North Georgia Hiking & Camping Weekend for $130

May 8, 2023

After I completed my Tennessee hiking adventure, it made me want to explore even more of my home state! North Georgia has so many hikes to explore, I decided to group a few great hikes together. This itinerary is perfect for a weekend trip to hit some great hikes all within the same area.

Lodging- Vogel State Park

Vogel State Park is a fantastic state park located under two hours from Atlanta and is a perfect spot for beginner campers. I chose the walk-in campsites that include a picnic table, a bbq/grill and a fire pit. Vogel State Park costs $5 to enter and camping reservations cost $30 a night. I stayed at campsite P which was lovely to be right next to the creek, but it was a little too close to the main road and bathroom. One of the biggest perks to this campsite is the very clean bathrooms that also include showers. The campsite I chose does not have its own electricity, but there is electricity in the bathroom. If you would like to have access to charge your devices, Vogel does offer electric campgrounds as well, but they cost a little more.. I thought this was a great site for my weekend camping, but next time, I would choose a campsite a little farther from the road/the bathrooms.

Day #1:

Vogel State Park to Blood Mountain:

I started this trail right next to my campsite. This is a very famous hike in Georgia and you may even see some through hikers because you are on part of the Appalachian Trail! This back route to the summit of Blood mountain was just as challenging as the more traditional summit hike from Byron Reece Trailhead near Neels Gap. Sadly, when I got to the top it was cloudy so I didn’t have great views, but it was a fantastic workout. The trail is 7.5 miles out and back with 2,000 ft of elevation gain. My watch clocked me at a little more mileage than that and it took me around 4 hours to complete.

Lake Trahlyta Trail:

Located inside Vogel State Park, this easy 1.1 mile loop trail is the perfect cool down. It is very flat and offers a stunning waterfall at the halfway point. It is the perfect way to spend the afternoon at a slower pace after hiking to the summit of Blood Mountain.

Day #2:

Helton Creek Falls:

Helton Creek falls is a little bit south of Vogel State Park. It is free to visit, but there is a dirt road you have to drive down to access it. The hike down is very short but can be slippery. Make sure you bring good shoes especially if it has recently rained. Helton Creek Falls also has a swimming hole you can be in during those warm summer days! The trail is .3 miles out and back with 29 feet of elevation gain. I completed the hike in around 20 minutes.

DeSoto Falls:

This was my favorite hike I did on the trip. Not far from Helton Creek, DeSoto falls offers two beautiful waterfalls you can hike to. The lower falls aren’t as grand as the upper falls, but both are beautiful to see. The DeSoto falls trail is 1.9 miles out and back with 160 ft of elevation gain. It took me around 50 minutes to complete. After reaching the upper falls, I sat and enjoyed the views while reading my book! .

There are so many great hikes in North Georgia and combining these trails with a simple camping trip allows you to productively use your time in this beautiful area. Next up on my list is the western side of Georgia!