High Falls State Park

My busy week continued with a hike at High Falls State Park. The park is located about 50 miles south of Atlanta, off of I-75. Buddy and I took off around noon on Saturday, and drove about an hour and a half to High Falls.

This is one of the most scenic parks I’ve been to so far. It has two hiking trails that total 5 miles. The first trail is the Towaliga River Falls Trail and the second is a Non-Game Trail. Both trails are located in different parking lots on opposite sides of the river. They are not connected to each other, so you will have to get in your car and switch parking lots if you want to do both trails.

Towaliga River Falls Trail

The Towaliga River Falls Trail is a mile and a half trail that runs along the falls and river. The trail starts off going down stairs along the falls, but unlike Amicalola Falls the stairs are wooden and easy on both human and dog. The stairs lead to a couple of nice observation areas that you can take some nice pictures of the falls (see below). The trail continues along the river with a few places to climb out on the rocks and for Buddy a few places to lay in the water and to swim.

This was a very scenic trail, with photo opportunities along the way. My only problem with this trail was that it was not well marked and it had many side trails, game trails, and trails leading to private property. Buddy and I did get off on one of these trails and got a little lost (and I forgot my Dick Tracy Watch at home, so I didn’t have GPS). Luckily, with a waterfall being so close I was able to follow the sound of the water back to the starting point.

Non-Game Trail

The non-game tail is a two and a half mile trail that runs through the woods. This trail was not remarkable or scenic. It is an easy to moderate hike through the woods on a single track trail. The trail featured mostly gentle climbs and descents that cris-crossed a small creek. I enjoyed the non-game, but I wouldn’t drive an hour and a half just for this trail.

The combination of the beauty of the Towaliga Trail and the exercise of the Non-Game trails made for a very enjoyable hike. I would recommend this hike to anyone, especially photographers.