Day Trip to North Georgia Waterfalls
Just over a week ago, my mom came to visit me in Georgia for a short weekend! My mom has always loved waterfalls. She always wanted to build a small one in our backyard. Unsurprisingly, that never happened. But even still, anytime she sees a waterfall she says “that’s all I want.” She even says it for massive waterfalls. It’s become a running joke in the family… oh that’s all you want, Niagra Falls? … okay mom, I’ll get right on that.
This is my mom literally getting sprayed with water from a waterfall in New York. Pure happiness.
Naturally when she came to Georgia, I figured it was the perfect time to go explore some of North Georgia’s waterfalls. First our plan was to visit Toccoa Falls, since I had heard it wasn’t a big hike. (Reminder that I am not the biggest hiker.)
Low Effort High Reward
Turns out that Toccoa Falls is right on the campus of Toccoa Falls College. After paying the $2 fee at the visitor’s center, we only walked a quarter mile, if that, to get to the huge waterfall! Cue my mom’s “that’s all I want.”
If you’re looking for a beautiful waterfall with an easy stroll Toccoa Falls is the one for you! Toccoa Falls is located about an hour north of Athens, Georgia or an hour and a half from Atlanta.
High Effort, Also High Reward
After the easy stroll, my mom wanted something a little more challenging. Tallulah Gorge happened to be less than 30 minutes away so I thought why not? Whenever you ask anyone about Tallulah Gorge, the first thing they say is always “so many stairs.” Well I’ve done it and lived to tell the tale. And I can vouch; there are SO MANY stairs.
But First…
On the drive, we took a quick detour to a loop that overlooked the gorge. The shop was adorable and they were selling King of Pops, which are awesome popsicles local to the South! We couldn’t see too much water from this viewpoint but the trees were beautiful! I can only imagine how it looks from there when the leaves turn.
Update: As of 2024, this overlook is closed.
Now for the stairs…
We arrived at the Jane Hurt Yarn Interpretive Center and started along the trail (which was made of recycled tires!). We stopped at viewpoints 3 and 2 via the North Rim Trail. You’ll see L’Eau D’Or along the way!
At this point you could continue to another viewpoint on this same trail, or you could take the Hurricane Falls trail to the suspension bridge. Apparently, if you throw in a suspension bridge, I can be convinced to tackle some stairs. How hard could it be?
The answer is VERY HARD. But, it’s worth it! We braved the 300 stairs to make it to the suspension bridge and back (my FitBit told me it was 27 floors) but the entire trail is 1,100 stairs. And in case you were wondering, my mom rocked those stairs.
We had so much fun even if the stairs were brutal. And, the falls were so beautiful…you could say they were…GORGE-ous.
*Side note: I’ve even braved the stairs in the snow (see the crazy picture), so if I can do it in snowboots, you can do it!!)
Notes
Do check out the viewpoint before entering the park. It’s a nice stopping point before you go in. The name of the road is literally Tallulah Gorge Scenic Loop.
The only cost for this state park was the day parking pass that was $5. If you are a Georgia resident, the public libraries offer free Georgia State Park passes to checkout.
Try camping at Tallulah Gorge for a longer experience and don’t forget your camping essentials!
I highly recommend visiting Tallulah Gorge, but as everyone says be ready for the stairs.
Did you ever know that this kind of scenery was in Georgia? (Because I definitely didn’t before I moved here).
Would you brave the stairs?
Read these other Georgia posts:
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I love waterfalls too. Haven’t been to Toccoa Falls but maybe someday!
Too many waterfalls, not enough time!
Gorgeous waterfalls and such gorgeous pictures! The climb up 300 stairs was totally worth it!
I love them too!
The stairs were definitely worth it!
Bahahaha ‘that’s all I want… just that massive waterfall’. That’s hilarious. I can see why your mum would want these particular waterfalls, they’re beautiful!
She cracks me up! They are definitely gorgeous!