Friday, May 14, 2010

Hiking the North and South Rim Trails

Okay, Lotsa pictures today.  Judy and I walked both the North and South Rim Trails yesterday morning and will give you a photo tour of Tallulah Gorge State Park as can be seen from each of the Overlooks.  Be sure to use your cursor over the picture to read the captions.Welcome To Tallulah Gorge State Park The first place to stop once entering the park is the Jane Hurt Yarn Interpretive Center where you can pick up trail maps and get information regarding the Gorge.Jane Hurt Yarn Interpretive CenterOnce you have your map in hand you’ll want to head for the North Rim Trail which encompasses Overlooks 1 through 5.  Overlook 1 gives you a view of the Tallulah River running through Tallulah Gorge with Oceana Falls as well as Bridal Vale (sliding rock) Falls in the distance.Tallulah River and Oceana FallsA Little Closer View of Oceana FallsOverlooks 2 and 3 are right next to each other providing views to l’Eau d’Or (LaDore) Falls and Tempesta Falls.  This is, also, the North Rim entrance to the 331 stairs down to the Suspension Bridge which crosses over the river at the top of Hurricane Falls.  There are another 221 stairs leading down to the Gorge Floor.A View From Overlook 2 at l'Eau d'Or FallsClose Up of l'Eau d"or Falls Tempesta Falls From Overlook 3 Following along the North Rim Trail to Overlook 4 provides you a nice view of the Tallulah Dam.Tallulah Dam From Overlook 4 Overlook 5 is sort of grown up but does give you downstream view of Tallulah Gorge.View From Overlook 5As you cross the highway bridge to get to the South Rim Trail you will have a view of the Tallulah River just downstream of the dam.  The South Rim Trail gives you much better views of the ledges as well as Tempesta and Hurricane Falls.The Tallulah Gorge and River as seen from the BridgeFrom Overlook 6 you can see the Suspension Bridge and the top of the Hurricane Falls which is the largest set of falls in the Gorge, dropping 96 feet.Suspension Bridge as seen from Overlook 6 Close Up of the Suspension Bridge Overlook 7 gives you the best view of the Tempesta Falls.  The South Rim entrance to the 346 stairs down to the Suspension Bridge is between Overlook 6 and 7.  There are another 221 stairs leading down to the Gorge Floor.View From Overlook 7 Zooming in on Tempesta Falls At Overlook 8 you can see the very bottom of Hurricane Falls and great views of the Interpretive Center where you can see our “office window” – tough gig, uh?   Interpertive Center and Hurricane Falls View Across the Gorge to the Interpretive CenterOverlook 9 gives you the best views of Hurricane Falls from above on the Rim Trails.  For a full view of the falls you’ll need to go to the Gorge Floor which means taking all those stairs from either the North Rim (552) or the South Rim (567).Hurrican Falls From Overlook 9 Close Up of Hurricane FallsOverlook 10 is the last overlook on the Rim Trails where you get a different view of Oceana falls from that of Overlook 1 (which is right across the Gorge).  There is a little cave at Overlook 10 with a little settee has been built into it so that you can just sit and listen to the water rushing across the many falls (very peaceful).Oceana Falls From Outlook 10Little Cave at Overlook 10 Well there you have it.  A three mile hike and you didn’t even have to leave your easy chair.  But, we can assure you that these pictures don’t do it justice so if you are ever in northern Georgia, western North Carolina, or western South Carolina it would be worth the drive to visit Tallulah Gorge State Park.

After a short katt nap in the early afternoon, we continued setting up our patio so that we can sit outside and enjoy this nice Georgia weather (once it quits raining that is).  Rain is in the forecast for the next seven days – yuk!!

Today is another “work day”.  We have a group of school kids showing up so Judy and I will be working in the Interpretive Center assisting West with the movie, answering questions, and what ever else comes up (other than snake handling, that is).  So, we’ll See Ya Down The Road as we continue Wandering America.

3 comments:

  1. Beautiful pictures. This is a place we will have to add to our list.
    Thanks for the tour.
    Arlene

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  2. Yes, it does look like you all will be living a rough life!! Hope you can manage!! Thanks for the tour....what a beautiful place. I like the view from the "office window." I'm not sure how many times I could make it up and down those steps but I bet its worth it. :)
    You guys enjoy and have tons of fun!!

    Mike & Gerri (happytrails)
    http://freedom2roll.blogspot.com

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  3. Wow! What a gorgeous place to "work"! Hope we can get up there one of these days. We're at Rainbow Plantation for 2 days so we've been thinking about you all a lot. It's pretty lonely looking here now! Doug, JoAnn & Fillmore

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