August 11, 2015
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HIKERS: John Bellamy, June Bellamy, Phil Brownrigg, Tim Hale, Bob Magee, Tony Presley and Vic Robson. TRAIL INFO. – We hiked the Shortline Trail as a loop starting at the upper end and hiking to the lower end on the old highway 441 on the shoreline of Tallulah Falls Lake. Next, we hiked the Shortline Trail back to the parking area and continued up the shoreline road past the swimming area up to the new highway 441 and hiked the South Rim Trail. Spectacular gorge views along the rim trail! Total hiking distance today – 6 miles with only a couple of gentle hills. Difficulty rating – mostly easy except for three of us who hiked across the gorge via the staircase and suspension bridge. DIRECTIONS: Tallulah Gorge State Park is about 10 miles south of Clayton, GA on Highway 441. For the Shortline Trail, turn to the right at the traffic light in Tallulah Falls (if coming from the north) then turn right and park at the gravel parking lot at the historic Tallulah Falls Jail on the right just before the bridge. Walk across the bridge and turn right up the short hill to the start of the Shortline Trail. Another great day for a hike! Fair skies with temperatures ranging from 68 to 75 degrees F. WILDFLOWERS IN BLOOM: Coreopsis, Queen Ann’s Lace, Goldenrod, Jewelweed, Joe Pye Weed, Black-eyed Susan, Crane-fly Orchid, Wild Potato Vine, Virgin’s Bower, Arrowheads and Lobelia. BIRDS IDENTIFIED: Black Vulture, Blue Jay, Cliff Swallow, Cardinal, White-breasted Nuthatch, Goldfinch and American Crow.
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