As the mercury soars into the 90s, our little family is trading the sweaty streets of Atlanta for the Appalachian Mountains on as many summer weekends as we can manage.
And while it’s tough to find a bad hike anywhere in North Georgia and Southern Tennessee, there are a few trails with far fewer fellow travelers and lots of beautiful rivers and streams.
Here’s a collection of our favorite hikes, scattered throughout the far reaches of the Chattahoochee National Forest and brimming with beautiful waterfalls and swimming holes.
Map: Favorite Georgia and Tennessee hiking trails
- Jack’s River Falls
- Nearby: Conasauga River Snorkeling
- Lula Lake Land Trust
- Nearby: Chattanooga + Rising Fawn hang gliding
- Tallulah Gorge
- A few stellar short hikes: 3 miles or less
- What to pack
Jack’s River Falls
Jack’s River Falls in the Cohutta Wilderness is well-worth the 9 mile round-trip hike that sends you across downed trees, over creeks and rivers, and plunging down washed out trails to its deafening base — all before leading back to the Beech Bottom trailhead. Earlier this month, Kip and Pimms hiked the whole way with us.
Good to know: Pack plenty of snacks, lots of water, and a solid map for this trek. The trailhead is situated right on the Georgia-Tennessee line and you’ll probably lose cell service by the time you get to Cisco, Georgia. Be aware that a few parts of the trail have recently been re-routed due to rainfall. We barely recognized the falls on our latest visit — Jack’s River was far gentler during our last trip there six years ago. This year we stuck to the calmer lower falls. Also: There’s no bathroom.
The 18-mile version: Wake up extra early and take the ambitious 18-mile round-trip trek from Dally Gap to Jack’s River and back. Note: You’ll drive past Dally trailhead to reach the shorter Beech Bottom trailhead — something my husband will never forget after unexpectedly taking that longer hike one summer in college.
The folklore: Legend has it Jack’s River is named for a Cherokee man, who, for a small fee, would ferry travelers across the river on his back.
Nearby: Conasauga River Snorkeling
A short drive from Jack’s River you’ll find Conasauga River Swimming Hole (directions). Here you can snorkel with 70 species of fish and sunbathe on ancient boulders with baby frogs. The Consauga is among the most bio-diverse watersheds in the United States and and there all sorts of little creatures to be seen just below the water’s surface. We brought these ridiculous full-face snorkels when we visited last summer and it was the best idea — you can breathe through your nose and talk through the mouthpiece underwater.
The folklore: The Cherokee people described the banks of this river as “overflowing like a strong horse,” or “Conasauga” — their word for powerful equine, sparkling water, and verdant grass, alike.
Lula Lake Land Trust
60 miles due west of Jack’s River and the Conasauga lies serene Lula Lake Land Trust. Last summer, I waxed poetic about its splendors in this packing post. Perfectly proportioned for a day trip and a short drive from Chattanooga, it’s quite a hidden gem atop Lookout Mountain.
Good to know: Quiet, clean, and dog-friendly, the privately owned park is open to visitors just two weekends each month. Fed by the Rock Creek watershed, the conservation spans 8,000 acres and includes beautiful Lula Lake and Lula Falls. The lake is the site of an old mining operation; while there’s no swimming in its waters, you can dip in a toe or two before heading to the base of Lula Falls to enjoy splashing through the swimming hole hidden under its veil.
My favorite hike, here, is the lush ridge rim trail that looks out over the Blue Ridge Mountains. Another trail within Lula conveniently connects to popular Cloudland Canyon. Most weekends you can also tag along with a volunteer who leads short nature and history walks through the Trust.
The folklore: According to the Trust this waterfall was known as “Seclusion Falls” before “Lula,” “Lulu,” and “Lulah” began appearing on local postcards in the late 1800s — likely in reference to nearby Tallulah Falls.
Nearby: Chattanooga + Rising Fawn hang gliding
Spend a full weekend on Lookout Mountain: Stay here, eat here, make a trip to the Chattanooga Riverfront, and sample some fine whiskey right here. If you’re feeling adventurous, book a tandem flight at America’s number one hang gliding school, Lookout Mountain Flight Park. Alternatively, tote a bottle of wine and blanket to the pro-shop launch pad (7201 Scenic Hwy) early in the evening and watch the sunset gliders drift off the mountain’s edge. Whether soaring through the clouds or keeping feet firmly on the ground, the views over the valley below are spectacular.
