Waterfall Series Part 2: Tallulah Gorgeous Views

This will be a moderate to strenuous hike.  The North and South Rim Trails consist of about 3 miles round-trip.  I rated it a D3 as we will keep a slow to moderate pace and enjoy the views, but please be advised there will be some very rocky terrain to navigate as well as inclines and stairs.

We will meet at the Interpretive Center at 3:30 PM.  From the Interpretive Center, we'll hike to the North Wallenda Tower.  This tower is named after Tightrope Walker Karl Wallenda who walked from this overlook to the tower on the opposite side on the South Rim in 1970.  The Gorge depth is 750 feet.  Oceana Falls and Bridal Veil Falls may be viewed from this point.

We'll then turn around and backtrack towards the Interpretive Center as we prepare to make our decent down 310 steps towards a suspension bridge that stretches across the Gorge.  After crossing the suspension bridge, we will make our ascent up the 347 steps up to the South Rim Trail.

After catching our breaths, and pausing to take in our success, we will begin our South Rim portion of the hike.  Following the trail to the left, we will make our way to three beautiful overlooks along the Gorge rim.  We'll be able to view the "Devil's Pulpit" outcrop below us and the Interpretive Center across the Gorge. 

Pushing onward, we will stop at the next overlook with a depth of 650 feet.  We'll be able to see Hurricane Falls, Oceana Falls, Caledonia Cascade and the first overlook on the North Rim that we had visited earlier.  Another overlook on the South Rim trail will showcase the Caledonia Cascade and the Wallenda North Tower area. The bluff we will see to our right is approximately 1,000 feet high.

After enjoying this far end of the South Rim trail, we will cover the rest of the trail.  There will be views of Hawthorne Pool and Tempesta Falls.  The Gorge depth at this overlook is 400 feet.  The next overlook will have views of the top of Tempesta Falls and Hurricane Falls.  The Gorge depth here is 350 feet. 

Next stop will be the Tallulah Falls Dam.  This will be a great spot to view the upper Gorge and the falls.  We will also be able to see the remains of a water compressor plant used in the building of Tallulah Falls Dam.  The Tallulah Falls Dam was completed in 1913.

After crossing the dam, we may head to a nice picnic area along the Tallulah Falls Lake where we could pause for a snack break.  There are also restrooms at this stop.  We will stay here for about 15 minutes, depending on how the group is progressing.

Following our break, we'll continue along the North Rim Trail where we will find three more fantastic overlooks awaiting us.  We'll be able to see a southern view of the upper Gorge and Hawthorne Pool.  The depth will be 350 feet at this point. 

Making our way up along the ridge, we will have more great views of the Tallulah Falls Dam, L'Eau d'Or Falls, Tempesta Falls, and Hawthorne Cascade.  Closing our loop, we will continue back to the Interpretive Center.

You may plan to return to Atlanta around 8:00 PM, but no later than 9:00 PM.