Amicalola Falls - Base Trail (Dawson County, Georgia)

With my wife sick and having just spent the night at the Len Foote Hike Inn, I was anxious to get back home, but I wanted to check out a very short trail to the bottom of Amicalola Falls before departing the park. When I was here a couple of years ago, this trail was shut off for construction. Today, that's not the case and I want to see what kind of view it offers of the tallest water fall in Georgia.

Driving down from the upper parking lot near the top of the falls, I follow the main road past the visitors center and park again at the northern end towards the bottom of the waterfall. The trail is paved, but climbs a steep grade up the eastern ridge towards the waterfall. There three or four places with benches for people to rest as they make the climb. Being in a hurry, I don't rest and continue upwards. I'm breathing a bit hard when I reach the best spot for a picture of the mighty waterfall. I snap a couple and then head back the way I came. This little detour only cost me about fifteen minutes and it was worth it.

Len Foote Hike Inn Loop (Dawson County, Georgia)

Continuing another tradition that I seem to have started, some months ago I decided to spend the first weekend of the new year at the Len Foote Hike Inn. Again this year, I posted it in the Meetup and one friend decided to join me, though others signed up and failed to book rooms. Unfortunately, my wife has been ill over the last few days and I felt very badly leaving her. I messaged the other friend that was going to see if he would mind leading (at the time, I didn't know the other participants hadn't booked rooms). Just after sending him the message though, I saw comment that he was going to leave early and hike up to Springer Mountain, the southern terminus of the AT (Appalachian Trail), and would just meet me at the Inn. With no other option and believing I had new hikers may not know the way, I reluctantly drove to the trailhead. My wife assured me she would be okay during my short trip.

After checking by phone from the Amicalola Falls State Park visitors center, I headed up to the trailhead and waited for the others to arrive. They never did though and as I would later find out after asking the Innkeeper to check reservations, they hadn't even booked rooms for the trail. Ah well. I departed the trailhead alone and made my way along the Hike Inn Trail towards the forest lodge, which is a very popular northern Georgia attraction. 

The trail is well marked by green blazes, while the AT Approach Trail uses blue blazes. We will take the blue blazed trail when we head back tomorrow. This trail passes a number of small water crossings, all with well-constructed bridges over them. Rhododendrons are everywhere in the low-lying areas between ridges. It is a bit of a workout, but after about 4.8 miles, I wander into the lobby of the Inn and get my room key.

One thing I love about this place is that it has hot showers. While not a luxury hotel by any stretch of the imagination, the Len Foote Hike Inn offers a comfortable get away deep in the woods of Appalachia. The rooms are quite Spartan, with a set of bunkbeds and plywood for wallpaper. It gets the job done though and offers a quiet retreat for the hustle and bustle of city life. After getting into my room, I remove my boots and rest for just a few minutes. Dinner isn't until 6:00 pm in the dining hall two buildings over. 

After a few minutes, I gather my fresh cloths and head next door to the bath house, where I enjoy a wonderful, but short shower. The Inn is run very sustainably and guests are encouraged to limit their hot water usage. Knowing the reputation this place has and supporting it's mission of sustainability, I do my best to comply. The hot shower is great though.

With sweat pants and slippers on, I head down to the sun room, the last connected room of the facility. There are a couple of families here playing games. I find a book about Benton McKaye and begin reading. Before long, my friend pops his head in and we catch up a bit while waiting for the dinner bell, which sounds promptly at 6:00 pm as advertised. 

Heading to the dining hall, we find seating with a family of four (grandfather, father, and two sons). We enjoy conversation over roast turkey, green beans, salad, mashed potatoes, and a wonderful apple-olive oil cake. I meant to get the recipe for the cake, but forgot about it. At one point, one of the volunteer Innkeepers mentions that tonight is a super moon and several people had out to the Sun Room to catch a peak. I follow suit and get an okay picture. 

Once back in the dining hall and with dinner now complete, our host offers a short lecture chronicling the life and times of Grandma Gatewood, who was the first woman to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail. She did this just a few years after it's completion and well after she had reached mid-life. Carrying nothing more than a shower curtain for shelter and a homemade denim bag draped across her shoulder with supplies, she hiked the approximately 2,200 miles of the trail. She was a tough woman and makes all of us look like pansies. With the lecture complete, everyone heads back to their respective rooms. Though, it's still a bit early, I crawl into bed and do a couple of things on my phone before passing into dreamland.

