Tours Travel

Northwest Georgia

Northwest Georgia’s high country has much to offer, where its history portrays the settlement of American Indians as well as Civil War landmarks in the diverse landscape with its hills, streams, lakes and orchards offering many opportunities for activities. outdoor. .

In 1918, when the natural cave entrance at Lookout Mountain was no longer available to the public; Leo Lambert made a bold decision in 1928 to reopen the Lookout Mountain cave. His team had to fly and drill a new entrance from above; however, after descending 260 feet, they found a small cavity 18 inches high and 5 feet wide that led further up the mountain. After crawling on hands and knees for three hours through this small cavity of limestone about 200 meters, Leo was finally able to stand, 10 hours later, what he found has become one of the most treasured discoveries in the southeast. He named this impressive 145-foot waterfall in honor of his wife, Ruby. Visitors to Ruby Falls in Chattanooga will be amazed by the small living caverns passage that measures just under half a mile one way, past stalagmites, stalactites, drapery formations, and flow stone before reaching the tallest waterfall. and deep in the country at 1,120 feet below ground.

Just beyond the state line into Georgia, a few miles south of Ruby Falls, are the incredible Rock City Gardens that sit atop Lookout Mountain. The gardens feature over 400 native plant species and massive ancient rock formations that are impressive. The 4,100-foot Enchanted Trail is surrounded by natural geological wonders as it winds its way above, below, and through rock formations, where going through the fat man’s squeeze and the eye of the needles is truly a tight squeeze. Crossing the 180-foot-long suspension bridge provides a spectacular view of the Chattanooga Valley as the trail exits the bridge and winds its way around another rock formation that provides a view of Lover’s Fall and a 90-foot waterfall. At the top of Lover’s Leap, you can see the panoramic view of seven states. The Enchanted Path continues its journey through Mother Goose Village and ends after passing through Fairyland Caverns.

One of the largest and most scenic parks in the state located on the western edge of Lookout Mountain, where nature’s role has deep canyons carved into the water surrounded by breathtaking views of the Cumberland Plateau. Cloudland State Park is home to a 1,000+ foot deep canyon, sandstone cliffs, dense forests, wildlife, streams, and waterfalls, where strenuous hiking trails allow one to explore these incredible parks of beauty.

The only easy trail in the park is the half-mile one-way Overlook trail that runs through the rim of the canyon where the two overlooks provide stunning views of the rugged canyon, a waterfall on the opposite canyon wall, and dense forest. . Starting at the main trailhead, the strenuous one-mile Waterfalls Trail quickly descends 450 feet up the cliff face where the trail includes 600 steps of metal ladders. About halfway up the trail, a side trial to the left continues to hug the cliff face, where around the bend is the first of two falls. Cherokee Falls sits on a sandstone cliff inlet that drops 60 feet into a rock-filled pond where the giant boulders around the pond allow one to get very close. The remaining part of the trail gets much steeper in your quest to get to the second waterfall where the trail ends at an intersection. The trail to the left leads to an overlook to see Hemlock Falls dropping 90 feet into the rock-filled creek. Beginning at the end of the Waterfalls Trail, the strenuous two-mile, one-way Sitton’s Gulch Trail begins at a tree-lined bridge that spans Daniel Creek before gradually descending 700 feet to the bottom of the canyon. The trail winds alongside the creek through a grove of green hemlock overlooking numerous waterfalls and rapids as the water works its way around the limestone rocks. The trail ends at the mouth of the canyon in Trenton, where the last half mile of the trail is an easy hike over flat terrain.

At the southwestern tip of the Cohutta Mountains, where the Cherokee Indians lived for hundreds of years, is now Fort Mountain State Park. The park’s location near the Cohutta Wilderness offers visitors miles of trails through stream-crossing hardwood forest, blueberry thickets, majestic views, a mysterious 855-foot ancient rock wall, and a glimpse into the past at the previous inhabitants.

For nature lovers with just one day, the park’s trail system allows multiple trails to be combined for a four-mile loop through the heart of the park. Starting on the north side of the Lake Loop Trail, continue to the Goldmine Creek Trail turnoff, which goes up a ridge to the Gahuti Trail. Follow this trail that gains 500 feet in elevation as it traverses ridges through hardwood forest and crosses several streams before joining the Big Rock Nature Trail. The Big Rock Trail hugs the edge of the ridge line gaining 114 feet in elevation before the trail begins a steep descent into a hollow past a small waterfall before climbing a small ridge to another cascading waterfall. The trail ends at the park road where you can cross the road to finish the Lake Loop. Located near the highest point in the park is the West Overlook Trail. This half-mile trail gains 200 feet of elevation as it winds along the Western Ridge line to an observation deck with some beautiful views of the mountain range and valleys below. Continue up the 102 metal steps to the Tower Trail, which goes back down over the old rock face to complete a loop.

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