My New Year's Resolution of 2011 was to spend more time outdoors (I like to make resolutions that are easy to keep). It sounds pretty simple, a cop-out maybe. But the ultimate goal of this resolution was to enjoy life more. I've always loved being outdoors, exploring nature and doing outdoor activities like canoeing and camping, but with craziness of everyday life I wasn't doing the things I enjoy often enough. And we all know, a happy mom is a happy family. Making a point to make myself happier by doing something I enjoy was the motivation behind this resolution. Needless to say, the built in quality family time that comes with spending more time outdoors was a nice perk.
So this resolution evolved into my goal of visiting all of Georgia's state parks...all forty-plus of them. A year and a half later, I've visited five. But hey, that's progress! And, of course, I was pregnant for a good portion of that time. Also, the nearest state park to where I live is still forty miles away, so it's taking me a little longer than I thought it would initially.
I plan to post on all the parks I visit, sort of as an online diary for myself and a review for others. But here are some quick recaps of the parks I've visited so far.
High Falls State Park (#1):
This and Indian Springs are the closest parks to my home, and we've visited High Falls many many times. It's a nice little park with camping, which (which we haven't tried), grills, a picnic area, and a playground (which we have tried). Also, there is hiking and canoeing. The trail runs along the falls through the woods and is an easy hike. We put in our canoe at a boat ramp up from the falls and canoed around to the falls one day. That was fun!
We usually visit Dauset Trails while we're already in the area. It's a free wildlife refuge about ten minutes from High Falls. There are several rescued animals there on display, and educational center, and campgrounds. We'll be acquiring a camper soon, so we'll definitely check out nearby campsites and I'm so excited for that!
Indian Springs State Park (#2):
I don't really know that it's fair to check this off my list, as we only ate lunch there and visited the pond. But there is some history in this park and it's definitely worth a revisit. This was at the end of a day trip in July to High Falls and Dauset Trails while I was pregnant, so we were all pretty tired. I plan to go back since it is one of the nearest parks, and at least walk the nature trail or put the canoe in for a bit. Doesn't it look like a nice spot to float in the canoe and just relax? Ahhh.
Amicalola Falls State Park (#3):
This hike was a workout! I went with my brother and two older boys. My brother and I ended up carrying them most of the way up to the fall. It was beautiful, though. The trail is well kept and shaded. It is "strenuous" but fun. We went midway up the fall before calling it quits, but that was enough for me. This park boasts the tallest waterfall in the southeast, so it's definitely worth a visit if you're ever in the North Georgia area. There is also a nice playground and educational center with a gift shop.
If I ever went again, I think I'd keep the boys at home. It was a little too strenuous for them to stay happy for long.
After visiting this park, we headed north into the Blue Ridge mountains for a weekend in a cabin by the Toccoa river. Beautiful.
Providence Canyon State Park (#4):
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This is how the baby spent most of the hike,
snuggled safely in my wrap asleep. |
Road trip with my best friend! She and I took my baby down almost to Alabama to visit this unique park, formed by erosion and poor farming practices. It was gorge-eous (get it? sorry). We hiked most of the canyon loop trail, then explored a couple of the individual canyon trails. We never did make it to the open floor of the canyon, we just ran out of time. It was fun though. They were, at the time, renovating the visitors' center. There were playgrounds and picnic areas, and a backcountry trail with campsites as well. We'll definitely be going back. This is another park I'd refrain from taking little ones to. If I had taken all three boys, I'd have been outnumbered. I carried the baby in my Moby wrap so we were good.
Panola Mountain State Park (#5):
Just about an hour from my house, this was a nice little day excursion with all three boys and another good friend (I'm still trying to get the hubby on board). We did two of the small nature trails, one of which took us to an outcrop of the mountain. This was definitely a good park for little ones. Each trail was short and easy, less than 2.5 miles total. There's an awesome educational center and gift shop, and a playground with picnic areas.
So those are the five parks I've visited so far. I plan to check out some more this summer when we get our camper, which will also entice the hubby to come along! I can't wait. Sometimes it is difficult to go by myself or even with a buddy with all three boys. It'll be nice to set up the camper, let the hubby chill there or take the oldest to a fishing spot while I get my me-time in on a trail.
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