Notes on Georgia: High Falls State Park

If you are looking for something interesting to do in Georgia, perhaps on a lazy Sunday afternoon, it may be worth it to take the drive to High Falls State Park.
We found this park in our favorite hiking trail guide. It's about a 45 minute drive from Atlanta, but worth it!

We arrived close to the end of the day, so families were wrapping up their picnic spreads and fishermen were getting ready to tow their boats home. We got out of our car and surveyed our surroundings. The parking lot provides a nice view of the man made dam and falls. But of course, we wanted a closer look.

Matt and I wandered down to the edge of the river, and noticed an overlook a few hundred feet away. We ventured up towards the highway and back down again to gain access to this wooden 1/2 bridge overlook. There are a few postings here stating the history of the area, the old mill, and the mill stones that are strewn about pretty much everywhere.

The view from the overlook was gorgeous. To our left, the dam. To our right the rocky river and moderate rapids. I noticed a well hidden trail head across the road. We felt adventurous and headed in. There were quite a few people exiting, so I didn't feel too apprehensive about going into the forest in the middle of no where.

Much to our surprise we saw a flight of wooden stairs heading down towards the river, and providing an awesome view of the natural waterfalls this park is actually named for.

These falls are not your average 'straight over the edge streams of water'. They are more like multiple levels of rock formations creating a spectacular base for the rushing water to escape over.

Here you have to raise your voice a bit to have a conversation. As always, I'm in awe of the power of rushing water. The sound it makes is unmistakable, and the ground almost feels like it's vibrating besides the falls.

If you follow the stairs all the way down to the last step and take off on the dirt trail, more surprises await!

You will find the ruins of a mill on your left. On the right, the ruins of the cement track that was used to push lumber down the hill to the mill. These pieces of cement now blend into their surroundings. Covered in plants and dirt they are barely noticeable.

You can climb down the steep hill next to the Mill Ruins to get a closer view. At the very base you can see the Mill's outlet into the river. The moss and water damage to the old brick is reminiscent of a different time period.

So, we were able to add another small adventure to our list. Try visiting in Spring, because the wildflowers here are abundant!