The hamlet of Suches sits in Northeast Georgia’s Blue Ridge Mountains, a stone’s throw from where the legendary Appalachian Trail threads through Woody Gap. Home to the historic Woody Gap School and placid little Woody Lake, the community makes quite the launchpad for Blue Ridge adventuring amid some of the most stirring scenery in the Peach State, bar none.
We’ve pulled together some ideas for getting your adventure game on during a Suches, Georgia vacation, marinating in the mountain ambience at one of the many fine vacation cabins The 100 Collection partner – SVR Properties offers in the area.
Brasstown Bald stands at 4,784 feet, making it the highest point in Georgia. It's a quick drive from Suches and offers some of the most amazing views you'll ever see in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Pricing:
Hours:
You can reach the summit two ways: hike up a steep 0.6-mile paved path or take the shuttle that's included with your ticket. The path winds through twisted hardwood trees and mountain laurel before reaching the observation deck at the top. On clear days, you can see Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina, and South Carolina all at once. If you're really lucky and the weather is perfect, you might even spot the Atlanta skyline from this mountain rooftop.
The summit features an 8,000-square-foot museum with cool interactive exhibits about the mountain's natural history and the Cherokee people who once lived here. You can learn about the Nunnehi, spirit beings from Cherokee stories, who were said to live in these mountains. A short film plays in the theater showing how the mountain changes through the seasons. The views are especially stunning during fall when the leaves turn brilliant shades of red, orange, and yellow, or when fog fills the valleys below while you stand above the clouds.
From the parking area, several hiking trails branch out if you want to explore more. Multiple trails from the summit extend your high-country hiking possibilities, too. Additional Hiking Trails from Brasstown Bald, multiple trails from the summit extend your high-country hiking possibilities:
The Blue Ridge Mountains get a lot of rain, so waterfalls are everywhere. The rushing water from creeks and rivers tumbles down the mountainsides, creating some of the most beautiful cascades in the Southeast. You'll have plenty of choices for waterfall hunting around Suches.
The most famous attraction is Amicalola Falls, located about an hour from Suches. At 729 feet tall, it's the tallest cascading waterfall in the Southeast and one of Georgia's Seven Natural Wonders. The name comes from a Cherokee word that probably means "tumbling waters," which makes perfect sense when you see the water crashing down the mountainside.
Pricing:
Hours:
You can experience the falls in three different ways depending on your fitness level and how much adventure you want. The easiest option is the West Ridge Spring Trail, a short 0.3-mile paved path that's wheelchair accessible with amazing overlooks—perfect if you have little kids or anyone who can't handle steep climbs. If you want a serious workout, take the Staircase Trail with over 600 steps that climb right next to the roaring falls. There's a viewing platform halfway up where you can rest and feel the spray from the water. The most challenging option is the 8.5-mile Approach Trail that gains about 2,000 feet in elevation and leads to Springer Mountain, where the famous Appalachian Trail begins its 2,200-mile journey to Maine.
The state park offers way more than just the waterfall. You can stay overnight at the mountaintop lodge sitting at 2,780 feet, eat at Cascades Restaurant which serves Southern food with incredible mountain views, rent one of 14 cozy cabins, or camp at one of 24 campsites. It's a great place to base yourself for a whole weekend of exploring.
DeSoto Falls Recreation Area in the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest features an easy hike to two impressive waterfalls on Frogtown Creek. The trail isn't too difficult and gets you up close to the cascades. Vogel State Park has a trail leading to Trahlyta Falls, which fans out beautifully as it tumbles over the rocks.
Near the town of Helen, you'll find even more waterfall options. Anna Ruby Falls is located in a special Forest Service scenic area next to Unicoi State Park. Here, twin waterfalls drop more than 150 feet down the mountain, crashing together at the bottom. The paved trail to the viewing area makes it easy to reach. Double Culvert Branch Falls is another stunner in the area worth checking out.
Maybe all that waterfall-touring has you hankering to do some plunging yourself. Well, you’re in luck on that front, too!
Multiple ziplining facilities await within day-tripping distance of Suches, for example, including the Screaming Eagle Aerial Adventures treetop courses at Unicoi and Amicalola Falls state parks. Walkable right from Helen’s downtown, the Georgia Mountain Coaster is the first of its kind in the Peach State—and its speedy downhill track is open each and every day of the year, weather-permitting.
Pricing:
Safety Requirements:
This alpine coaster is totally different from regular amusement park roller coasters. You sit in your own cart (one or two people) and control your own speed with hand brakes. Want to race down at the top speed of 27 mph? Go for it! Prefer to cruise slowly and enjoy the mountain views? You can do that too. The track runs nearly a mile through the forest with sharp curves, banking turns, and crazy 360-degree loops including a triple corkscrew section. You'll leave your bags in lockers since you can't bring phones or backpacks on the ride coz you need both hands free for the brakes.
The southern trailhead for America’s most famous long-distance trek is in Suches’s backyard, and even if you aren’t tackling a thru-hike of the entire 2,200-mile Appalachian Trail—which forays north all the way to Maine—a visit to this starting point is pretty darn special.
Getting to Springer Mountain , you'll hike an eight-mile blue-blazed approach trail from Amicalola Falls State Park to reach the trailhead marked by a trail register and bronze plaque. The climb gains about 2,000 feet in elevation as you make your way through beautiful hardwood forests with wide switchbacks. Even if you're just visiting for the day instead of starting a months-long thru-hike, reaching this historic spot gives you an amazing sense of accomplishment. The trail winds through all kinds of terrain you'll cross rushing streams, climb over rocky sections, and walk through ancient forests where you'll hear tons of birds singing.
