Ever since we hit the road in our RV, people have kept telling us that we need to go to Tallulah Gorge State Park. And were they right!
We were lucky to score four nights here. We were unlucky in that the weather wasn’t great. It rained quite a bit, and the park did not allow people to the floor of the gorge.
Warning: this will be an image-heavy post. But I think you’ll forgive me.
RV Camping at Tallulah Gorge State Park
One downside to state parks is that as you get closer to mountains, the parks have fewer sites for larger RVs. At 35 ft., we’re not the largest motorhome out there, but large enough that we get ruled out for many of the available campsites. When you are shopping for a rig, take into account what kind of camping you want to do. If you’re going to spend most of your time in state and national parks, we recommend going as small as possible.
That said, we did get a last minute reservation for four nights at Tallulah Gorge State Park campground. Tallulah Gorge is a popular attraction, but school was still in session. So we were able to pick up a Sunday through Thursday reservation. Weekdays the campgrounds usually aren’t full but come the weekend they pack out during the season.
Our site was a pull-through convenient to the comfort station. The neighbors were a little closer than they usually are in state parks but it wasn’t too terrible.
Back at General Coffee State Park, we saw the funny signs about throwing eggs at the comfort station. Here at Tallulah Gorge, there were warnings about bats and bears.
We never went to town and just cooked in the RV, so I don’t have any information about restaurants or shopping.
Activities at Tallulah Gorge State Park
Unfortunately, during our stay at Tallulah Gorge State Park, there was rain in the forecast. And it did indeed rain on us, sometimes quite a bit.
So, knowing that, we took every vaguely clear-skied moment to hike. Which meant the day that we arrived we set up the RV quickly and headed out for a little hike.
Now that I think about it, I can’t remember if we rode our bikes or walked. Either way, we headed towards the dam from the campground and then in the direction of the Shortline trail. Over there we found the old jail.
And we also got our first couple of looks at the gorge. They won’t be our last, or yours if you keep scrolling.
We also saw this horrible creature. It looks like an alien or something that would crawl into your ear and eat your brain while you’re sleeping.
OMG, it’s got too many legs! There’s video if your skin isn’t already crawling. Apparently, it’s a dobsonfly larva. I’ve named it OH HELL NO.
Sadly, we couldn’t access the gorge floor because of the rain. But we did hike the north and south rim trails. But we only went as far as the suspension bridge and crossed over to make it a loop.
Here’s the dam releasing a bit of water.
The forest displayed some lovely blooms along our hike. I think that first one is a rhododendron, the second mountain laurel, and the third I have no idea but they’re cute and tiny.
There is no way my iPhone is going to pick up the scale, colors, and impressiveness of Tallulah Gorge. But these should give you enough information to let you know you need to put it on your “to do” list.
The suspension bridge yielded some of the best views. But be prepared for the stairs. Afterwards, our legs were not happy!
These cliffs hurt my brain. You know that feeling when you’re looking at something, and you can’t reconcile the size? That’s what happened to me here.
You’ll see many falls on your rim hike.
Time for a break under many thousands of pounds of rock.
Yeah, that’s the suspension bridge we were on. It’s waaaaaay down there, but still not at the bottom of the gorge.
We wish we’d had more time and better weather while visiting Tallulah Gorge State Park. If you visit, make sure to book enough time to plan your activities around the weather and, if you’re lucky, hike the gorge floor.