1,099 Stairs at Tallulah Gorge State Park

Hurricane Falls

Jill and I were so focused on completing the 1,099 stairs in and out of Tallulah Gorge that we completely ignored all other hallmarks of historical and pop culture import here in this North Georgia resort town.

A little history

First, let’s clarify “resort town.” Apparently, it was the hot spot for travelers from all over the Southeast back in the day. Prior to getting its own railroad depot in 1882, it was the Havasu of the South. University of Georgia kids would ride a buggy to the small town, spend the weekend “hiking” and then roll back to Athens in time for Monday classes.

Once it had its own train station, the teeny tiny town hosted thousands of Victorian vacationers enjoying scenic overkill and perhaps a cone at the local ice cream shoppe. There were 17 hotels in town and bars lining the road into the park.

Then The Man came along. That’s right. Georgia Power. Nothing says Atlanta sensibility like crushing natural beauty and a local economy to feed the metro energy beast. But, one of Georgia’s first environmentalists, Helen Dortches Longstreet (widow of Confederate General James Longstreet), launched a campaign to preserve the land. She ultimately failed, but considering SHE WASN’T ALLOWED TO VOTE, she was a true champ and did a great job promoting the cause and the corrupt relationships between local politicians and GP. The dam was completed in 1912 and started generating power in 1914.

Deliverance. Still haven't seen it.

The dam and its construction were a bit of a bummer for this once super fun town in the mountains. The water dried up, the town burned down and for decades they could not find footing to create an economy. Then, in 1970, someone had the genius idea of getting Karl Wallenda to walk a tightrope strung across the gorge!

The Wallenda Bump did some good, and was followed up in 1971 as Jon Voight climbed out of the gorge in Deliverance, so he could tell everyone what really happened on the (fictional) Culawahassee River. I would imagine this is not something the North Georgians cling to as their best moment of fame. But maybe they do. This is odd country.

And now, about the hike.

The universe according to Georgia Power.

Back to the future. Or the present. We headed up to Tallulah Gorge which only took about an hour and a half from the citay. It’s super easy to find your way there, find the trail heads, etc. You have several options – there are 20 miles of trails in the park, but we had our minds set on the ones that involved the stairs and the gorge floor.

To do this you must stop at the desk in the Jane Hurt Interpretive Center to get a permit and brief lecture from a somewhat humorless park ranger. He wanted to see our shoes – and of course Jill and I happily slung our feet up on the counter so he could admire our Oboz / Keen coolness. He nodded silently with approval and perhaps a little disgust since we were giggling and taking pictures, but after climbing around on the rocks, I would definitely agree that this is not a place to try and hike in your trainers.

The view for a lot of the hike.

To hike the stairs, you head toward the first series of overlooks, then take the first set (600 stairs) down to the base of the falls.  The stairs are very steep and narrow, and if you so much as doubt your footing you can tumble very easily. So pay attention.

Jill with a permit to hike.

Once you are at the bottom of the gorge, the permit comes out and you get to walk through a special gate to a set of rocks which acts as a holding area for people trying to figure out how the hell to get to the other side of the gorge.There are two options – bound across the rocks with reckless abandon or take your shoes off and wade.

We had not come prepared for any of that madness and decided that the gorge floor would have to wait for our next trip. We went back up the first set of stairs (600 stairs are a lot more strenuous going up) to the platform where the North and South Rim trails meet. To hit the South Rim you hike up another set of stairs then take a pleasant stroll to more overlooks and across the dam.

Tallulah Gorge State Park is very nicely maintained and VERY family friendly. In fact, maybe too family friendly? Or maybe being there are on a beautiful Saturday during a holiday weekend wasn’t the brightest idea. It was just a bit too crowded to really have fun on the trails. The stairs were a challenge – my calves ached for two days afterwards, but I was disappointed that we weren’t better prepared to take on the gorge floor. I definitely will be going back when the weather is warmer to tackle that and hike to the foot of the falls. If you’ve crossed the floor, drop a line and let us know how you did it and about the hikes on the other side – we need tips and tricks from the pros!

In the meantime, I think I like Cloudland Canyon better for dramatic, scenic glory. It’s more rugged, less touristy and seems less effortless in its appeal.