Adventures in North Georgia - Amicalola Falls State Park

With a last minute invitation my Tuesday went from rather boring to hiking a waterfall...sounds pretty cool, huh? I was a little hesitant to agree to the hike because I had done a leg workout on Monday and my legs were pretty sore, but I decided to tag along. I have done a portion of this hike before, but from the bottom to the top there are 650 stairs, and it is pretty difficult. This time we started with a small hike from the parking lot to the base of the falls (about a mile), then we did the first portion of the stairs that takes you to the bridge in the middle of the falls. I thought about stopping at the bridge in the middle, but I decided to keep going and after several rest stops we made it to the top! The views were amazing and the breeze was delightful!

The views on the trail to the bottom of the falls

Just starting to see the falls

Yes, I decided I needed to play in the water!

Me at the base of the falls

So pretty...it's time to take the stairs!

First section of stairs done, this is from the bridge in the middle.

Part way up the second set of stairs!

Almost to the top!

Finally at the top!

The view from the top!

While we were taking in the views from the top, a nice woman told us about a scenic trail we could take down instead of the stairs. We decided we would take the take the trail down and it was definitely a lot quieter than the stairs and was really pretty. There were a few times we thought we were lost, but we eventually came out right behind the visitors center, which is across the street from the parking lot.

The trail coming down.

The three of us with the cool tree!

"Steps"

The Appalachian Trail Head!

After we made it back to the car we decided to drive back up to the top and check out the Amicalola Falls State Park Lodge. We decided to have lunch in the restaurant, which is okay...we chalked it up to $5 for the food and $9 for the view. But the views from the lodge are breathtaking, I can't imagine what it would look like in the fall with all of the beautiful colors!

I will definitely be back to hike Amicalola Falls, it is the closest hike to the house and the views never get old! If you are ever in North Georgia,definitely check out this hike!