More folklore: Rising Fawn shares its name with the child of a Cherokee chieftain. Seeing a baby deer wake up and leap into the forest on the dawn following the child’s birth, the new father followed Cherokee tradition in naming his child after the first thing seen.
Long before early 1800s travelers warned Andrew Jackson’s troops to “look-out” for dangerous waters and Native Americans in the area, Lookout Mountain and adjacent Cameron Hill were called “Talidanda-ganu” and “O-Tulleetanna-Takunna-ee” by the Cherokee people — both mean “two mountains looking at one another.”
“Chattanooga,” a Creek term for “rock rising to a point,” is also named after the high ridges of Lookout Mountain.
Tallulah Gorge
While there are a number of trails to explore in and around Tallulah Gorge, Sliding Rock Trail is my longtime favorite — the above and below snapshots were taken ten years ago on a freshman year Geology field trip.
Good to know: Access to the trail is restricted to visitors who procure a permit. Only 100 permits are handed out each day, so you’ll want to arrive early. Unlike other trails in this post, you’ll want to leave your pups at home, since dogs are not allowed on this hike. And although it’s just 3.4 miles round-trip, you’re going to want to take a deep breath before you get started: There’s a thousand-foot gap between the trailhead bluff and the Gorge floor.
With stunning views of Bridal Veil and Hurricane Falls, the trail traces the park rim before crossing the Gorge via two sets of stairs and a teeny-tiny suspension bridge. Half a mile ahead is your destination, Bridal Veil Falls — the only place in the park you’re allowed to swim.
The folklore: Ask a local for the story behind Tallulah Falls and you’ll likely hear a tragic tale each of us learned on primary school field trips: Tallulah was a beautiful Indian princess who fell in love with a handsome white explorer. Her dad, Chief Grey Eagle, was not a big fan of this budding relationship. Grey Eagle not only sentenced the explorer to death, but forced Tallulah to watch as her paramour was pushed over the falls. Dads, right? Heartbroken (or perhaps a bit uncoordinated), Tallulah followed the explorer down the falls, tumbling to her own demise.
Then there’s this 1849 Dear Diary courtesy of author and explorer Charles Lanman: They said that it was an exceedingly wild place, and that its inhabitants were a species of little men and women, who dwelt in the crevices of the rocks and in grottoes under the waterfalls. They had attempted by every artifice in their power to hold a council with the little people, but all in vain; and, from the shrieks they frequently uttered, the medicine men knew that they were the enemies of the Indian race, and, therefore, it was concluded in the nation at large that the long-lost hunters had been decoyed to their death in the dreadful gorge, which they called Tallulah. In view of this little legend, it is worthy of remark that the Cherokee nation, previous to their departure for the distant West, always avoided the Falls of Tallulah, and were seldom found hunting or fishing in their vicinity.
Really, Tallulah was most likely named after an upriver Cherokee settlement, “Talulu,” a word whose meaning — just like Lanman’s hunters and those little people of the forest — went missing centuries ago.
A few stellar short hikes: 3 miles or less
The trade-off for a quick and easy hike is a very busy trail — especially on weekends during Georgia’s peak hiking seasons of summer and fall. If you’re short on time or have little ones in tow, here are a handful of gentler hikes and recreation areas with beautiful waterfalls, streams, and ponds:
- Hiking near Atlanta:
- Hiking near Helen:
- Hiking near Lake Burton, Lake Rabun, Lake Seed:
What to pack
- Cuyana summer hat
- Everlane cotton tank
- Ethically made black one-piece swimsuit
- Patagonia Barely Baggies shorts
- Ray-Ban 58mm polarized aviators
- Made in USA cotton bandana
- Allbirds women’s wool runners
- Wigwam ‘Cypress’ cotton ragg camp socks
- Patagonia Bonsai 14L backpack (my favorite for hiking and biking — Everlane makes a similar 12L nylon backpack)
A final tip: If you’re curious about current trail conditions or want to get a better feel for any of these destinations, try searching hashtags and geo-locations on Instagram to discover snapshots and comments from recent visitors.
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