Tallulah Gorge State Park

Spectacular Tallulah Gorge.

Georgia's newest state park, which joined the park system in 1993, was created through an agreement between the Department of Natural Resources and Georgia Power Company.

The park preserves the Tallulah River gorge, one of the most spectacular gorges in the East, two miles long and nearly 1,000 feet deep.

The 2,689-acre park is a favorite stopping point along Hwy. 441, the main route between Atlanta and the Great Smoky Mountains. This mountainous region, in fact, was summer resort country before the dams across the Tallulah were built.

The park has 50 campsites at Tallulah Gorge, however this camp is operated by Georgia Power Company and is not part of the statewide camping reservation system.

For recreationists seeking a challenge, the gorge is a jackpot. A steep quarter-mile descent into the gorge, strictly controlled by a permit system, affords strenuous climbing and hiking along the bottom.

The gorge offers some of the most skill-intensive rock-climbing, also requiring a permit, in the Southeast.

Class IV and V white-water kayaking, which requires expert paddling skills, is available in November and April.

There are five miles of nature or overlook trails for hikers and a 10-mile backcountry trail for hiking and mountain biking.

The park is home to a number of rare and endangered species, including the "persistent" trillium, found nowhere else in the world.

Sixty-five-acre Tallulah Lake, above the gorge, supports swimming and fishing. There are also many good trout streams in the area.

A new interpretive center is considered one of the premier facilities of its kind in Georgia.

The 16,000-square-foot center features classrooms, a theater with one of only two high-definition projection systems in the state, and extensive exhibits on local wildlife and history. The center is also architecturally significant, reflecting regional interpretations of the late-Victorian Arts and Crafts style.

While entry to the park is free for pedestrians, a parking fee is charged.