Georgia's state parks pack a remarkable range into one state. Up north there are deep gorges and the tallest cascading waterfall in the Southeast; in the southwest, a pink-and-orange canyon erosion carved out of old farmland; through the middle, mineral springs and CCC-built lodges; and down south, the wild blackwater edge of the Okefenokee. These are the ones worth building a weekend around, from the Blue Ridge to the coast.
18 places · Georgia
Must-seeCarved into the western flank of Lookout Mountain, Cloudland Canyon drops 1,000 feet to a gorge where Daniel Creek tumbles over two sandstone cliffs. Hike the Waterfalls Trail down a long stairway to the base of 90-foot Hemlock Falls and 60-foot Cherokee Falls, or trace the 4.8-mile West Rim Loop along the canyon edge. Reserve a cliffside campsite or yurt to wake up above the gorge.
Must-seeTallulah Gorge is one of the deepest canyons in the eastern United States, a two-mile chasm plunging nearly 1,000 feet through the north Georgia mountains. Hike the rim trails past a string of overlooks, then descend the metal staircase to a swaying suspension bridge that hangs 80 feet above the Tallulah River and its cascade of waterfalls. Grab one of the 100 free daily permits to reach the gorge floor.
Must-seeAmicalola Falls State Park near Dawsonville frames the tallest cascading waterfall in the Southeast, a 729-foot tumble of white water whose Cherokee name means tumbling waters. Climb the staircase trail alongside the cascade for a roaring close-up, or stroll the accessible path to the base. The park also marks the start of the 8.5-mile Approach Trail to Springer Mountain, the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail.
Must-seeSixteen canyons cut into soft Coastal Plain soil here, their walls banded pink, orange, lavender and white from layers of clay and iron, all of it carved in barely 150 years by rainwater running off badly plowed cotton fields. The rim trail looks down into the gorges, then a path drops to the canyon floor where you wade a thin sheet of spring water past 150-foot sand walls. Come in July and August and the rare plumleaf azalea blooms orange-red along the rim, long after every other azalea in the South has gone quiet.
Must-seeThe western gateway into the Okefenokee Swamp, where you trade your car for a canoe and paddle blackwater channels lined with cypress trees and Spanish moss. Roughly 12,000 American alligators live in the refuge, and the boat tours and rental kayaks put you out among them, the wading birds, and the trembling peat prairies the Okefenokee is named for. After dark the park turns into one of the only certified Dark Sky places in the South, so the Milky Way comes out over the water and the night programs run late.
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Lakes & rivers
Forests
Lakes & rivers
Mountains
Forests
Lakes & rivers
Forests