There's a big lake…read more There are mountains. There are rocks. There are trees. Most importantly, it's dog-friendly. I highly recommend stopping here if you're passing through Western North Carolina.

Lake Chatuge is a beautiful lake located in Hiawassee, Georgia within the Appalachian Mountains…read more The lake like all lakes in Georgia is a man made and was created in 1942 with the Chatuge Dam. The name comes from the Cherokee village that was once located there. The total lake covers over almost 11 square miles and has a maxium depth of 144 feet. The most common fish here are the spotted bass, channel catfish, black crappies and large and small mouth bass. If you have children a great place to take them is the Towns County Recreational Beach located at 525 US-76. They have a playground there and a beach for the kids to swim and play in. They also have bathrooms, picnic tables, bathrooms and showers at the beach. For those who plan to come to Lake Chatuge beware that during holidays, like Memorial Day weekend the lake is extremely packed, which makes it almost impossible to fish off the shore with the heavy traffic causing too much wake. [Review #542] (22nd Review Of 2018)

Run to Black Rock Mountain State Park! From the moment we arrived at the visitor center, we enjoyed…read morebreathtaking views. The views throughout the park are epic and the hiking is superb. Jack the gentleman at the entrance was beyond helpful and likely saved us from our own demise. As we were wandering about, he kindly interjected and offered us a map along with some detailed instructions regarding the various trails. We then explored a few trails to include the Ada-Hi Falls Trail and the Tennessee Rock Trail. We enjoyed all the views but would recommend a walking stick. The guide shop at the visitor center has some great merchandise including many items from local businesses. Furthermore, the prices were fair.

What a beautiful campground, especially in October when the leaves are changing…read more Each reserved lot has access to electricity, a picnic table, and a nice fire pit. Dogs are more than welcome. In fact, most of the people there brought one or two dogs. The lots vary in size from canvas tent and car all the way to travel bus. It's great for a weekend trip away from the city noise!

It's a beautiful spot for swimming, or to launch your kayak from. Great for picnics and it's very…read moreeasy to access and handicap accessible. The con is the putrid smell from the unclean restrooms and the garbage is overflowing. I went up several times with my grandchildren and truly it was not kept up. Such a shame as it is a popular tourist and local destination.

Good place to visit!…read more Duke Energy worked with the city/state/County? to build this beach/Park. Nice parking spots on both sides of the road. Bathrooms located up in the parking area. A nice ramp down all the way to the water. Seriously, you could wheel a wheelchair all the way into the lake. The sand is very nice. And you can easily swim out to and hold onto the barriers. There's a dock off to one side where you can fish off of. We'll thought out and done pretty well. They even have donated life jackets for kids hanging here at the beach! My reasons for 4 instead of 5 stars: Dogs. The path down to the beach was littered with dog poop. On the path, on the side, everywhere! It was gross and unsanitary. Don't know if dogs are allowed on the beach, but they've turned the park area to crap. The beach is quite small. I do believe too small to support all the parking. The beach is very steep. I know it's the mountains, but if you're going to drain the lake and make a beach, a gentler slope to the beach for the little ones would've been preferable. A larger swim area. Some people just want to swim! Maybe another 10 feet out into the lake for swimming, not just waking.

The BEST for activities in the Chattahoochee River!! Tubing to be exact. The other places either…read moreoffered shorter distance or more expensive. This place was the full tubing experience at the bottom prices! Oozing hospitality to boot! The whole trip down the river took us 3 hours and it was not even crowded, so definitely a "can't miss"!

Linc took myself and my parents out paddle boarding and we had a blast! Both my parents struggled a…read morelittle bit and fell off their boards, but Linc was always there to the rescue (while I laughed) and always offered them some words of encouragement - very patient. We stopped midway for some delicious snacks and even stopped at a gorgeous waterfall to take some pictures! Linc also made sure to take a group picture on the water during our outing. Great communication before/during/after - the three of us had SO much fun, lots of laughs! Would highly recommend!

