Hike Inn to Autumn at Amicalola Falls

September 23rd marks the Autumnal Equinox. "Equinox” comes from Latin aequus, meaning “equal,” and nox, ”night.” On the equinox, day and night are roughly equal in length. For us, the return of autumn means cooler temperatures and great hiking weather!

Let's welcome autumn with a trek to the Hike Inn at Amicalola Falls. We'll do a 11-mile loop starting and ending at the top of the falls parking area. Elevation gain will be in excess of 2,000 feet, with lots of uphills and downhills throughout.

We'll maintain an average pace of 2.5 mph. We'll generally stay together as a group, with a few short hydration breaks, along with a lunch/snack break outside the Hike Inn. We'll plan to sit outside in the Adirondack chairs behind the Inn. They usually have some desserts, hot chocolate and coffee available. If you plan to indulge, please bring a cash donation for the hardworking folks at the Inn.

For those using the carpool, we'll depart from the Mansell Road Park and Ride at 7:30am. We'll all meet at the top of the falls parking lot a few minutes before 9:00am. 

The elevation gain, pace, and distance give this hike a difficulty rating of D4. If you don't have recent D3/D4 experience, this is not a suitable event for you.

We will meet at the top of the falls parking lot at Amicalola Falls State Park. The trailhead, restrooms, and falls overlook are located here. There are two levels of parking if the uppermost lot is full.

An approximate address for the park entrance is 280 Amicalola Falls State Park Rd, Dawsonville, Georgia 30534. See the top of this event description for GPS coordinates and a map link. Allow extra time if you're not sure where we're meeting.

There is a $5 entrance fee per vehicle at Amicalola Falls State Park if you don't have a Georgia state park pass.

The Hike Inn usually offers complimentary drinks (and leftover dessert) to day hikers. The staff accepts tips in exchange for their hospitality. We will plan to eat our lunch outside.