so while strenuous, it was not as bad as I was anticipating.
If you can handle it, the view is so worth the effort.
Take your time here to absorb the scenery from all sides.
Once you have climbed back to the top, it is only a short walk back to the visitor center along the North Rim Trail.
In case you missed it, you can take in the first overlook. This also has an awesome view of the suspension bridge you just crossed.
Once you return to your vehicle, congratulate yourself on a day well spent and memories made to last a lifetime.
Finally, make sure to stop at Tallulah 1882 Coffee shop and bakery for a well earned treat. It is just down the road.
That’s it for now, until next time, get some more dirt under those boots!
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