All the gorgeousness of the Appalachians all the way down in Georgia.
Did you know that the southern terminus of the Appalachian Mountains is in Central Alabama? Or that the Blue Ridge Mountains go into Northeastern Georgia?
Georgia and Alabama aren’t the usual states we think of when we imagine the route of the Appalachians. The city of Atlanta is even in the Piedmont, a plateau area that parallels the Blue Ridge Mountains.
I had planned my end of Summer camping trip to head up to the Southern Appalachians in Northern Georgia. Hurricane Helene made my visit a bit weird for the first three days. Plus, add in the 3.5 hours I spent getting my car fixed on the first day of the trip. I wasn’t able to get to everywhere I wanted to because the national forest closed. Thankfully, Georgia state parks reopened right after the storm. I guess I’ll have to go back up there to see what I missed this last time. Oh, what a shame.
My trip started on the Wednesday before Helene hit Thursday/Friday. I had left Savannah the night previously to get a couple hours of driving in. Car issues held me up but the rain and storms held off long enough for me to be able to visit the park on the top of my list, Tallulah Gorge State Park.
The next day it poured and poured. There was a small break in the heavy rain long enough for me to go walk around in Helen, a Bavarian themed town that I was staying in during the storm. I was finally able to escape and head out to Unicoi State Park nearby.
On the Saturday of my trip, I started heading west, stopping to see some waterfalls. One good things about the rain was how fantastic the waterfalls were.
My top visit for the day was Amicalola Falls State Park.
Since the national forest nearby was still closed, I found another state park along my route west, Fort Mountain State Park.
While my visit to Georgia’s Appalachians didn’t work out as planned. I am still glad I went and saw what I could. I guess I need to head back up there for another visit. Oh, what a shame.
Tune in for my next update where I will be exploring Lookout Mountain!
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