Tallulah Gorge State Park - Tallulah Falls, GA

On the weekend of March 4, 2006, I went hiking along with 3 good friends in Tallulah Gorge.

The park is located about an hour and a half drive northeast of Athens near the town of Tallulah Falls, GA.

Tallulah Gorge has several claims to fame. Besides being one of the most beautiful and striking places on earth, the movie "Deliverance" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deliverance) was filmed in and around Tallulah Gorge. Also, Karl Wallenda (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Wallenda) tightroped across the gorge in 1970 in front of 30,000 people.

I had heard from several people that the park was a great place to visit and was beautifully scenic, and I wasn't disappointed when I got there. Being down on the gorge floor will make you feel very small. The hike wasn't exactly what I expected, though. It was much tougher than I thought it would be before I went.

To gain access to the gorge floor, one must walk down ~750 stairs to the swinging cable suspension bridge that crosses the gorge. From there, there are another ~500 steps that lead down to the gorge floor. You must obtain a free permit at the Jane Hurt Yarn Interpretive Center before hiking on the floor. There is really no "trail" along the floor, just a rather rugged hike over boulders of all size...and the hike requires some jumping from rock to rock and a willingness to get a little wet and dirty.

Once at the end of the gorge floor trail, you must cross back over the river and begin the trek up Sliding Rock trail, a fairly steep vertical trail that was the most strenuous portion of the hike. It ascends up the southern side of the gorge for about a 1/4 mile and most of it is climbing (sometimes on hands and knees) over rocks and through woods. Once at the top, you can see the Wallenda Tower (picture below) and then take one of two routes back to the Visitor's Center: either follow the south rim trail around the dam or turn right and take the ~600 stairs back down to the swinging bridge and then climb the ~750 stairs that you descended on your way into the gorge. This is the route I took...and I can tell anyone who may be reading that it's not and easy climb after you've hiked for nearly 2 1/2 or 3 hours along the gorge floor and back up the Sliding Rock trail. My leg muscles are still a little sore three days after the trip!

All in all, though, it's a beautiful place and I plan on going back soon. Below is the web site for Tallulah Gorge State Park. I highly recommend a visit to the park and a trip down to the swinging bridge, at least. The gorge floor hike may be too much for small children or those with health problems. However, the stairs alone will provide a good workout for anyone. If you do happen to visit and decide to hike the gorge floor, be careful and don't litter!

The following 25-35 pictures are from my trip.

http://gastateparks.org/info/tallulah/