TALLULAH FALLS, GEORGIA

James Romeo… Tallulah Gorge is one of the most beautiful and most powerful places that I have ever visited. I went during one of the park's scheduled Whitewater Releases, in which over ten times as much water is released from the dam, to flow through the gorge. There were quite a few kayakers enjoying the rapids while I hiked the trails. The sound of the water roaring below you as you stand on the suspension bridge 80 feet high above the gorge is a unique experience that you will never forget. Check the Tallulah Gorge State Park website for water release dates.

Joseph Caylor… My favorite place in Georgia, hands down. It was my favorite as soon as I hiked it alone in March 2008. There are times in your life when you can accurately pinpoint a day that changed maybe not your life, but your perceptions and purpose in it. This was one of them, it was more than the gorge, it was myself finding something that was there waiting to be discovered, explored, and in my case, to take pictures of it all the while. This was the very first park I ever went to by myself with my own planning. The 1,000 foot gorge walls, the waterfalls, crossing the river barefoot, and the thrill of conquering all those steps down and up the gorge always gives me a life-affirming feeling. My love for visiting state and national parks began here, and if you've never been, it can be one for you too.