Tallulah Gorge State Park

From River Vista RV Park we moved on to Tallulah Gorge State Park, which is located in Tallulah Falls, Georgia. Here is how this incredible geological feature is described:

"One of the most spectacular canyons in the eastern U.S., Tallulah Gorge is two miles long and nearly 1,000 feet deep . . . . A suspension bridge sways 80 feet above the rocky bottom, providing spectacular views of the river and waterfalls . . . . Exhibits in the park’s Jane Hurt Yarn Interpretive Center highlight the rich history of this Victorian resort town, as well as the rugged terrain and fragile ecosystem of the area. The persistent trillium, monkey-face orchid and green salamander are protected species found within the gorge. An award-winning film takes viewers on a dramatic journey through the gorge, including footage of rock climbers and kayakers."

The gorge was formed by the flow of the Tallulah River cutting though and eroding the Tallulah Dome rock formation. The falls were a major tourist attraction in the Victorian era, particularly after the Tallulah Falls Railway was constructed in 1882. In the 1910s Georgia Railway and Power began building dams on the river to provide hydroelectric power to destinations like Atlanta. One dam was the Tallulah Falls dam, located at the upper end of the gorge. That dam created Tallulah Falls Lake above the mouth of the gorge. The flow of water from lake, through the dam, and into the gorge is tharough a diversion tunnel is that is 11 feet (3.4 m) wide, 14 feet (4.3 m) high, and 6,666 feet (2,032 m) long and was tunneled through solid rock and then lined with concrete. The Tallulah Falls Hydroelectric Plant is located 608 feet (185 m) lower than the dam at the lower end of the tunnel and has a generation capacity of 72,000 kilowatts.