Amicalola Falls is a tiered horsetail waterfall of about 360 feet in Amicalola Falls State Park, Dawson County, Georgia, tumbling down the face of Amicalola Mountain in the north Georgia hills. Listed among the Seven Natural Wonders of Georgia, it is the centerpiece of a park with a lodge, trails and a staircase that climbs beside the falls, and the start of the approach trail to the Appalachian Trail.
The falls
Little Amicalola Creek runs about three-tenths of a mile down the mountain in a series of horsetails and cascades. The park and many guides call it 729 feet tall, but that figure includes a long sloping run; lidar puts the top of the falls about 360 feet above the lower viewing platform, an absolute maximum. Earlier surveys listed 450 feet.
Getting there
The park is at 418 Amicalola Falls State Park Road near Dawsonville. Parking costs $10 per vehicle from 2026, or $70 for an annual Georgia State Parks pass. The West Ridge Falls Access Trail, a 0.3-mile round trip on a gently sloping rubber surface, reaches a mid-level overlook and is suitable for wheelchairs and strollers. The Base of the Falls Trail is a 0.5-mile round trip from the reflection pool. The full loop past the falls, 2.1 miles round trip, climbs about 600 steps in total and crosses a bridge over the falls near the top.
The 8-mile Approach Trail leaves the park for Springer Mountain, the southern end of the Appalachian Trail.
When to go
The falls are fullest in spring and after heavy rain. Fall color peaks in mid to late October, which is also the busiest time; on fair-weather weekends, arrive early.
On site
The park asks visitors not to climb, stand on, swim near or jump from the falls, and the rocks beside them are slippery. Dogs are welcome on a leash no longer than 6 feet but not inside park buildings, and drones are banned in all Georgia state parks. The park has a lodge with a restaurant, cabins and campsites.
History and name
The name comes from the Cherokee for "tumbling waters." The first written account by a European was in 1832, a mill operated near the falls in the mid-1800s, and by the 1880s they drew tourists. The state acquired the land in the 1930s and opened the park in 1940; the Appalachian Trail approach was moved here in 1958.
Nearby
Cochrans Falls is about 1.9 miles away, Bearden Falls about 3.9 miles and Weaver Creek Falls about 4.8 miles.
Distances are straight-line.