Tuesday, March 29, 2022
Northeast Georgia and Northwest South Carolina:
Toccoa Falls, Tallulah Gorge State Park, Stumphouse Park
For our first-thing-in-the-morning outing, Bosco and I walked into nearby downtown Toccoa and circled the Stephens County Courthouse. I hadn't realized this was the county seat. The downtown is cute but has a few too many empty storefronts.
Stephens County Courthouse, Toccoa, Georgia
It was only two miles to our first stop of the day, Toccoa Falls. At 186 feet, this is the tallest free-falling waterfall east of the Mississippi. Located on the campus of Toccoa Falls College, to view the falls, one must enter through the college bookstore during its regular business hours and pay a nominal $2 fee. A 100-yard paved path leads to the base of the falls. Stunning!
186-foot Toccoa Falls
Jana and her loyal compadre
Lake on the Toccoa Falls College campus
Just 20 minutes further up the road, we came to Tallulah Gorge, a spectacular Georgia State Park featuring a canyon two miles long and nearly 1,000 feet deep. Most visitors either hike the easy North and South Rim Trails to multiple overlooks or the more strenuous Hurricane Falls Trail into the gorge itself. We did both!
Tallulah Gorge State Park
Jana and Bosco on the edge
Tallulah Gorge Suspension Bridge from above
The Hurricane Falls Trail leads down into the gorge from either rim to a suspension bridge 80 feet above the Tallulah River, with an additional staircase leading down to a viewing platform just above the gorge floor, overlooking Hurricane Falls. Rim to rim, including the round-trip bonus staircase to the viewing deck, the trail has a total of 1,099 stairs!
Tom begins the Hurricane Falls Trail
1,099 stairs
Going down
Tallulah Gorge Suspension Bridge
80 feet above the rocky river
Dizzying view from the bridge
No dogs are allowed on the Hurricane Falls Trail - the metal-mesh staircase is not paw-friendly - so Tom tackled the stairs starting from the north while Bosco and I hiked around the canyon and met him on the south rim. Then Tom walked Bosco back around the canyon while I took the stairs south to north. It worked out well.
So many steps!
Viewing platform on the gorge floor
Hurricane Falls from the bottom of the trail
Tallulah River
Tom and I ended up hiking around 3.8 miles each, while Bosco did a bit more mileage since going around the gorge along the rim is longer than going through it. But don't give the dog too much credit, because the stairs were much more strenuous!
Tallulah Falls Dam
High canyon bluff
Hurricane Falls from the rim
That was it for the Georgia portion of our trip. Now on to South Carolina, where we popped in briefly yesterday. We once again crossed the state line at the Chattooga River, and again we stopped - this time walking down to the river's edge. The Chattooga is just so pretty!
Highway 76 Chattooga River Access
Chattoga River
Wild and scenic
Stumphouse Park in Walhalla, South Carolina, boasts two noteworthy features - Stumphouse Tunnel and Issaqueena Falls. Stumphouse Tunnel is an unfinished railroad tunnel that was intended to shorten the rail route from Charleston, South Carolina, to Knoxville, Tennessee, and beyond. Begun in 1853, the tunnel was to be almost 5,900 feet long. Workers using only hand tools chipped through approximately 1,600 feet of rock before funds ran out at the start of the Civil War and the project was abandoned.
Walhalla, South Carolina
Jana and Bosco brave the dark tunnel
The unfinished tunnel sat unused for over 100 years until nearby Clemson University decided to make use of its stable 50-degree temperature as an ideal blue cheese growing habitat. Yuck! Today the tunnel is preserved as part of a public park. We donned our headlamps and walked to the tunnel's spooky end.
Spoooooooky!
End of the line
In the same park, a short, easy stroll leads to a viewing platform above 100-foot Issaqueena Falls, but it's a steep, treacherous scramble to its base. Of course, we clambered our way to the bottom. Bosco had an easier time of it than did Tom and I. That dog is part billy goat!
To the waterfall!
Jana and Bosco, after scrambling to the bottom
Issaqueena Falls
After checking into our hotel in Seneca, we drove three miles to the downtown area, home to historic “Ram Cat Alley,” so-called because at one time, the many butcher shops and fisher mongers lining the street attracted so many strays, you couldn't ram another cat in there.
Downtown Seneca
Heart of the historic district
Metal cats are sCATtered about
One of many murals
For dinner and drinks, we chose dog-friendly Keowee Brewing Company, also downtown. It was a nice night, and the pub has a big outdoor seating area. The sandwiches were great and the beers were fantastic! We stayed for quite some time. Bosco was very well behaved. It helped that he was exhausted!
Don't mind if we do...
...so we did
Exhausted Bosco
Closing the place down
Lodging: Quality Inn, Seneca, South Carolina. The most comfortable hotel of the trip, with the most luxurious bedding. $20 extra for Bosco.
Bosco melted in my lap
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