Photos: Thomson20192 / CC0 · Anthony Rizzo / CC BY-SA 4.0 · Thomson200 / CC0 1.0
Atlanta's weekend mountains. Come in early spring, when the falls run strongest.
17 places · North Georgia
Must-seeThe staircase beside the falls climbs 604 steps from the reflecting pool to the top, with a platform halfway. A paved path off the West Ridge Access Trail gets you a view from the middle without the stairs.
Must-seeThe state's loftiest summit at 4,784 feet, with a 360-degree observation deck that takes in four states on a clear day.
Must-seeSix waterfalls drop through the gorge, and the rim trails look down on all of them. The suspension bridge hangs 80 feet over the river, at the bottom of the metal stairs.
Must-seeCherokee Falls is half a mile down the Waterfalls Trail, and Hemlock Falls is a much steeper half mile below it. The stairs are hard on dogs, so carry yours or take the easy mile of the Overlook Trail.
Must-seeThe Jacks River Trail fords the river dozens of times on the way to Jacks River Falls, so expect wet feet. You don't need a permit, and there are no facilities once you're in.
Mountains
Lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers
Mountains
Lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers
Mountains
Mountains
Lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers
ForestsOther lists that cover the same ground.
18 placesMost people know Georgia's state parks by the mountain ones. This list keeps going south almost to the Florida line, and a couple of the best are down there.
26 placesPick one end. Nobody drives the Parkway fast, so the Virginia stretch and the North Carolina mountains make two trips.
45 placesNearly half of these Georgia attractions are in two cities, 14 in Atlanta and eight in Savannah. Some of the rest take ten minutes, like the 56-foot Big Chicken on Cobb Parkway or the oak in Athens that legally owns itself.
6 placesNorth Georgia's odd side, for when the waterfalls start to run together.