Unicoi State Park Georgia

April 2nd-5th 2015

This year we did something we hadn’t done up till now. For some reason, (I think it’s because most of us now have some type of RV; travel trailer, camper or full on coach and camping is more comfortable) we decided to plan a family camp trip in the spring and it was scheduled for the first weekend in April. We chose Unicoi State Park near Helen, GA. The following picture was not taken by us. We failed to take a picture of the park sign on this trip. :(

We arrived on Thursday and set up camp. It was a little bit rainy and chilly so we set up as quickly as possible and then hung around insider he RV for a bit till it cleared up some. Then we explored the campground. 

Below is a couple of maps showing the campgrounds and amenities. It’s a beautiful, if very hilly campground. This first one shows the Unicoi Lake area:

This next one shows the campground map:

On Friday we hiked the Lake trail. It is an easy 2.5 mile hike around Unicoi Lake. Beautiful views of the lake and forest. There are other trails to hike here as well. Ranging from 1/3 of a mile loop to 5 miles one way. There is even a 7 mile mountain bike trail. They require an annual pass to bike this trail. We did not do this but David wanted to so bad. Here's just one of the views of the lake from the trail:

Here's a picture of David, Hercules and I:

And a short video of our hike. Yes, we are silly hikers. lol Check out Faith in the back when the video first starts. Silly girl!

Later that day we did something I’ve never done before: zip lining. Wow! What fun! We booked with Zip N Time right outside of Helen. They encourage reservations, which we had. We arrived, suited up and then piled into the back of a truck and was driven to the zip line site. We all took turns zipping from tree to tree. 

I’ll admit I was very nervous my first time. It was not easy to step off that platform but I took a big breath and jumped and OH! Wow! What fun, flying through the trees. After we zipped between about 5 different trees, of different heights we were then taken to one of the longest dual zip lines in the US. The great thing about this zip line is it’s so long and you can ride next to a friend. So much fun! I couldn't post a video of David and I riding it but check out this video of me on my very first ride. 

For more information about Zip N time click on the following link. You can also find them on FaceBook. Just search for ZipNTime. We highly recommend these guys.

http://www.zipntime.com

Saturday we went to Anna Ruby Falls. Well worth the 1/2 mile hike up to the falls. I’ll be honest. David and I love waterfalls and will more than likely tackle most hikes to see one and Anna Ruby does not disappoint. Easy hike along Smith Creek so there are views along the entire hike. My sister was on crutches for this hike so I’d say all can handle this one. Here's a picture David took of the falls. You can see me in the bottom left corner taking a picture also. :)

Later we went to Helen, GA and walked around. It’s like a little village. So cute! We did a little window shopping, bought some very expensive fudge, people watched and took lots of pictures.

The next day it was time to go home. Another adventure had come to an end. We had had a good time with family and had all done something new and exciting. Time to get back home and start planning our next trip.