I had set my alarm for 6:00 am and awoke when it sounded off near my head. My plan was to get up and get packed before breakfast, this would allow me to get back home at a reasonable time. After packing, I headed down to the dining hall to make a cup of tea and then to walk out by the Sun Room and see the rise of the morning sun with many of the other guests. 

Returning to the dining hall, everything worked to plan and after a hearty breakfast of bacon, eggs and grits, we hit the trail bright and early. The walk back to the park was uneventful and we made pretty good time. As I had hoped, we were back at our cars just after 10:00 am. My total distance for the two-day affair was 9.9 miles. I really do enjoy staying at the Hike Inn; I just wish my wife hadn't been sick and the others that had signed up had shown up.

For the third time in four years, I decided to get up early on New Years Day and join the state park service, the Find Outdoors organization, and the city of Helen for their annual First Day Hike: Falls to Farm, which is advertised as eleven miles spanning from Anna Ruby Falls in the north and leading all the way down to the Hardman Farm Historic Site just outside of Helen. This year though, I decided to post the even on the meetup and a good friend, as well as a new friend decided to join me. 

As this is a supported hike, we checked in at the farm and listened to the briefing offered by the organizers. Once we were all set, everyone loaded onto three shuttles that would transport us from the farm to the bottom of Anna Ruby Falls, and then allow us to hike back down. The weather is actually perfect today. It's a little chilly, but once we start moving, it should be ideal.

Arriving at the parking area and visitor center for the federally managed waterfall, we check in once more and then start making our way up the paved trail towards the double-waterfall, which is one of my favorites in the state. Everyone in my group is a strong hiker and so, we quickly pass several other groups along the ascent. Once at the waterfall, we stop for a moment to get a couple of pictures before turning right and starting the Smith Creek Trail down to Unicoi State Park. This event, Falls to Farm, is actually a linking of three different trails: Smith Creek Trail, Unicoi to Helen Trail, and the Hardman Farm Trail. 

I remembered the Smith Creek Trail being mostly downhill in this direction and told my friends as much, but after the third or fourth big climb they justifiably started ribbing me a bit. No pain, no gain. They don't complain all that much and actually enjoy getting the workout, as do I, but that doesn't mean they want take advantage of giving me a hard time.

Once we reach Unicoi State Park, which represents the longest section of the hike, we are greeted by one of the organizers at a small table. We check in and are offered breakfast biscuits with a huge slab of ham steak on it all wrapped in foil. It's a nice breakfast to recharge on, though I only about half of it as I'm trying to lose some weight. Through the park, we're required to do just a little bit of road walking until we reach the head of the next section, the Unicoi to Helen trail. 

This section passes uneventfully as we hike alongside Smith Creek, which will soon flow into the adolescent Chattahoochee River that passes through the city of Helen. We pass a couple of other hikers through this section. I don't believe they were part of the event, as I think there is only one trail-runner, one of the organizers, and a couple with a pair of small dogs powerwalking ahead of us. Still, it's a beautiful day and I'm glad to see folks out enjoying the holiday in the great outdoors. 

Reaching Helen, we stop at the last check point and are greeted with a granola bar. From there, we're on pavement, as we make our way through the city and eventually hit the paved Hardman Farm path southeast of town. I've spent a fair amount of time in Helen over the years, but it's really slow today. There are people walking the trail, but other than that there really aren't many people here, which is a little surprising. Perhaps, many of the bars and restaurants are closed for the holiday.

After another mile or so on the paved path, we reach out destination of Hardman Farm. We are greeted by the organizers and offered a place to sit and relax. They have water, snacks, chili and Brunswick stew prepared to refill our caloric gap. Apparently, the chili was donated by the local Waffle House and the organizers added in some fixins for it. I enjoy a small bowl and a bottle of water. My friends do something similar. Though, we're done with the hike we talk about and decide to do a tasting at a nearby winery and then possibly enjoy a German ale at one of the many themed restaurants in Helen. Our distance was about 10.2 miles - a little shy of the advertised 11, but still a great way to kick off the new year. Bring on 2026!