Going up the north Georgia countryside, I had written down the name Vogel State Park from a passing sign. I had been inventorying possible places to investigate later in the day. After returning down from Brasstown Bald, I had been fairly indecisive about stopping here during a holiday weekend. Coming down a curving road just before the park entrance, I had seen the fading view and the crashing sounds of waterfalls. Indecision had turned into infatuation. Punch drunk had been a more appropriate characterization of my desire to see more. The road leading from the entrance had run parallel to a big lake Trahlyta and a surrounding hiking trail. Passing over a small creek bridge, I had parked in front of the body of water at the base of a couple of mountains. For a Floridian, this had been simply intoxicating variation in topography.

After parking, I had started walking the red clay of the nearby lake hiking trail. Moving down the path, each gaze upon the waters and mountains had provided shots too numerous to keep still for a camera. At the far end of the lake, a wooden sign had pointed downward and left to Falls Bottom Trail. This paved trail had led deeper down a hill under the cover of trees. At the end, the roaring waters I had previously seen from my passenger window. After seeing the best of Florida’s waterfalls at Rainbow Springs, this had bested that sight by a hundred fold. At the base of falls, I had realized my enchantment by one of the two oldest state parks in Georgia; however, the park had another round of secrets to enhance the visceral appeal. To that end, I had decided to save that posting for another day.

Posted park hours had been 8 AM until 10 PM. Like another Georgia park, this ranger had also mentioned no printable receipts and cash only at the gate. Canoe and cabin rentals had been available but, call ahead (706) 745-2628. For those interested in mapping out a drive, the address was 405 Vogel State Park Rd, Blairsville, GA.

Read More:
Vogel State Park – Georgia State Parks and Historic Sites (gastateparks.org)
Vogel State Park (en.wikipedia.org)View shared post