Go Gorge Yourself!

Want to get away for a day hike, a weekend hike or a moonlit hike - yes, a moonlit hike? Then Tallulah Gorge State Park is the place!

About an hour-and-a-half north of Peachtree Corners, close to the North Carolina state line, Tallulah Gorge State Park serves up a variety of outdoor challenges, including hiking, rock climbing and rappelling - in the midst of some of the most spectacular scenery in the country.

The gorge is two miles long and nearly 1,000 feet down – the deepest gorge in the eastern United States. A number of trails are available for hiking, depending on your stamina and scenic interest. For example, you can hike the rim, stopping at several overlooks to gaze out on beautiful views of the gorge or you can go down into the gorge to experience its natural wonders up close.

Free permits are required for hikers wanting to go down into the gorge, and the park only issues 100 per day, so you’ll want to get there early to make sure you can get one.

The hike down into the gorge is via the Hurricane Falls staircase, but don’t be fooled, it’s a long way down – and back up. Even with the aid of the nearly 600 steps in the staircase that meanders its way down into and up out of the gorge, it is still a strenuous workout. Hikers with health conditions will want to consider remaining on the rim or taking the staircase only part of the way down.

The park also offers special guided hikes throughout the year that provide insight into the unique environment and interesting rock formations of the gorge. 

The Witch’s Head Excursion, each Saturday in July and the first Saturday in August, takes hikers to the base of the dam for a view of the Witch’s Head rock. The cost of each of these guided hikes is only $5 and you are asked to bring plenty of water and pack your picnic favorites for a relaxing lunch at the bottom of the gorge.

There are also special Full Moon Suspension Bridge Hikes that take place on a number of nights during the full moon each month between July and December. You’ll see the gorge in ways that you could never imagine.

This year the park will not be issuing hiking permits for the gorge on July 26, 27 and 28. Georgia Power, which operates the park in partnership with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, will be conducting tests on the dam. So, for safety reasons, no hikers will be permitted into the gorge during those three days.

It takes about an hour-and-a-half to get to Tallulah Gorge State Park from Tucker. 

Simply get over to I-85 and go north to I-985.  I-985 eventually turns into US-23 North. The signs will lead you to Tallulah Falls State Park, but you’ll know you’ve arrived when you cross the bridge on the dam with Tallulah Falls Lake on your left and the gorge on your right. The first right past the bridge is Jane Hurt Yarn Drive – the road leading to the entrance to the park.



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