Tallulah Gorge

The gorge runs about three kilometres and drops around three hundred metres, and it was a major tourist destination in the late 1800s with hotels along the rim. Georgia Power dammed the river in 1913 and took the water, which ended both the falls and the tourism; the river bed is dry most of the time. Scheduled water releases in spring and autumn return substantial flow for whitewater paddling and for the sight of it, and the dates are published. A suspension bridge crosses about eighty metres above the floor. Only a hundred permits a day are issued for the gorge floor and they go early. Karl Wallenda walked a wire across the gorge in 1970 in front of a large crowd.

What you actually see

• A gorge about three hundred metres deep - and three kilometres long.
• A suspension bridge - eighty metres above the floor.
• Scheduled water releases - published dates in spring and autumn.
• A dry riverbed most days - the water goes to the power station.

When to go

April to October; check the release schedule for flowing water. Half a day.

Honest expectations

Without a release the falls are largely dry - most visitors do not realise. Gorge floor permits are capped at a hundred a day and gone early. The descent is over a thousand steps. Release weekends crowd the rim trails.

Nearby

Clayton is north; Lake Rabun is west.