Hiking in Amicalola Falls State Park: Georgia’s Tallest Waterfall

As Georgia’s tallest waterfall, Amicalola Falls is not exactly a hidden gem, but it’s definitely deserving of all the hype!  With 14 miles of trails throughout the park, you won’t want to miss hiking in Amicalola Falls State Park.  

Reaching 729 feet, this incredible cascading waterfall is definitely worth the many stairs.  The rewarding hike along the falls is otherworldly as the water courses below you.  The man-made open grate stairs lead you up alongside and even over, yes, OVER, the waterfall.  

Before we get into the details of the trails, let’s start with some important links.

Important Links 

–Amicalola Falls State Park Website

–Amicalola Falls Lodge and Campground – Book Camping Here!

–Interactive Campground Map

–Downloaded Park Map – Trails are white

Fees

Before you go, please know that there is a $5 per vehicle fee to enter and park in this Georgia State Park.  

Now, if you plan to be in any Georgia State Park for more than 10 days, it would make sense to purchase an Annual ParkPass which is $50, and good for one year from purchase date.  

You can make that purchase HERE or at any Park Office in Georgia State Park.  

Location

Amicalola Falls State Park is the perfect place for a day trip or a weekend away!  At 1.5 hours north of Atlanta, GA, and 2 hours southeast of Chattanooga, TN, this north Georgia honey hole is ideal for a quick day trip out of the city.  

Whether you are headed here for a day hike, to enjoy the beautiful waterfall, or to camp/stay at the lodge for a weekend away, you can’t go wrong with visiting Amicalola Falls State Park.  

But how much time SHOULD you spend here?  Let’s discuss!

Time to Spend Here

There are many different answers to the question “How much time should I spend here?”  And while I can’t give you the perfect answer, I can offer a few recommendations.

Recommendation #1 – Day Trip

For a great day trip to Amicalola Falls, you will want to start early.  Stop in at the Visitor’s Center and pick up a trail map before hitting the trails.  I would also recommend downloading an offline map for this park because there is little to no phone service here.

Next, you can park near the trailhead of the Creek Trail and start your ascent towards the famous Amicalola Falls.  You can hike just to the falls and back, or you can create a loop by hiking up to the falls, then continue up the stairs to the left of the waterfall before looping back on the East Ridge Trail (2.2mi. total).  

If you are looking for more miles than just a 2+ mile loop, then you can drive to the top of the waterfall by following Amicalola Park Road until it dead ends.  You could hike the Trail to Hike Inn (10 mile out and back) or some of the shorter trails that begin here. 

Once you’ve hit your desired mile amount, you can head home and feel satisfied after a long (or short) day of hiking.  

Recommendation #2 – Weekend Trip

Amicalola Falls State Park offers a wide array of ways to stay, from roughing-it to luxury.  So if you are in need of a weekend away, there is something for everyone.  I’ll detail the ways to stay below, but the perfect weekend might look something like this.

• Friday: Check in at your desired sleeping location (Lodge, Campsite, Glamping Site) and relax around a fire for the evening.
• Saturday: Hike to the waterfall and around the park, choosing as many, or as few, miles as you want to do.  Then settle in for the evening with a fire cooked meal.
• Sunday: Pack up and get ready to head home.  You could even hike to the falls one more time, to get a final look, before hitting the road home.  

Now these are just suggestions, but Amicalola Falls State Park is definitely worth the visit.  Below is what we did.  

Our Itinerary

On a rainy Saturday, my husband and I visited Amicalola Falls State Park.  We were only here for about a half day, but we got to see Georgia’s tallest waterfall in all its glory!

We started out on the Creek Trail, picked up the Mountain Laurel Trail, before finally reaching the waterfall via the West Ridge Trail.  

Because of some unfortunate circumstances (Read about that in the Our Hike section below), we hiked back down to our truck before hiking out and back on the East Ridge Trail to the top of the falls.

Once we got back to the truck, we decided we were satisfied with the day and headed home.  

But just because we did a decent portion of the trails here, there are other trails as well.  

List of Trails

• East Ridge Trail – 1.1 miles
• Creek Trail – 0.6 miles
• Mountain Laurel Loop Trail – 1 mile
• Spring Trail – 0.4 miles
• West Ridge Falls Access – 0.3 miles, ADA accessible!
• AT Approach Trail – 8.3 miles
• Trail to Hike Inn – 5 miles (10 miles total)
• Lodge Loop – 0.25 miles – Paved
• Fitness Trail – 1 mile

Our Hike

In May of 2024, I visited Amicalola Falls State Park with my husband and our yellow lab.  The day started off with some rain, and then turned out to be quite the pleasant day for hiking, despite the Georgia humidity.  