We came here while visiting northern GA for the day. The boat was well maintained and certainly…read moreworth the price. The views while boating the area are gorgeous and the staff was friendly and made recommendations of where to stop (a couple waterfalls nearby). We were a little doubtful at first that we were going the right way to the location- but it ended up being easy to find. Would definitely go back!

This is our favorite Marina in the mountains! We have been coming every summer for years since we…read morefound this hidden gem. The rental boats are clean, well maintained, and reasonably priced. The boats come with a map of the lake and you can rent tubes, skis or knee boards. The office staff are friendly and very helpful. They make sure everyone has a good time on the lake. A great marina on a beautiful lake!

Great place to go for a picnic. Also the kids will enjoy the beach. beautiful lake viewread more

Great place to visit,kids can have fun play grounds for ur lil ones .it's the place where u and the…read morekids enjoy.nothing like wearing the kids out they'll sleep so well plus u have the Georgia mountain fair grounds directly across the street we'd take kids there first then to the beach it's a full day of enjoyment

My best friend, Carleen Trepagnier Doucette, who also grew up in Coronado, California, purchased…read moreNottely Marina in the early 1990's, I believe., and they raised their family there. She has passed but her youngest daughter has done a fabulous job of making it a wonderful Marina in Blairsville, Georgia.

Awesome people, rented a pontoon boat, first class facilities, boat and service. Very helpful, my…read morefamily has a great time.

Upper Moccasin Creek Falls is a true hidden treasure. If waterfalls were rated on attractiveness,…read morethis one would be a 10!!! ~~~ THE EXPERIENCE You start out on the Hemlock Falls Trail. The trail follows Moccasin Creek closely for its entire length to the falls. The beauty of Moccasin Creek is that nearly all of it is fast flowing water, loaded with endless cascades and multiple waterfalls. You will see at least a dozen waterfalls before you even reach Upper Moccasin Creek Falls. This is due to the river dropping from 2800 feet elevation to 1868 feet elevation on its way to Lake Burton. That's over 932 feet in a 5 mile stretch. There are around 7 falls between 8-12 feet tall and many more that are only 5-8 feet tall, but gorgeous in their own right. My visit was after a 4 day period of rainfall that saturated everything north of Atlanta in Georgia, so the water volume was great. Also, this sort of saturation spawns several other waterfalls that would likely be dry in a less rainy seasons. We found THREE large ribbon-like waterfalls at least 35-50' in height just off the trail looking into the woods. They were not on Moccasin Creek itself, but acted as tributaries [a river or stream flowing into a larger river or body of water]. There is even a small 5 foot waterfall directly on the trail. ~~~ UPPER MOCCASIN CREEK FALLS On my first attempt I was defeated trying to make it to this 2nd waterfall, which is a gorgeous 40' drop upstream. I tried to follow the trail past Hemlock Falls, but did not realize you must cross through Moccasin Creek about 50 yards past the crest of the falls. Once on the other side of the creek you will pick up a faint trail that keeps you above the river most of the 3/4 of a mile journey. I CAN'T STRESS ENOUGH that you MUST CROSS through the creek above Hemlock Falls. On my first attempt a few weeks prior, I did not cross through the creek and went as far as I could before reaching an impenetrable rhododendron patch. To reach Upper Moccasin Creek Falls, the creek must be on your right side, not your left. * * * NOTE - The trail to Upper Moccasin Creek Falls is considerably more difficult than the first half of the trail to Hemlock Falls. The trail is not too hard to follow, but it can be hard to see at times if you aren't familiar with hiking. Also, it can be very dangerous in some areas because sheer drops of 30-50 feet are only one footstep away. You will have to climb over and around lots of downed trees. * * * WEAR SHOES WITH GRIP, otherwise don't bother with this trail on days after recent rainfall. Once you reach the falls, we found the easiest trail down to the base was closest to the top of the falls. I regret not using a small spur trail to visit the top of the falls while heading down to the base. Satellite images on Google Earth show what looks like another smaller waterfall or cascade just above Upper Moccasin Creek Falls. ~~~ [ THINGS TO KNOW ] Hiking Distance: 3.5 miles (roundtrip) Difficulty: Moderate (I do not recommend for children under 12 or elderly) Creek Crossings: YES (1 bridged & 1 directly though Moccasin Creek) Elevation Gain: 752 feet Waterfall Height: Approx 40 feet Access to top of falls: YES Access to base of falls: YES Pool of water @ base of Falls: YES Sitting areas @ base: YES RESTROOMS: NO PARKING: YES (12+ cars) ~~~ FINAL THOUGHTS Upper Moccasin Creek Falls is one of the most attractive waterfalls I've seen on one of the most attractive rivers in the state. It is full of cascades and secondary waterfalls to delight the ears and dazzle the eyes. But it is not for the casual walker, it requires a little skill and spirit of adventure. It is not terribly difficult, but it also is not for the faint of heart. ENJOY! 2020 / 17

