[Tallulah Gorge State Park / Helen, GA, Apr 4, 2025]
Now that I had made my way to Northwestern Georgia, I couldn’t resist two more locations in the area.
I dont’ think I knew about Tallulah Gorge State Park when I lived in Georgia. I only became aware of it in the last few years through a reel I had seen on Instagram. It featured some lovely waterfalls and I recall the feeling of surprise when I found out it was a Georgia state park. I took a mental note of it if I ever came back to Georgia, and that was that. Until now.
The area had been a popular tourist destination in its own right since the early 19th century. Tourists and local and national writers flocked to the 1,000-ft high gorge . The construction of the Tallulah Falls Railroad brought even more tourism into the area in the late 1800s. Then, in 1970, famous tightrope walker Karl Wallenda crossed the gorge, further increasing its fame. The frame he used to secure his tightrope is still sitting by an overlook on the gorge’s North Rim.
After a stop at the visitor center to grab some sunscreen and souvenirs, I set out on the most popular trail in the park. The trail takes you to a bunch of overlooks on the north side before plunging down into the gorge through a series of staircases. I loved seeing all the different waterfalls from above.
Then I got to the stairs. Some people go as far down as the bridge (about 300 stairs) while others go all the way to the gorge floor (over 500 stairs). Of course, I went all the way down to the gorge floor! Crossing the suspension bridge was quite fun.
From here, people who’ve gotten a permit from the visitor center can cross the Tallulah and hike along the gorge floor for a while, before crossing the river again and coming back up. There is no established trail per se. People just follow the north bank of the river until Bridal Veil Falls, where they have to cross again at the top of the waterfall. I had heard about this option, but I wasn’t comfortable managing two river crossings by myself.
When I arrived at the bottom and watched several groups struggle to cross, I know I made the right decision. A group passing by told me that day was the first day in a week permits had been issued due to rain. This meant, of course, that the river level was quite high.
I made my way back up to the South rim, where I had more overlooks to enjoy. I loved this different perspective of the gorge. I also got to see the dam!
It took me about 2 hours to finish the hike. I decided to check out one more waterfall before I head to my next destination. Minnehaha Falls was just 30 minutes away, and I had read somewhere that the short trail had a great payoff. The route to the waterfall took me along Lake Rabun, which looked like a great place to spend some time! I regret not stopping at the Lake Rabun Hotel & Resort to check it out – it looks fabulous!
Alas, the waterfall was amazing. At first I was taken aback by the dirt road I had to drive on for the last mile or so to the trailhead, but I persevered. I was the only one on the trail for a bit, although a family arrived about 5 minutes after I got to the waterfall. I didn’t mind though, as I wanted someone to take my photo.
From there, it was just 40 minutes to Helen, GA. Its story is just like Leavenworth’s – a logging town on the decline reinvents itself as a Bavarian village in the mountains. After having been to Solvang (CA) and Leavenworth (WA), Helen was a bit underwhelming for me. I did enjoy my German lunch by the river and the mountain coaster in the forest. I was still glad I checked it out – it had been on my radar for so long!
Overall, this was a very fun day and I was grateful to spend some time in nature.