April 18, 2017
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Today, we hiked the trails at Tallulah Gorge State Park at Tallulah Falls, GA. The Shortline Trail, Tallulah Falls Lakeside and Tallulah Gorge South Rim and part of the North Rim Trail. HIKERS – John Anderson, Mike Bell, John Bellamy, Phil Brownrigg, Ann Clark, Ray Clark, Joe Collins, Greta Driggers, Jim Driggers, Bill Hunt, Whitney Hutchinson, Bob Magee, Beth McDonald, Donna Presley, Tony Presley and Vic Robson. TRAIL INFO. – We hiked the Shortline Trail as a loop starting at the Historic Jail and hiking to the lower end of the Shortline Trail by walking down the old highway along the Tallulah Falls Lake and looped back to the start on the Shortline Trail. Next, we followed the shoreline of Tallulah Falls Lake on the park road past the swimming area up to the new highway 441 and hiked the South Rim Trail. Some of us hiked down the staircase to the suspension bridge and up the other staircase to the North Rim Trail. Spectacular gorge views along the rim trail! Also, we saw more than 20 species of wildflowers. Total hiking distance today – 5.1 miles with only a couple of gentle hills. Difficulty rating – mostly easy except for the staircase which is very strenuous. 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! Mostly cloudy with temperatures ranging from 65 to 70 degrees F. WILDFLOWERS IN BLOOM: Native Azaleas, Carolina Rhododendron, Maple-Leaf Viburnum, Sweet Shrub, Dogwood, Carolina Silver Bells, Halberd Leaf Violets, Blue Violets, Catesbys Trillium, Cross Vine, Polygala, Mountain Laurel, Solomon’s Seal, False Solomon’s Seal, Robins Plantain, Dog Hobble, Multi-flora Rose, Dwarf Irsis Verna, Flame Azalea, Buttercup, Cinnamon Fern, Purple Phacelia, Lyre-leaf Sage, Birdsfoot Violet, Wild Geranium, Persistent Trillium (with faded bloom). BIRDS IDENTIFIED: Rose-Breasted Grosbeak, Pine Warbler, American Crow, Cardinal, Cliff Swallows, White-breasted Nuthatch and Red-tailed Hawk.
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