Tallulah Gorge State Park

Tallulah Gorge State Park is less than 2 hours from Atlanta but feels like a world away. It is a stunning quartz canyon that is 1,000 feet deep, 2 miles long and 34 glorious miles of trails. The main attraction of the gorge are its beautiful waterfalls that are part of the Tallulah River. The most popular hike starts behind the Jane Hurt Yarn Interpretive Center: Hurricane Falls. Before descending to see this fall there is a warning sign: over 1052 steps to reach the bottom and if you aren't in good physical health, don't do it. As we made our way down we saw the gorge's famous bridge. It is a wooden suspension bridge that swings when too many people are on it. The bridge and views are simply spectacular! After we made our way down to see Hurricane Falls, we decided to take a detour on the way up and check out the other paths. We ended up circuling the gorge from the top. The views were simply incredible. While some people might have a hard time with the 1k+ stairs we didn't feel it was that difficult and since we weren't far, we decided to add to our hike Yonah Mountain.

Tallulah Gorge photo credits: Adela Vystejnova

Yonah Mountain

Yonah Mountain is about 35 mins from Tallulah outside of Cleveland & Helen, GA. The drive from Tallulah to Yonah is very peaceful. Lots of rolling hills and beautiful countryside. Yonah (means 'Bear' in Cherokee) is part of the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest and offers some breathtaking views once you reach the top. It is about 4.8 miles to the top and is considered an intermediate hike with a gain of 1,500 feet in elevation (3,166 ft. total). From the trailhead the hike doesn't waste any time and the incline starts within a few minutes. We encountered many hikers at this trail but later found out many where camping on top of the mountain. At the halfway mark, there is a small house/stalls that the U.S. Army uses for training during certain times of the year. On these days the military closes off the mountain to the public. After passing this point the hike begins to get steeper and rockier. As we got closer to the top, there was a large clearing where campers were setting up their tents. Even though it was cold (bet. 30-40°F) there were many campers all hanging out having a good time, building a camp fire, talking and listening to music.

When we finally reached the peak of the mountain the views were stunning. Almost looking like a painting as you looked out at the Appalachians. It was a semi-overcast day and the clouds added beautiful gradients over the skies. We stopped to enjoy the views and listened to the silence for a while before making our way down. Combined with Tallulah,

this hike was the perfect combo for our Northern Georgia experience.