Amicalola Observations

[buckowens]

I went to a conference in Atlanta, and was able to break away to go to Amicalola to check out the place for my section coming up in June. I had a few observations that may help those who have not been there.

1. Don't even go in the visitor center when there is a group of teenagers visiting...They were all talking loudly at the same time, and the place is not too big...

2. The hike up to the falls is breathtaking, and has 602 stairs in the process!

3. The lodge has a nice buffet and spectacular view. I had no idea the lodge was located at such an elevation. It is 1 mile up the approach trail from the visitors center. Steeeep... We walked back down the approach trail to get to the car.

4. The approach trail continues from the parking area at the top of the falls near the lodge.

5. Folks at the lodge told me that Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday are the slowest days. It was relatively deserted yesterday.

I just wanted to throw these things out for those not located near the park. It is a beautiful park and nice for a non-AT visit as well.

[Nightwalker]

850 feet climb in 1.2 miles sounds terrible, but it isn't that bad. I put off hiking the approach trail for years because of how rough it sounded--and missed out on a nice hike.

Do what y'all wanna do,but don't skip the approach just because it sounds so hard. It isn't that bad!

[buckowens]

Nightwalker,

I agree completely! The 1 mile of the approach trail I was on was a beautiful hike. The harder part seemed to start when it got to the gravel, but the trail was shaded and beautiful. Nothing a few rest breaks and water can't take care of. The stone arch at the beginning is also a nice feature as well...

[Nightwalker]

Nightwalker,

I agree completely! The 1 mile of the approach trail I was on was a beautiful hike. The harder part seemed to start when it got to the gravel, but the trail was shaded and beautiful. Nothing a few rest breaks and water can't take care of. The stone arch at the beginning is also a nice feature as well...

I just didn't see any of it as that hard, but you should see some of the trails I do around here. ~2000 foot climbs on at least three of them, and we're not talking about 8+ miles to get there, either.