Hiking~Unicoi State Park & Anna Ruby Falls

I'm behind on posting but that's the way it goes sometimes! In May, we spent two weeks in Georgia where we hiked, took beautiful drives, and visited various little towns. 

Some towns, we visited by merely driving through because the sidewalks were too crowded with tourists (most without masks) for us to be comfortable walking around in these Covid-19 times. The truth is that there were so many people, we wouldn't have walked around even if we had masked up! We do try to follow CDC guidelines. In other towns, there weren't many folks out at all so we felt comfortable wearing a mask to do some window shopping and picture taking on the town square. 

Today though, we're taking two hikes, and  

both are in the Chattahoochee National Forest.  

The first one is a 2.2 mile trail around 

Smith Lake, often referred to as Unicoi Lake.

It's in Unicoi State Park. 

Wanna go? 

C'mon!

We love how wide and inviting the trail is?

Don't you?

Check out the cabins that appear 

not far beyond the trailhead.

Let's catch up to George and the boys.

Now Geo can catch up with us!

😊

Look at that walkway over the lake!

We found this magnificent spot to give 

the dogs a rest, and were mesmerized 

by the stunning, aqua-colored water! 

All parts of the lake don't appear 

that color so it was a real treat to see!

💝

Next, we'll cross this beach...

...and pass pontoons too!

We're pretty sure they're for rent.

Moving right along...

...we find an easily navigable barricade.

And let's savor this busy stream 

before coming to the end of the trail!

Here's the trail you just hiked.

Hike #1 Down!

 

We hope you had fun  

BUT

we're not done yet!

Let's take the dogs home so they can rest up.

Then, we'll come back for our second 

hike to nearby Anna Ruby Falls.

Oh, and when we say nearby, 

we mean practically across the street.

Anna Ruby Falls is a one-mile round trip

so it's much quicker.

Let's go!

The stream from the Falls is headed 

to Unicoi State Park on it's way 

to the Gulf of Mexico. 

I can't imagine how many sizes  

of rocks and trees the busy waters 

will pass over and  through

before reaching the Gulf.

They're twin falls and we're here!

Very pretty, don't you think?

These twin Falls begin on Tray Mountain 

as two creeks--Curtis and York Creeks--and 

Anna Ruby Falls is their meet-up spot!

Along the way, we saw quite a few of these 

cute signs encouraging social distancing 

by asking, 

"What Else is 6 Feet Apart?"

They also provide the answer.

It was a very nice hike and 

we hope you enjoyed!

Smiles,

D~~~~