Our guide to Helen, GA. Restaurants, events, places to stay and things to do.

Explore North Georgia State Parks

North Georgia State Parks include a variety of recreational activities besides camping and welcome travelers to explore “Our Neck of the Woods”. Enjoy your passion to see a waterfall, go horseback riding, canoeing, fishing, hiking, biking, or just have a picnic. The great State Parks of North Georgia are waiting for you to watch nature at it’s best! Moccasin Creek State Park Park (706) 947-3194 Reservations (800) 864-7275 Known as the park “where spring spends the summer,” Moccasin Creek is located on the shores of lovely 2,800-acre Lake Burton. Accessibility offers easy navigation for large RVs, children’s bicycles and wheelchairs. This also includes a fishing pier that sits above a trout-filled creek open only to physically challenged visitors, senior citizens and children. Smithgall Woods State Park Park (706) 878-3087 Reservations (800) 864-7275 Dukes Creek, one of North Georgia’s premier trout stream, runs through this spectacular mountain property and has become known for it’s catch-and-release fishing. Eighteen miles of roads and five miles of trails allow hikers and bicyclists to explore hardwoods, streams and wildlife. Dukes Creek Falls has a direct trail for cottage guests to view. Unicoi State Park Park (706) 878-2201 Reservations (800) 864-7275 Lodge (800) 573-9659 Unicoi State Park, named from the turnpike that was the early means of transportation, is over 1,050 acres of beautiful nature trails. It includes a 53 acre lake for non-motorized boats and a swimming beach. Enjoy flora, fauna and abundant wildlife as you picnic or hike a trail. Campsites and Cottages provide campers with many accommodations, including a 100 Room Lodge and Conference Center with a restaurant.

Explore North Georgia State Parks2023-08-24T13:35:56-04:00

North Georgia Hiking Trails

Many visitors come to explore the hundreds of trails through North Georgia’s National Forest.  Whether you want to see a waterfall, like to go hiking, biking, or horseback riding, here are some suggestions for a trail adventure: Ellijay - Three Forks Trail: To the left (North) on the trail is Long Creek Falls (2.3 miles round trip) . To the right is a beautiful section of old growth forest along Stover Creek. Directions: Take 52 East from Ellijay about 4.8 miles. Turn left on Big Creek Road at the Dollar General. Follow this road about 15.4 miles (the final .4 miles are dirt) to Forest Service 58 and turn Right. This road follows Noontootla Creek to Three Forks. Parking is available where the trails cross the road. Blue Ridge - Free Knob Loop Trail: 2.5 miles, easy rating Directions from Blue Ridge, Georgia: Travel east (toward Blairsville, GA) on GA Hwy 515, approx. 0.8 miles past intersection with GA Hwy 5. Turn Right at Windy Ridge Rd., go 0.2 miles to dead end with Old U.S. 76. Turn left, go 0.2 miles to Aska Road on right. Continue south on Aska Read to Shallowford Bridge. Turn left across river and immediate right on dirt-gravel road leading to Dial, GA. At 0.4 miles come to point where trail enters road from forest. Continue east on road to parking area at 1.2 miles. Suches - Jarrard Gap Trail Trail: 1.0 mile, easy/moderate rating Directions: Take US 19 and 129 south from Blairsville Georgia for 9.5 miles. Turn right (west) onto GA 180 and go 7 miles to the main entrance to Lake Winfield Scott Campground. Turn left into the campground. Follow this road over a hill and continue straight ahead into a gravel parking lot at the foot of the hill. From the parking lot, hike along the paved road passing the guard rail at the head of the lake. The trailhead is on the right of the road just past the guard rails. Blairsville - Sosebee Cover Trail Trail: Traveling through a second-growth cove hardwood forest, the 0.25 mile Sosebee Cove Trail is rated easy and receives moderate use. This area is a memorial to Arthur Woody, who served as the first Forest Service Ranger in Georgia. Directions: from Blairsville Georgia, travel 9.5 miles south along US 19/129 and turn right (west) onto GA 180. Continue along GA 180 for 2 miles to the Sosebee Cove parking lot on the right. Hiawassee - High Shoals Creek Trail: The two waterfalls on High Shoals Creek are the highlight of this 170 acre site. A 1.2 mile trail takes visitors from FS 283 down to the falls. Directions: Take 75 South from Hiawassee turn right onto Indian Grave Gap Road, graveled Forest Service Road 283 which leads visitors through the Swallow Creek Wildlife Management Area to the High Shoals Creek Falls Scenic Area. Dahlonega - Yahoola Creek Trail: This is about a 4 mile trail that circles Yahoola Creek Reservoir but also swerves [...]

North Georgia Hiking Trails2023-08-24T13:19:07-04:00
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