Georgia state parks’ natural wonders
Amicalola Falls State Park
The state park with a full-service lodge that is closest to Atlanta. Perched above the 729-foot cascading falls, it’s a hiker’s paradise and the approach point to the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail.
Driving time: 80 minutes.
Rates: Lodge rooms start at $99, campsites $30.
280 Amicalola Falls State Park Road, Dawsonville. 706-265-4703. gastateparks.org/AmicalolaFalls
Stephen C. Foster State Park
Georgia’s most remote state park, this is the gateway for treks into the Okefenokee Swamp. The canoe trail is a must for paddlers, but not for the inexperienced. Yes, you will see alligators.
Driving time: 4 hours, 20 minutes.
Rates: Cabins are $150 per night, campsites start at $28.
17515 Highway 177, Fargo. 912-637-5274. gastateparks.org/StephenCFoster
Tallulah Gorge State Park
If you want to do more than gawk from the rim, stay overnight at the adjacent campground, get a permit to visit the floor of the canyon, and play at the Georgia Power recreation area on the lake.
Driving time: 90 minutes.
Rates: Georgia Power's Terrora Campground is adjacent to the park; rates start at $18 per night. The campground is within walking distance of the gorge and the recreation area on 63-acre Tallulah Falls Lake. Campsites in the state park start at $30.
338 Jane Hurt Yarn Drive, Tallulah Falls. 706-754-7981. gastateparks.org/TallulahGorge
Information on Georgia State Parks: gastateparks.org. Reservations: 1-800-864-7275.
State parks are commonly visited on day trips close to home, but some are worth crossing state lines for a vacation stay.
You may not spend your entire trip in these parks, but they’ll serve as a good base of operations thanks to their accommodations and natural allure.
BEACHES
St. Joseph Peninsula State Park, Port St. Joe, Fla.
Environmental coastal sciences professor Stephen P. Leatherman, known as Dr. Beach, declared this park’s beach “America’s best” in his annual survey. The peninsula, commonly called Cape San Blas, juts out from the Panhandle to face directly west, so it catches sunset over the Gulf year-round, unlike other Panhandle beaches. The sugar white sands, backed by some of the highest dunes on the Gulf Coast, are uncrowded even during peak season. The popular cabins face St. Joseph Bay but are within easy walking distance of the beach.
Driving time from downtown Atlanta: 5 hours, 30 minutes.
Rates: Cabins start at $100 per night, campsites $24.
8899 Cape San Blas Road, Port St. Joe, Fla. 850-227-1327, floridastateparks.org.
Topsail Hill Preserve State Park, Santa Rosa Beach, Fla.
Situated between heavily developed Destin and Panama City Beach, Topsail Hill Preserve is a pristine natural oasis with a 3.2-mile stretch of uninterrupted sand and undisturbed dunes. You’ll also find coastal dune lakes there, a rare type of lake that exists only a few places on earth. Trails and boardwalks enhance the sightseeing experience. A free tram carts visitors from the cabins and campground to the beach.
Driving time: 4 hours, 50 minutes.
Rates: Bungalows start at $100 per night, cabins start at $130 per night, campsites $24.
7525 W. Scenic Highway 30A, Santa Rosa Beach, Fla. 850-267-8330, floridastateparks.org.
WATERFALLS
DeSoto State Park, Fort Payne, Ala.
The 104-foot DeSoto Falls plunges over the cap rock in the middle of the Lookout Mountain plateau in northeast Alabama. It’s one of the more spectacular falls in the Southeast, if not the highest. The falls are divided from a larger area where you’ll find a lodge with a restaurant, cabins and a campground. Little River Canyon National Preserve, an untamed natural treasure replete with more waterfalls and a deep, tree-filled gorge, is a only a few miles south.
Driving time: 2 hours.
Rates: Lodge rooms start at $91 per night, cabins $98, primitive campsites, 14.30, improved campsites $34.65.
7104 DeSoto Parkway N.E., Fort Payne, Ala. 256-845-0051, alapark.com.
Devils Fork State Park, Salem, S.C.
Devils Fork is the main access point to Lake Jocassee, a lake unlike any other in the Southeast. Up to 300 feet deep in places, its water is so clear it’s considered a world-class scuba diving spot, complete with an underwater obstacle course. Another extraordinary aspect of the 7,500-acre lake: its waterfalls. Located below the Blue Ridge Escarpment, many waterfalls plunge into the lake. You can pull your boat right up to the splash zone. Never crowded, even in the middle of summer, the state park contains Jocassee’s only public boat ramp, as well as villas where you can stay.
Driving time: 2 hours, 10 minutes.
Rates: Villas start at $100 per night, campsites $20.
161 Holcombe Circle, Salem, S.C. 864-944-2639, southcarolinaparks.com.
Fall Creek Falls State Park, Pikeville, Tenn.
On the Cumberland Plateau in middle Tennessee, the Volunteer State’s largest state park contains one of its greatest natural treasures, Fall Creek Falls. At 256 feet, it’s the highest plunge waterfall east of the Mississippi. Many other waterfalls are found inside the park, along with 34 miles of hiking trails. Resort-like accommodations exist at the inn, but you also can stay in a cabin or at the large campground. Link hounds will appreciate the 18-hole golf course, one of the top public courses in the state.
Driving time: 2 hours, 40 minutes.
Rates: Inn rooms start at $74, cabins $145, campsites $11.
10821 Park Road, Pikeville, Tenn. 423-881-5298, tnstateparks.com.
CABINS
Oconee State Park, Mountain Rest, S.C.
The log cabins at this park are on the shore of a small, peaceful lake in the Blue Ridge Mountains, located in South Carolina’s northwest corner, aka the Golden Corner. Built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s, they’ve been updated with modern conveniences but retain their historic charm. A secluded getaway spot to rival any North Georgia cabin retreat, it has plenty of hiking opportunities and waterfalls nearby, including Whitewater Falls, the highest cascading waterfall east of the Rockies, which begins in North Carolina and ends in South Carolina.
Driving time: 2 hours, 5 minutes.
Rates: Cabins start at $61 per night, campsites $21.
624 State Park Road, Mountain Rest, S.C. 864-638-5353, southcarolinaparks.com.
Monte Sano State Park, Huntsville, Ala.
Perched on a mountaintop overlooking Huntsville in north Alabama, Monte Sano translates to “Mountain of Health.” It’s a serene, timeless place, especially when you’re staying in one of the stone cottages built by the CCC. Looking like they were conjured out of a Robert Frost poem, these nesting spots at the edge of the mountain connect to miles of hiking and biking trails. In the valley below, you’ll find the U.S. Space and Rocket Center, its rocket spires visible from the mountain.
Driving time: 3 hours, 10 minutes.
Rates: Cabins $105 per night; primitive campsites start at $13, improved campsites start at $25.
5105 Nolen Ave., Huntsville, Ala. 256-534-3757, alapark.com.
