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Thursday, July 14, 2011

A WALK IN THE WOODS ON A SUMMER"S DAY...Amicolala Falls, Dawsonville, GA

Amicolala Falls State Park is only an hour and a half from Atlanta...in the Georgia mountains. Winding through the tall trees of the Chattahoochee National Forest are beautiful hiking trails...and the trail head of the  Appalachian Trail, which winds 2000 miles from here all the way to Maine. The park gets its name from
Amicolala Falls...the highest waterfall east of the Mississippi River...729 ft. There are many ways to enjoy the park...camping, hiking, fishing, picnic pavilions, cabins for rent, rooms at 2 lodges...




The following photographs are from the  Georgia Parks website 
http://galodges.com/lodges/amicalola/    Take a minute and visit...It's a beautiful place.
A view of the mountains...

A view of the exterior of the Lodge..and some of the hydrangeas...
While we were there, a couple of rangers did a talk about some of the wildlife in the part... Our show was conducted by twin rangers....We were introduced to a variety of owls. I loved  the barn owl. He was a "houdini"...

There are presentations by the rangers...these little guys were part of the show.

The following photos are from my own camera...
Our view from the table...in the Maple Restaurant (at the Lodge)
View from our table at the Maple Restaurant...in the lodge. It was a hazy day...
I finally saw a bear!!!
Hydrangea bloom...in front of the lodge, there is a large bed of hydrangeas...in FULL bloom!!!
Reflecting pool...the water was a bit low...

Lower falls....

Spills....

Water, lights and shadows...a perfect combination
I love wild flowers....

Dappled light on the rocks....

Shadows on the leaves....

Splashing water in the lower falls...

A little color along the path...

Sun and shadows...

Tree stump...

Snake sunning himself on the rocks above the falls....there were warning signs all over.
These are some of the BIGGEST tadpoles I've ever seen! They're about 6" long and 3" in diameter.
The sound of the water was so soothing...

Old tree...I wonder who lives in here....
Note the juxtaposition of these trees...fascinating!




6 comments:

Desert Dreaming said...

Jane....what a beautiful place, and I must say your photographs were unreal. I love the lighting and reflections. Hope you continue to have a great summer.

Joni

Anonymous said...

Jane I've been blessed to have visited Amicolala Falls, I love it!
Haven't been in a long time, need to get back to the loveliness! A walk in the woods and up to the falls sounds wonderful.
~JO
LazyonLoblolly

black eyed susans kitchen said...

Beautiful pictures....love how you got all different aspects of the forest. Funny...you saw a bear...we saw a bear last week in north Jersey!!

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

Keep on hiking the AT and you'll end up coming by my house! heehee! I love the area there in GA...it's been years since I was there! Great photos! And I'm visiting from Tracy's blog tonight! ♥

Linda @ A La Carte said...

I have been to those Falls and they are gorgeous! Glad you were able to enjoy the North Ga Mountains! I'm visiting from Tracey's blog. I love your artwork!

Decor To Adore said...

I used to live in Warner Robins, GA and really miss the beauty the state has to offer.