Fall Creek Falls State park weekend, cabin camping and waterfalls hikes

The focus of this weekend adventue will be a fabulous (and moderate to strenuous workout) at Virgin Falls pocket wilderness north of Fall Creek Falls State park where we are staying for the weekend. This hike offers four waterfalls, a great overlook from 'Martha's pretty point' down into Scott's Gulf, in which all those waterfalls rest and flow into and out of caves; except for Laurel Falls; a beauty which drops into a limestone sink next to the trail. There is also a daring hoop ladder that goes straight down from cliffs from the overlook (totally enclosed ladder with metal cage all around the person going down ladder to the trail below(think and BE thin here) -an adventure in itself)

Fall Creek Falls State Park has been voted, and many say is the nicest state park in the Southeast-I would agree It has a ton of amenities, including golf, moonlight canoeing on lake and too many more to mention, but our focus will be to 9 mile hike to Virgin Falls on Saturday morning, after we are treated to a late supper on Friday evening. Those that want can come up early, but I and all of us will need to coordinate when we get up with controlling group in this case-SOA (their event originally)-they were my old hiking group, before AOC hooked me.

All the meals will be provided by SOA and chef and co-leader Joan Cronin; and most of the monies collected will go to Nancy Roney, my old friend and co-leader of this event that group for this event. Any wanting to carpool can meet at 7pm at the Chastain Road CCT park and ride lot, or make arrangement to travel up earlier that same day.

The 9-mile moderate to strenuous, but incredibly gorgeous scenic Virgin Falls hike is an option I hope most coming on this trip will want to join; though options with this place are wide open, including many shorter hikes that may be led by my old group, SOA; as Virgin Falls hike is open to them and Georgia Wilderness society sharing this event, conversely lounging and short hikes and many other actvivities are available in this park to any from AOC that would rather do that.

Fall Creek Falls State Park has several notable and beautiful waterfalls of its own, including its namesake-Fall Creek Falls-some 256' free falling in to a cirque like sink in beautiful gorge of its own. We may see that one and others on Sunday after checkout, They are quickly accessible in a convenient, and brilliantly laid out ten mile driving loop, with short trails to all waterfalls, lookouts and scenery.

Sundays options will be drive home early, or the short drive to see Fall Creek Falls and short moderate trail down to the base, and another waterfall-Piney Creek Falls-both short trails off of a convenient driving loop in the park which also include a great lookout point with cliffs into the gulf in the State Park.

Many may decide to get back home after the long day Saturday or not-the will of the group will decide on who does what; and it would be nice to be pre-desposed in your thinking whether you want to get home early or do the short driving loop walks to 2 waterfalls (Fall Creek and another in then mile driving loop)before the event starts. We can all decide that via e-mails before the trip; but Virgin Falls hike which other groups can join us on, is the main event for the weekend.

SOA will feed us dinner Friday night, breakfast on Saturday morning-dinner again Friday evening; and breakfast before leaving and checking out Sunday morning. There is a communal dining hall with full cooking facilities, walk in refrig and freezers (commercial large ones). There are modern restroom facilities for screened cabins with 4-6 people per cabin in bunkbeds provided in circular arrangement, listed as 19 total cabins.

Check out pics of the park at http://www.georgiawildernesssociety.org/fcfsp1.html and park facilites and description at http://state.tn.us/environment.parks/FallCreekFalls/ We will be staying in Youth group camp 1, pics on site - at second address listed above.