DO IT: Hiking - Lodge Loop Trail – Amicalola Falls State Park

Lodge Loop Trail is well-lit for use before sunrise or after sunset and has a number of educational displays for visitors to learn about Amicalola Falls State Park, as well as a scenic overlook and an observation area.

About the Park

Few parks provide a wider variety of hiking options than Amicalola Falls State Park & Lodge. With 10 trails and one amazing waterfall, it’s easy to see why this 829-acre reserve outside of Dawsonville is among the most popular Georgia State Parks.

An excellent example of the North Georgia mountain wilderness, the park’s key feature is Amicalola Falls. Amicalola, a Cherokee word meaning “tumbling waters,” is an appropriate name for the 729-foot falls, the third highest cascading waterfall east of the Mississippi River and the tallest in Georgia.

The premier path in the park is the Appalachian Approach Trail, an eight-mile path that leads from the park entrance to Springer Mountain, the southern end of the 2,150-mile Appalachian Trail (AT). Many other beautiful and diverse trails wind through the park and two trails – the Approach Trail and Len E. Foote Hike Inn Trail – enter the Chattahoochee National Forest. Activities are abundant at the Visitors Center, while overnight guests can choose to tent or RV camp, rent a cottage, or stay at the modern, resort-style Lodge.

The park hosts an annual Appalachian Trail Kick-Off Weekend, a three-day celebration that marks the start of the thru-hiking season, typically the first weekend in March. Thru-hikers are encouraged to register with the park’s rangers before heading to Springer Mountain to begin the 2,150-mile journey to Mt. Katahdin in Maine.

Amicalola Falls State Park is accessible year-round during daylight hours. All vehicles are subject to $5 GA State Park Pass. Frequent park visitors can save money with a $50 Annual Park Pass available at the Lodge or Visitor Center. Passes are good for one year from purchase date.  Pets are permitted in both the state park and national forest; however, they must be leashed in the state park.

The Visitor Center is open 7 days a week from 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.