DAWSONVILLE, Ga. — As William Williamson was looking for suitable land he would claim during the Sixth Georgia Land Lottery, he stumbled upon a waterfall.
Of the experience, he called the falls “perhaps the greatest in the World the most majestic Scene that I have ever witnessed or heard of,” according to ngeorgia.com.
Amicalola Falls — derived from the Cherokee word for “tumbling waters” — is of the “Seven Natural Wonders of Georgia,” as identified by state librarian Ella May Thornton in the Atlanta Georgian magazine on Dec. 26, 1926.
At 729 feet tall, Amicalola Falls is the tallest waterfall in Georgia.
The land that is today Amicalola Falls State Park was controlled by the Cherokee Indians until 1832. The Treaty of New Echota mandated that the Cherokee move west as part of what is today known as the Trail of Tears.
In addition to the falls, the 829-acre state park also features a lodge, cottages and a campground. There are also 12 miles of hiking trails. An eight-mile trail connects the state park with Springer Mountain, the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail.
IF YOU GO: Amicalola Falls State Park is located 15 miles northwest of Dawsonville on Ga. Hwy. 52 about 90 minutes from Atlanta. From Atlanta, take Ga. Highway 400 north to Ga. Highway 53. Head west to Ga. Highway 183 and continue north. Turn east on Ga. Highway 52 and continue to the park.