If I knew that Upper Moccasin Creek Falls was as pretty as it ended up being, I would have visited…read moreit sooner when I paid Hemlock Falls Trail a visit a couple years back! So lets start there. To even reach Upper Moccasin Creek falls, you first need to get yourself to Hemlock falls Trail, which is right across the street from Moccasin Creek State park. Drive on into the Hemlock falls trail, which turns into dirt/gravel road. There'll be a trail parking lot and a noticeable trail that ultimately takes you to Hemlock Falls, which is about a mile to Hemlock falls. If you make it to Hemlock falls, which is a fine waterfall, that's just fine! However, if you want to see a much bigger, larger and "whoa" worthy falls, take the trail to just to the right of the opening that leads you to Hemlock. First things first, and this is a cautionary tale from Richard R. If you want to get to Upper Moccasin Creek falls, you have to cross the flowing water above Hemlock falls so that the creek is on your right. Yep, the water feeding hemlock is what you need to cross. When we did cross it it ended up being for us, just about knee deep (I'm 6'1"). Once you cross over, the trail to Upper Moccasin Creek is easily able to follow, but while easy to follow, understand it's also much more challenging than the trail to Hemlock. While more challenging, it's not overbearing or impossible to do. It is slippery, muddy at times, which sucks because the trail sometimes narrows to some pretty large drops you don't want to be a victim of. Heading to the actual falls requires you going down a steep decline to a large set of rocks that rest right in front of the falls. Stand on this (CAREFULLY) and bask at the glory. The actual waterfall is roughly 40 feet, and it crashes powerfully into a pool just at the bottom of the falls. Can you swim in the pool? I don't see why not but I didn't. You can't take bad photos here and while it was tiresome to get here, I think it was worth it. This is coming from a guy who does NOT like getting wet on hikes. Just over 3 miles is the round trip of this hike, and again while the trail to hemlock is not so bad, Upper Moccasin is a bit more of a challenge. I don't recommend tackling this by yourself. Long story short, the falls here were beautiful, which includes Hemlock falls. If you're in this area and you want to see a really beautiful fall that requires some work to get to it, do yourself a favor and check it out!

Our first time renting today. We absolutely love every minute of it. From the start to the finish…read morethe staff was kind, professional and outgoing. We left with the best experience. The boat itself was great and we were able to bring our two pups with us. For the price it's hard to beat. We will definitely be back!

We were staying in Blue Ridge Georgia and were looking for boat rental for a day. The Blue Lake…read moreMarina was a little pricey so we asked the locals through FB if there were any other local rentals available. They shared this little gem with us and we gave it a try. Price was closer to what we expected. Boat was in good shape, not brand new but perfectly fine. The help was friendly and helpful. The lake is plenty big, and they have rope swings at a spot and small cliff jumps at another. Did not have floats for rent but we hit the local Dollar General and bought a few for the day. Well pleased with the experience. Just wanted to share for all the others out there looking to boat but not pay the premium price tag.

We had throat beautiful day on the river! Very clear instructions and welcoming vibes. Would love…read moreto go back again!

Check in and instructional video could use some improvement, staff was friendly and helpful with…read morethe important landmarks since we were first timers on the river. Kayak conditions were solid and we booked the 6 mile (3 hr trip), and finished just over and hour and a half, and were able to shuttle back early.