The rugged slopes and vast backwoods of Georgia’s Blue Ridge country are tailor-made for mountain-biking, and you’ve got loads of trails at your disposal when vacationing in the Suches area. Prime spots include 1,440-acre Chicopee Woods, which encompasses a roughly 21-mile circuit, as well as Amicalola Falls and Unicoi state parks.
Amicalola Falls State Park and Unicoi State Park both have excellent trail systems for bikers at all levels. The paths are well-maintained and mix technical sections with smoother riding, plus they include awesome overlooks where you can stop and catch your breath while taking in the views. These trails balance the thrill of mountain biking with the natural beauty that makes this area so special.
The Southern Appalachian Mountains have some of the world's most amazing temperate forests. Huge old-growth trees used to cover these mountains, but most were cut down for lumber long ago. Lucky for us, a few special places still showcase what these forests looked like hundreds of years ago.
About 10 miles from Suches, you'll find the perfectly named Valley of the Giants in the Cooper Creek Wildlife Management Area. This 30,000-acre area protects some massive trees including eastern white pines, eastern hemlocks, oaks, birches, and the real stars of the show giant tulip-trees (also called tulip-poplars). These trees are one of the tallest hardwood species in North America. Some tower over 150 feet high with trunks so wide it would take several people holding hands to wrap around them over 20 feet around! Walking beneath these giants feels like being in a natural cathedral, with sunlight filtering down through the enormous canopy way above your head.
The short, moderately difficult trail through the valley lets you experience what these mountains looked like before logging changed everything. Signs along the path explain why old-growth forests matter so much to the ecosystem and what makes them different from younger forests. If you visit in the morning, you might see mist drifting between the ancient trunks, creating an almost magical atmosphere.
Just a short drive from Suches, Sosebee Cove Scenic Area protects a second-growth forest where the trees have grown back big and impressive. The tulip-trees and yellow buckeyes here have gotten seriously large. This sheltered cove explodes with wildflowers every spring you'll see trilliums, bloodroot, and lady slippers carpeting the forest floor. Photographers and plant lovers come here specifically for these spring blooms.
The easy 0.5-mile loop trail works for most fitness levels and offers a peaceful escape into nature. The way light filters through the leaves creates beautiful patterns on the forest floor, and the whole place feels calm and quiet—perfect for just thinking and enjoying being outdoors.
In addition to serving up one of the handsomest vistas in the region, the hike to Preachers Rock gives you a chance to actually tread along the Appalachian Trail. And it’s a highly doable undertaking: only about two miles round-trip out of Woody Gap, where the A.T. crosses Highway 60 a couple of minutes outside Suches. The route weaves through Lunsford Gap, then climbs the southwestern flanks of Big Cedar Mountain to reach the Preachers Rock outcrop, where you’ll savor a long sightline out over waves of soft-edged highlands.
Big Cedar Mountain lies within the nearly 8,000-acre spread of the Blood Mountain Wilderness, where longer hikes and wilder Blue Ridge backcountry—and the potential for a bit more solitude compared to super-popular Preachers Rock—await. Consider a trek to the highpoint of the wilderness (and where the Appalachian Trail tops out in Georgia), 4,458-foot Blood Mountain itself.
The domelike peak rises just southeast of Slaughter Mountain, the grisly placenames reflecting stories of Cherokee and Muscogee/Creek peoples battling long ago in Slaughter Gap between the two.
Less than a half-hour northeast of Suches and set in the shadow of Blood Mountain lies Vogel State Park, established in 1931 as one of the formative units of Georgia’s state-park system. Its defining landmark is 22-acre, mountain-cupped Lake Trahlyta, named for a Cherokee woman said to be buried at Stonepile Gap to the south. The park rents a variety of watercraft for plying the lake, from kayaks (single and tandem), canoes, and stand-up paddleboards to Aqua Cycles and pedal boats.
Pricing:
The crystal-clear mountain lake offers super peaceful paddling surrounded by tall peaks on all sides. You might spot ducks and other waterfowl, turtles sunning themselves on logs, or fish jumping and breaking the glassy surface of the water. A lakeside beach gives you a great place to swim when the weather's warm.
Hopefully the above gives you some idea of the variety of things to do in Suches, GA: from hoofing it along a world-famous footway to dosing up on positive ions at the foot of a surging horsetail waterfall.
To truly experience the best of Suches, Georgia, you must stay in a home that embodies the welcoming, adventurous spirit of the Blue Ridge Mountains. SVR Properties offers the finest vacation rental homes in the region, dedicated to providing each guest with an unforgettable mountain escape. You will have the opportunity to enjoy not just the comfort and convenience of these luxurious cabins, but premium amenities such as mountain-view hot tubs, fire pits, game rooms, gourmet kitchens, covered porches with rocking chairs, entertainment systems, high-speed WiFi, creek-side settings, panoramic ridge views, and so much more. A stay with SVR Properties is a promise for your Suches vacation to be your best one yet! Here are our top three favorite vacation homes that are perfect for your mountain getaway:
Choosing to visit Suches is undoubtedly one of the best decisions you can make for a memorable and enriching vacation. The area offers a perfect balance of natural beauty, outdoor adventure, and mountain tranquility, ensuring there's something for every type of traveler. Suches is more than just a beautiful destination; it's a place to create lasting memories, offering a diverse range of experiences that leave you inspired, refreshed, and ready to return. Variety, too, is the theme with the fantastic array of luxury vacation rentals available through thelocal 100 Collection partner SVR Properties. From hilltop lodges to streamside cabins, these fully equipped properties give you a well-appointed home base from which to explore all the Suches hinterland has to offer.
