BesT TrIps 9. EXPERIENCE GEORGIA’S GREAT OUTDOORS IN HELEN A vacation to Helen means you’ll fall in love with more than its numerous Insta-worthy photo ops (yes, the whimsical burgh looks like it’s straight out of a European fairytale!). The picturesque, Bavarian-inspired mountain town is also home to some of northeast Georgia’s best outdoor adventures. Experience Mother Nature’s wild grandeur by floating down the famed flows of the Chattahoochee River with Cool River Tubing or whipping through the treetops for a bird’s-eye view of the forest’s dense canopies with Nacoochee Adventures ’ zipline expeditions. Excite your senses with Nacoochee’s Thriller Giant Swing that lifts you a towering 50 feet up, then sends you swiftly plummeting (and likely shrieking) to the ground. At Helen’s Unicoi State Park & Lodge (tucked within the Chattahoochee National Forest), you can do it all. Love to fish? Roam—with your fly-fishing rod in hand—to Smith Creek ’s languid waters for an abundance of silvery trout. More of a storyteller? Roast marshmallows around a crackling communal fire pit while spinning tall tales. Fancy yourself an explorer? Search for hidden treasures with the park’s family-friendly GPS scavenger hunt. And you can record it all with one of the park’s handy GoPro cameras, available to guests through the Unicoi Adventure Lodge program. Year-round, park visitors can pedal through rugged terrain on a serpentine, 7.5-mile mountain-biking path, hike to the tumbling Anna Ruby Falls and practice 3-D and static archery at the on-site range. In the warmer months, paddle or kayak through the pristine waters of Unicoi Lake , then take a dip to cool off on its dedicated swimming beach. Stay in the park’s striking Barrel Cabins , rustic one-and two-bedroom structures equipped with full kitchens, fireplaces and balconies with rocking chairs for soaking in lake and forest views. The park also has nearly 100 campsites, ranging from RV hookups to glampsites with minifridges and outdoor grills. Or retreat to a backcountry “squirrel’s nest,” where you can string up hammocks to rest under a sky so dark it resembles sparkling diamonds on inky-black satin. EXPLOREGEORGIA.ORG 17 NACOOCHEE ADVENTURES, HELEN/@KAAAAAATY
Official State Travel Guide 2023 Georgia Official State Travel Guide: Page 17
