Tallulah Gorge North & South Rim Loop Tallulah Gorge State Park, GA
miles
LENGTH 2.6 MILES
DIFFICULTY 9 Easy
Medium
DURATION 2-3 hours
ELEVATION GAIN
820
feet
TRAIL TYPE
Loop
Tallulah Gorge North & South Rim Loop

The Tallulah Gorge North and South Rim combined loop takes you from epic views above the gorge to right down to the base of Hurricane Falls. Situated just an hour and a half outside the Atlanta perimeter, the park offers great trails for all difficulty levels. A well maintained interpretive center offers visitors informative displays, park history, and a gift shop.

The park opens at 8AM and there is a $5 parking fee. Before starting your hike, be sure to check out the Jane Hurt Yarn Interpretive Center at the parking lot. Here you will find restrooms, water fountains and hiking maps, as well as several displays with a plethora of information about the park and its history. This is also where permits are issued if you want to explore the gorge floor trail. Only 100 permits are issued each day, which go fast in the summer months. Be sure to call ahead to make sure they are issuing permits, as they don’t if it’s rained recently and still wet. Dogs are allowed on the trails, but NOT down the stairs to the suspension bridge or along the gorge floor.

The North Rim trail is accessed from either side of the parking lot, but the most direct is from the right and leads around to the back of the interpretive center. This section is well-maintained mulch, so very easy under foot. At .1 miles, the trail splits, with Overlook 1 and Inspiration Point to the left and the rest of the trail to the right. Take the short trail to the first overlook, arguably the best view of the gorge. At this vantage point, you can see Oceana Falls directly below and Bridal Veil Falls downstream. Continuing on to Inspiration Point requires travelling uphill almost 200 ft in a quarter mile, making this the steepest, non-staircase section of the hike. From here, a permit is required to travel along the High Bluff Loop.

Turning around and heading back to the junction behind the interpretive center, the path changes to recycled rubber from here to Overlooks 2 & 3. At Overlook 3, just below is L’Eau d’Or falls, which in French means “water of gold.” To the left you can see Overlook 2 and across the gorge is Overlook 6. If you wish to head straight down the gorge, continue to Overlook 2 and then down the steps along the Hurricane Falls trail; otherwise continue on to Overlooks 4 & 5. At Overlook 4 the hiker gets a view of the water pouring out of the dam.

Follow the sign and take the steps to the sidewalk along Highway 441. Painted signs on the ground direct you across the bridge to the other side of the gorge. Once across, follow the painted sign for the South Rim trail and on to Overlooks 6 & 7. Along the way are a couple covered areas with benches to sit down and get out of the sun for those that need a break. Shortly afterward, the trail splits again at the southern side of the Hurricane Falls trail and steps down this side of the gorge. Go straight to finish the South Rim trail by visiting the remaining three overlooks, which all have great views of the southern part of the gorge. The interpretive center can be seen on the other canyon wall.

Head back to the junction with the Hurricane Falls staircase and begin the descent into the canyon. This entire section is a series of metal grated steps. There are a few benches along the way for those coming up this side. After travelling down 347 steps, you will reach the Hurricane Falls suspension bridge. If you wish, continue down another 221 steps to the platform at the base of the falls. Here hikers with permits for the gorge floor can rock hop across the river and continue downstream to Bridal Veil Falls. Be careful, even when not wet, they rocks are very slick. Once back at the suspension bridge, it’s another 310 steps back to the North Rim trail and Overlook 2, completing the loop.

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Elevation Map Length (miles) by Elevation (feet)
Slope Breakdown
Elevation Gain
Elevation Range
Grade Range
Length
Elevation Gain
0 - 250 ft/mi
~ 0 - 5 %
0.5 mi
46 ft
250 - 500 ft/mi
~ 5 - 10 %
0.3 mi
103 ft
500 - 750 ft/mi
~ 10 - 15 %
0.2 mi
99 ft
750 - 1000 ft/mi
~ 15 - 20 %
0.2 mi
125 ft
1000+ ft/mi
~ 20+ %
0.2 mi
492 ft
Elevation Loss
Elevation Range
Grade Range
Length
Elevation Loss
0 - 250 ft/mi
~ 0 - 5 %
0.5 mi
75 ft
250 - 500 ft/mi
~ 5 - 10 %
0.3 mi
107 ft
500 - 750 ft/mi
~ 10 - 15 %
0.1 mi
73 ft
750 - 1000 ft/mi
~ 15 - 20 %
0.2 mi
142 ft
1000+ ft/mi
~ 20+ %
0.2 mi
413 ft
Terrain Map Click to control map
Details
length2.6 miles
difficulty9 Easy-Medium
duration2 - 3 hours
trail typeLoop
blazeWhite Arrow
elevation gain820 ft.
state Georgia 
park/forestTallulah Gorge State Park
ranger districtTallulah Gorge State Park
338 Jane Hurt Yarn Drive
Tallulah Falls, GA 30573
706-754-7981
parking fee$5/Day, $50 Annual Pass
trailhead coordinates 34.740369, -83.390329 (Degree Decimal, DegDec)
N 34°44.42, W 83°23.42 (Degree Minutes, MinDec)
N 34°44'25'', N 34°44'25'' (Degree Minutes Seconds, DMS)
Trailhead Directions
34.740369, -83.390329 (Degree Decimal, DegDec)
N 34°44.42, W 83°23.42 most GPS units use this one
N 34°44'25'', N 34°44'25'' (Degree Minutes Seconds, DMS)
Google Map It
The turn onto Jane Hurt Yarn Rd to the park entrance is a quarter mile north of the bridge over the dam along Highway 441.
Notes
The metal steps down to the suspension bridge and Hurricane Falls are very steep, so take your time. If you have a permit to cross the river, the rocks are very slick, even when not wet. The park will not issue permits if the rocks are wet.
The park performs aesthetic and whitewater releases in which they do not issue permits. For more information and release dates, visit the Official Park Site.
Dogs are allowed in the park, but not down the steps to Hurricane Falls or along the gorge floor, making this loop not possible with a dog.
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Reviews / Comments
Average Review Rating
5 (2)
mesloan-6 years ago
Beautiful Gorge
Great hike! The North and South Rim trails are easy with several beautiful lookout points. If you have the chance to do the gorge floor it's an amazing rugged trail that leads to a waterfall you can slide down. It's a difficult hike with a fairly steep climb to get out of the gorge but it's totally worth it!
Medium | Hiked Summer 2017
hikethesouth-6 years ago
Hit Up the Stairmaster at the Gym
Hope you like stairs. Your going to be going up and down a lot of them. This is a quintessential Georgia hike and should not be missed. Too many views along the gorge rim to capture them all.
Easy-Medium | Hiked Spring 2012
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