Thursday, January 3, 2013

Seven Natural Wonders of Georgia


So my newest goal of things to do while I live in Georgia is to see the Seven(+) Natural Wonders of Georgia. Apparently there are a lot of cool waterfalls, mountains and springs in GA. I've included the map and list below, which has more than just 7 but hey, that's ok. I'm also definitely going to hike the southern end of the Appalachian Trail, Springer Mountain (which is near Amicalola Falls)!
Now, I just have to recruit other fun folks to go on these adventures with me!
Additional sites:
Brasstown Bald Mountain is the highest point in Georgia.
Cloudland Canyon I've actually been too!
The Barrier Islands are supposed to have excellent wildlife and birding.
Lookout Mountain is a cool plateau apparently.

And here's the unofficial, official list:
Amicalola Falls near Dawsonville are the highest waterfalls in Georgia, with a drop of 729 feet. Named by Cherokee Indians for "tumbling waters," the falls are now the site of one of Georgia's most popular state parks, which includes an overlook at the top of the falls. An eight-mile "approach trail" links the falls to the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail.
The Okefenokee Swamp is the most extensive of Georgia's natural wonders in terms of area. This wildlife refuge in southeastern Georgia covers about 700 square miles and makes up part of four counties. The Okefenokee (from the Seminole, meaning "land of trembling earth") includes a wide variety of ecological features, ranging from sandy ridges to wet, grassy savannahs and marshes to narrow water channels and small islands, all of which support a vast range of flora and fauna.
Providence Canyon, sometimes called "Georgia's Little Grand Canyon," is located near Lumpkin in the west central part of the state. The multicolored 1,109-acre network of gorges is more than 100 feet deep. Providence Canyon is unique as a natural wonder of Georgia in that it was caused by relatively recent erosion (from human activity) over the past 150 years.
Radium Springs, on the southern outskirts of Albany, has waters that are consistently 68 degrees, rushing from the earth at 70,000 gallons per minute. These waters, which contain traces of radium, are the largest natural springs in Georgia. Overlooking Radium Springs is a park, featuring nature trails and an observation deck, that is located on the site of a casino that had its heyday in the 1920s. The casino was demolished in 2003 after sustaining serious damage when the Flint River flooded in 1994 and 1998.
Stone Mountain in metropolitan Atlanta is perhaps the best known of Georgia's natural wonders. A granite dome rising 650 feet above the Piedmont plateau, Stone Mountain is about 2 miles long and 7 miles in circumference at its base. On the northeastern wall is a Confederate memorial conceived in 1914 and completed in 1970. As early as 1927, the DeKalb County Chamber of Commerce proclaimed Stone Mountain to be the "Eighth Wonder of the World," in reference to the original second-century B.C. list of "Seven Wonders of the World," ancient architectural masterpieces.
The Tallulah Gorge in northeast Georgia is a canyon formation 3 miles long and 1,200 feet deep. It was created by a series of waterfalls that were dammed by the Georgia Power Company in 1912. Named after a Native American word for "terrible," Tallulah Gorge was traditionally feared as a home for evil spirits. It was among the most visited tourist destinations in the state in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Warm Springs, located on the lower slopes of Pine Mountain in Meriwether County, has long been known for its healing waters. Native Americans used to bring their wounded warriors to the springs, which have a year-round temperature of 88 degrees. A natural trap, about 2,800 feet underground, heats the water. In the antebellum period a minor resort developed at the springs, later made world-famous by U.S. president Franklin D. Roosevelt. Roosevelt found relief there for his polio from the mid-1920s until his death at the Little White House, his home at Warm Springs, in 1945.
Paul Stephen Hudson, Georgia Perimeter State College