Places to visit near Unicoi State Park

Part 2 of our summer trip to Unicoi State Park

In my last post, I talked about Our First Visit to a George State Park and reviewed Unicoi State Park. Today in Part 2, I’m going to share some ideas of things to do outside of Unicoi. All locations are a short drive from Unicoi and the town of Helen.

Helen, Georgia

Helen is a little alpine village right outside of Unicoi State Park. You actually have to drive down its main street to get to the park. Helen is very touristy! There is one main road that goes through town. During the summer the road can easily get backed up. As a result, we often got stuck in traffic jams and it would take up to 20 minutes to get through town. In comparison, before the shops open the drive would take about 5 minutes. Helen has lots of fantastic restaurants, small shops, and a couple tubing outfitters.

Helen Tubing

I highly recommend Helen Tubing. For $5.00 you can tube down the Chattahoochee River. The entire trip takes about 2 1/2 hours, depending on the water level. When the water level is low you will encounter many rocks. We decided to go down the river without sticks to push us off the rocks. That was a mistake! We got stuck on the rocks many times. I recommend you purchase a stick or bring one with you.

During our visit, the river was very busy and sometimes crowded. We were comfortable letting our 8 year old go down the river by himself. Keep in mind your child may get way ahead or behind you, it’s just the nature of being on a flowing river. We were able to tie our 5-year old’s tube to my husband’s tube. All the kids had a great time. They really enjoyed the gum trees! We, adults, found them gross!

Desoto Falls

On our first day, we visited Desoto Falls Recreation Area which is about 20 miles west of Helen. From the parking area, the Upper Falls is a moderate 0.75-mile hike upstream. The Lower Falls are 0.25 miles downstream. On this visit, we decided to hike to the Upper Falls. Before starting your hike, make sure you pay the $3.00 per vehicle fee. They go by the honor system, but the rangers do give out tickets.

The hike upstream is not too strenuous and is mostly shaded. Near the beginning, you pass alongside the campground. Once you reach the Upper Falls there is a small viewing platform. Climbing on the rocks is highly discouraged. The viewing platform is a great place to take in the beauty of the falls or have a picnic. Returning to the parking area you must retrace your steps. There is no drinking water in the parking area, just a port-a-potty type restroom. This was a very kid-friendly hike.

Helton Creek Falls

Next, we drove to Helton Creek Falls, a short 7-mile drive from Desoto Falls Recreation Area. Be prepared, there are no restrooms or water at Helton Creek. The road on the Desoto Falls side is hard-packed dirt and about 1 1/2 lanes wide. There is a very small parking area at the falls.

The hike to Helton Creek Falls is a very easy 0.3-mile stroll. About halfway up, there is a small side trail leading to the lower falls. This is a nice place to wade in the cool water. You must return to the main trail to continue on to the upper falls. At the top, there is a wooden viewing platform with benches. There is a small section open in the platform to allow people to go down into the water. There are no signs cautioning you not to do this. Therefore, we allowed the kids to walk among the rocks for a while. They loved it! Others were actually wading and swimming. Use your best judgment!

Leaving Helton Creek

Leaving Helton Creek we went out a different road since we were headed to Brasstown Bald. We quickly encountered the first creek that needed fording. It was small but still enough to make you nervous. Our minivan did fine crossing. We thought we had conquered the worst. Nope! Around the next bend was the creek again. This time it was a bit wider with a steeper bank. I have to say, we almost decided to turn around. Instead, we went on ahead. We made it across! Yet, if the water had been deeper I don’t think it would have been possible. It was definitely an adventure! The road on this side of Helton Creek is also much narrower. Due to this, you can barely pass another vehicle in spots.

Brasstown Bald

After our adventure leaving Helton Creek, we were ready for a nice paved road and lunch. Brasstown Bald offered us the opportunity for both. We had a packed lunch and were able to enjoy it from a shaded picnic area in the parking lot. There is a fee to enter the parking area, $5.00 per adult. After lunch, we were ready to go up to the top of Brasstown Bald. There is a shuttle bus that takes you to the top or you can hike the steep 0.6-mile trail. We chose the bus for the way up and the trail on the way down. At the top of the bald, there is an observation deck and a visitor’s center. The observation deck gave us breathtaking views of the mountains in the distance.

Tallulah Falls

On the second day of our stay, we visited Tallulah Gorge State Park to view Tallulah Falls. Tallulah Gorge is about 30 miles east of Unicoi and borders South Carolina. There is a $5.00 fee to enter the park. We parked at the Interpretive Center and hiked the North and South Rim trails. The trail was 2.5 miles long and not too strenuous. The worst part was the summer heat and humidity. There were many places to stop and observe the gorge and waterfall below.

On our return hike, the boys decided to cut across the gorge and take the suspension bridge trail. It might sound easy, but it includes 644 stairs! You decide! The girls and I retraced our steps back to the Interpretive Center. And guess what? We arrived 4 minutes after the boys. We couldn’t believe it! They are strong boys!

The Interpretive Center was very nice and large. It had 3 levels of displays, a gift shop, and restrooms. It was a welcome spot to cool off. There were also rangers available to answer questions. Since there are no picnic tables in this area, we drove across the highway to the day-use area. On this side, there are picnic pavilions, a playground, and a swimming area.

Anna Ruby Falls

On our last day in Georgia, we visited Anna Ruby Falls, which is the closest waterfall to Unicoi State Park. It is actually accessible from Unicoi itself and is very close to the Smith Creek Cabins. We could have almost walked from our cabin. In fact, my husband ran to the entrance booth one day while exercising. (He’s a marathon runner, so it is pretty far for us normal folk.) Anna Ruby Falls has a large parking lot, a picnic area, restrooms, and a gift shop.

The hike up to the falls is 0.4 miles one way and is pretty steep in places. Even though it is paved, I wouldn’t push a stroller or wheelchair on this trail. There aren’t many guard rails. At the top, you get to view 2 waterfalls pouring into Smith Creek. You can even feel the mist coming off the falls. There is a very large viewing platform with benches in which you can take in the beauty of the falls.

Final Thoughts

As you can see, there is lots to do around the town of Helen and Unicoi State Park. I’ve just touched on a view of the places. The choices are almost endless. North Georgia is a wonderful place to visit no matter the season. Even in the middle of summer, it was a lot more bearable than central Florida. I think North Georgia will now be on our list of places to revisit. I hope you are now inspired to create your own trip.

If you have been to North Georgia, leave me a comment with your favorite place to visit. Also, be sure to check out our post 7 Family Hikes in North Georgia for more great hiking trails.

Disclaimer: All opinions expressed here are solely mine. I did not receive compensation for this review.