This weekend started out like many others…ready to explore somewhere; the only difference, my son Blayne was visiting from Oklahoma. I had been wanting to see the last of the 7 wonders in Georgia, Warm Springs, so my whole day was planned around that. We had to get in some hiking too though.
We started our day at F.D. Roosevelt State Park. F.D. Roosevelt State Park is the largest state park in Georgia, with 9,049 acres and over 40 miles in trails. We had a bit of a time finding the visitors center to find a map and even harder time finding where the trail was I wanted to hike. I had read that there was a trail that had quite a few small waterfalls on it leading to a larger waterfall, Cascade Falls. As we drove through the park, we stopped at Dowdell Knob lookout to get a few photos.
After driving through the park, we finally got our directional sense in tact and found our trailhead. We entered the Pine Mountain Trail at Mile 23 and hiked all the way to Cascade Falls (past Mile 21). My watch said the total hike was 4.8 miles (in and out). It was a pretty challenging hike for me, but my hubby and son did fine. You have to navigate through and over some boulders, walk across a few streams on rocks, and there is a lot of up and down in elevation.
The first waterfall was Csonka Falls. Now I say falls lightly, these are pretty small, but the cool air you feel off the water and the peaceful sound, it was just a fulfilling to photograph and bask in its beauty.
The next water fall was Big Rock Falls. Along the path though, you will see multiple small “falls” or rapid moving water over some small rocks.
When we got to Cascade Falls, I took off the camera bag, enjoyed the view and to be able to sit down for a little while and drink some water.
There were quite a few people on the trail and sitting at the falls…Dogs splashing in the water, some people in the water cooling off. It was very hot and humid on Saturday. We stayed at the falls for about 30 minutes and it started looking really overcast, so we figured we should start the trek back to the van to try to beat the rain.
Once we got back to the van, we set out to see FDR’s Little White House. Due to COVID-19, we could not go inside the museum or the house, but we did get a tour of the outside of the house and was told some of the history.
By this time, I know I was starved, so we set out to find lunch in Warm Springs. We ate lunch at the Bulloch House. The town of Warm Springs is a really cute little town. I will have to go back when things are not so limited due to COVID-19.
Warm Springs
We went to check out the Fish Hatchery, because Blayne loves fishing and fish. This wasn’t on the itinerary, but Blayne was driving, so we stopped in.
The “whole purpose” of the Trip was to see Warm Springs. But what really is Warm Springs? The actual Springs? The town? The Little White House? or the FDR Warm Springs Institute for Rehabilitation? I would expect it was the springs, but you cannot see them right now, I assume due to COVID-19 as well. They are on the Campus of the Institute for Rehabilitation enclosed in a building. We explored around the campus. It was almost like an entire town within the campus.
As we were driving around, Blayne asked for Peach Ice cream, so we headed to Dickey Farms in Musella to get some fruit and ice cream. Musella was like something I have never seen before. If you are driving through or near, you should stop by for a little while, have some ice cream or boiled peanuts and enjoy the step back in time.
Get out there, find your passion, find your adventure!
XOXO
-S