Camping and hiking as a family is something we do a lot of–but not normally in a formal public campground. On our Spring Break Road Trip it was a brand new experience for our crew to “camp” with access to an electrical outlet and a hose! I don’t think we even used the electricity at any of our campsites. We didn’t even think about it being there.

(What? Not even to charge your phones for all those great family pictures? Nope–invest in an external charger. You’ll never have to worry about your phone going dead while out and about again. And we used a little power inverter in the truck to charge everything while we were driving each day.) 

Our first camping adventure was Tallulah Gorge State Park in Georgia. They have updated camping sites (tents or RVs), nature/visitors center, and tons of hiking trails above, below, and through the Gorge. We loved it–although I’m still on the fence about the 1,099+ steps!

We reserved and paid for our campsite online at the Georgia State Parks website. There was plenty of information available for us and reserving our spot was very easy–although I was a little frustrated that nothing was formatted printer-friendly, even though it was all web-based, so printing our reservation info to travel with was a pain. We got into our campsite later in the evening and had no problems checking in with the camp greeter and finding our site.

The sites had all been recently updated with new gravel sub-bases, picnic tables, water spigots, and electrical outlets. At first, we had some reservations about the fine gravel base for our tent. It certainly didn’t look tent-friendly. But honestly, it was smooth and clean and didn’t give us any issues at all. There were lots of trees scattered around and it was shady and inviting.

It also poured down rain on us shortly after getting set up so we discovered the laundry facilities the next morning and were quite impressed by the chance to dry out our wet clothes while camping. Normally, wet is wet, unless the next day is super-bake-in-the-sun hot. We spend the evening in our tent together, snacking on half of our intended dinner! (Ever had rain “ruin” family time? It doesn’t have to. Here are a few tips to redeeem family time gone wrong!)

The campground was kinda small, neat, and quiet for the night we were there. The bathrooms were easy to find and well-lite at night. The showers seemed reasonable, although we didn’t use them. There was a small playground as well, but since it rained we never used it.

First thing in the morning we got up and headed out for a hike. (We also got a few pictures we weren’t able to in the dark and rain the night before. {smile}) The Visitor’s Center for the Park and Trail is right up the road from the campground. You could easily walk, although we packed up and drove because we would be leaving right from there.

Our first stop was to the Visitors Center (which they call the Jane Hurt Yarn Interpretive Center). I was impressed. It was built into a hill and they had used the multi-level design to create a habitat walk-through with examples of local and state-wide flora and fauna. We were there pretty much the minute it opened and the staff was very nice and helpful–and much more bright-eyed than I was at that point! {smile} 

There are several trails through the Park and around the Gorge, so it was helpful to have them go over the map with me while the kiddos ran through the habitat display for a minute. 

We headed out to the Trails and pretty much threw everything the Park Rangers had explained to us about the different trails out the window. Because we wing-it. That’s what we do. {sigh} We just looked at the signs as we went along and took a vote on which way to go. 

Here’s the thing about winging-it…

It usually works out fine too, in the end. {smile}

There were beautiful overlooks on the first section of Trail. Plenty of signage to read about the formation and function of the Gorge, if you’re like me and force that stuff into your crew no matter where you go. And the views were gorgeous! 

We visited the top overlooks first. Then we started on the decent. 

Now, we call this “hiking” but it was not like other hiking we have done. It was pretty much all stairs going down, and then all stairs coming back up. Very little “trail” in between. So, on one hand, it wasn’t miles of walking, if that idea bothers you. Just stairs. 

On the other hand…

These stairs are no joke! 

There’s hundreds of them! Thousands, actually, depending on how far you go.

But they are very sturdy. The path is constructed in a series of switchbacks so you go in long sections and short sections with turns. They have done a wonderful job putting comfortable rest areas with bench seating all along the way at the switchback turns. When I say comfortable, I mean you can actually stop and stand there or sit down without feeling like you’re blocking the Trail in any way. And, of course, you have a lovely view while you catch your breath. I used these way more than the rest of my family did, so I got very familiar with their design!

They also post how many steps you’ve traveled and how many steps to the next feature regularly. The crew loved this part because it encouraged them to keep going. Speedracer in particular probably covered 2-4 times the posted number because he would scurry ahead and then come all the way back to check on me and urge me onward again.

There’s an 80-foot suspension bridge about 1/2 way down. 

If that kind of stuff makes you nervous don’t worry. This was no Indiana Jones-type of rope bridge. Yes, it moved a little, but there was nothing rickety or worn about it! The bolts were as big as my hand and the cables were as thick as the Cowboy’s arms–he checked! {grin} The views were amazing! 

On the other side of the bridge…more stairs. {smile} We did not get passes to go on the Gorge floor, but we did make it all the way to the end of the regular trail.

If you don’t want to go that far, you can easily turn around at the suspension bridge and call it a day and still have gotten a good experience. 

Because once you get to the bottom, guess what?

You have to go all the way back up! 

Now, I’m not nearly a paragon of health and fitness over here and I did it. My kiddos did it barely being out of breath. (Not gonna lie, I was out of breath!) And there were folks on that trail around us that were equally, if not more so, couch-potatoey-looking. I can’t stress enough that the trail is super-friendly to any speed of travel! You can go at your own pace and enjoy it! It took us about an hour to hike all the way down and back once we started the stairs–and that was with the other 4 trying to use my pace. If you needed (or wanted!) to stop every 5 minutes along the way, you won’t be blocking the trail for other users. 

The views are unbelievable.

When we got back to the Visitors Center, the munchkins rushed in to tell the Park Rangers that they had done the whole thing and we were a little taken back by how many people were suddenly there! We were there in the middle of the week, in April, and very first thing bright and early in the morning. By 10:30 there were school-bus-loads of kids rolling up and the place was really starting to buzz with activities. I highly recommend going early in the morning! 

I also recommend sturdy, comfortable shoes and good, wool socks. I’m in love with my Merrell Moab 2 low-top hikers. They’re more comfortable than hiking boots (more like a tennis shoe!) and they’re waterproof with good grip. But a hike like this is not the time to break in new shoes!

Quality hiking boots or shoes can be an investment. Good socks can make up for a lot of deficiencies in your shoes or take your regular sneaks to the next level of use if needed. Go with wool (just trust me!) and either Carhartt or Smartwool would be my first choices. But at the moment I’m also trying out these more affordable ones by Free Country, and am pleased.

Do you do much camping or hiking? You should put Tallulah Gorge, Georgia on your bucket list!