We started by paying our $5 entry fee, visiting the Visitor’s Center, then parking next to the Visitor’s Center before hitting the trails.  

We hiked the Creek Trail, which was closed part of the way through, so we picked up the Mountain Laurel Loop.  Once that trail was completed, we walked on the West Ridge Falls Access right to the middle of the falls!

We decided to take the 175 stairs down to the bottom of the falls, which meant we came back up these same stairs…it was much harder going up, but that’s besides the point.  

Unfortunately (as of 5/4/2024), the remaining stairs that lead to the top of the waterfall were closed due to a downed tree.  So we had a decision to make, did we hike back to the truck and then drive to the top of the falls?  Or do we hike back and finish the rest of the loop, creating a horseshoe instead of our intended loop?

Calling an Audible

If you know us, we love hiking and decided to put in the extra miles by hiking back the way we came.  We passed our parked truck and picked up the East Ridge Trail right behind the Visitor’s Center.  This hike is just over a half mile to the top of Amicalola Falls, but the incline is no joke!

The East Ridge Trail is rather unimpressive, and pretty steep, but it did lead us to our desired destination at the top of the falls.  This area has a few picnic tables and is ADA accessible to see the top of the waterfall.  

We then headed back the way we came and headed home once we got to our truck.  In total, we hiked about 5.5 miles with 1500 feet of elevation gain.  This made for a great warm up for some of the trails we have coming up this summer, but you’ll just have to wait to find out about that!

If we hadn’t been so close to home, we would have probably camped at Amicalola Falls State Park, but there are more ways to stay than just camping.  Let’s check it out!

Staying in Amicalola Falls State Park

Normally, this is where I have a “Camping” section of my posts, but camping doesn’t even cover half of the options you have if you want to stay here!  There’s camping, there’s glamping, there’s cabins, there’s a luxurious lodge, and there’s even an Inn that you can hike to.

Obviously, the way you stay very much depends on your budget, but you have plenty of options!

Camping

Let’s start with the classic way to stay at Amicalola Falls State Park, camping!  Yes, this includes tents, campers and even RVs staying on a campsite.  With 18 level pads for your tent or your rig, you’ll be able to enjoy the classic, and/or rustic, type of stay in a great Georgia State Park.

Glamping – Safari Tents

Amicalola Falls State Park also has a unique option of glamping with 4 Safari Tents (2 Queen beds or a King bed with 2 bunk beds).  These tents offer AC/Heat for your comfort, as well as a coffee maker, outlets for your devices, and the camping essentials (fire ring, picnic table, and chairs) outside your tent for your enjoyment.  

Cabins 

For a blend of rustic and luxury, you can stay in one of  Amicalola Falls’ 14 cabins.  They have 2 different locations to choose from, and they offer 1- or 2- or 3- bedroom cabins.  You can choose to stay in a Wooded Mountain Cabin above the falls, or a Creekside Cabin below the falls.  All cabins offer AC/Heat, a deck, a fireplace, and satellite TV so you never miss a moment.  

Lodge Rooms

And finally, we have The Lodge at Amicalola Falls for pure luxury.  Whether you need a Queen bed, King Bed, a Loft option for the whole family, or a Suite option for a getaway weekend, you can’t go wrong with choosing this modern lodge with panoramic views!  There is even a Restaurant and Bar located in the lodge so you never have to leave.  Plus, there’s Wifi!

One Additional Way to Stay – The Hike Inn

The Hike Inn (Len Foote Hike Inn) is not the same as the Lodge, but it is an exciting way to experience Amicalola Falls State Park.  In order to reach this inn, you will have to park at the top of the falls and hike 5 miles through the mountains of north Georgia.  They offer rooms for singles, couples and families alike.  With your stay you also get served 2 hot meals per day and there is a bathhouse with hot showers after a long day of hiking.  You can book your stay here for a single night, or multiple nights, and truly get away from the hustle and bustle of life and civilization.   

With all those amazing ways to stay, you, your friends/family and just about anyone will be able to enjoy their stay at Amicalola Falls State Park. 

Conclusion

Amicalola Falls State Park is named after and home to Georgia’s tallest waterfall.  This 729 foot cascade-style waterfall is stunning!  And with 14 miles of trails in the park, and many ways to stay, you can’t miss hiking in Amicalola Falls State Park!

Overall, we were only here a half day and really enjoyed our hiking experience here.  If you are looking for a day hike, a weekend getaway or even a longer stay, you won’t want to miss Amicalola Falls State Park.

As always, you can reach out to me at averagewildexperience@gmail.com for any questions or help planning your next day trip!

Happy Hiking!