Since moving to Georgia, I have heard about a gorgeous place in Northern Georgia called the Lula Lake Land Trust. The area is protected and visitors are only allowed by permit, which are available only two Saturdays per month, meaning this place is largely untouched. It's only a short drive from Chickamauga Battlefield, the site of my earlier hike today and arrive just a few minutes after noon, which is perfect since my permit wasn't active until noon.
Entering the trust, I am greeted by a ranger who validates my permit and instructs me on where to park. After grabbing my gear, I head over to the table set up by the rangers who provide me a trail map and some basic instruction. With a quick 'thank you', I'm on my way.
The first section of the hike is along a gravel road, which curves around the mountain and runs parallel to Rock Creek. There are a few points where I have the option to depart the road and I opt to enter the woods in an area called the Ford Trail, which requires me to do a little rock hopping across the creek. Nothing serious, but it's a little comical to see a young lady trying to join her friends, but exhibiting some level of fear at the crossing. After she sees me hop across with almost no effort, she seems to get her courage and join her friends.
I almost immediately reach a trail junction and begin to follow the stream on the North Creek Trail. This route takes me to the top of the smaller of the two waterfalls here and the one that feeds the emerald pond known as Lula Lake. A couple of guys are snapping some photos here at the top and as I see other people below on the edge of the lake, I decide to head down below for my pictures.
A ramble of stone steps and boulders have been fashioned to allow visitors to make their way down the steep hill to the edge of the water. From here, the large pool of water now separates me from the waterfall itself. It seems the water has carved out a stone overhang on either side of the pool. In eons past, this waterfall must have been raging. It's still pretty active today, but nothing like it must have been to carve out this canyon.
Departing the area containing Lula Lake, I now return to the gravel road for a short distance before making my way down the extremely steep Old Lula Falls Trail, which is made easier by the placement of stone and wood steps, but it's still hard on the knees. Reaching the bottom, I'm greeted with a magnificent site. Lula Falls drops approximately 120 feet from the creek above to an area scattered with stone. Thirty or forty people have gathered here to take in the magnificence of the waterfall and enjoy the cool mist coming off of it. It's a hot day and the spray feels amazing. This is among the top five waterfalls I've seen since moving to Georgia several months ago.
Heading out, I take the slightly less steep Lula Falls Trail before connecting with the High Adventure Trail. This later trail heads up the mountain to connect with the Bluff Trail, but before doing so, I'm forced to climb on all fours and in one place utilize a knotted rope to pull myself up the steep sections. It was a bit of a workout, but well worth it.
Reaching the top, I'm greeted by a sprawling view of the Chattanooga Valley. Here on the bluff side of Lookout Mountain, I can see probably forty miles to the east. It's a great view, but I can't help but compare it to the beauty of the Sierra Nevada. The most obvious difference is the fingerprints of civilization. Out west, I could look for a hundred miles and see no sign of human habitation, but here, in the east, civilization is impossible to escape entirely.
The final section of my route, has me connecting with the Middle Trail and following this back to a small wooden bridge and eventually to the gravel road, which I walked in on. I was able to get in another 5.6 miles here, bringing my total for the day to about 12.4. Not bad. Now it's time to drive home, shower off the sweat, and enjoy a cold beer.
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