Lula Lake and Falls

We recently drove up to visit Lula Falls which is described as one of the showiest waterfalls in Georgia. The property containing the lake and falls is managed by the Lula Lake Land Trust and it is located south of Lookout Mountain in Walker County, GA, not far from Chattanooga, TN. It is open to the public 40 days a year, on designated weekends May through November (check their website to be sure).

Background from their website: "As early as 1958, Robert M. Davenport began to acquire pieces of property that would later form the core of the land trust project. These original acquisitions included two exquisite natural features, Lula Lake and Lula Falls. The Lula Lake Land Trust, established by the will of Robert M. Davenport in January of 1994, seeks to protect and preserve the natural beauty and abundant resources within the Rock Creek watershed for the benefit of present and future generations by fostering education, research, and conservation stewardship of the land. By the time of his untimely death in 1994, Robert M. Davenport had acquired over 1,200 acres surrounding Lula Lake. Since then, the Land Trust has increased protection within the watershed to over 8,000 acres.

Mr. Davenport had talked to his family about long-term goals for Lula Lake such as preserving the property and conducting biological inventories to identify any rare or unique plants and animals. One such species, Virginia spirea (Spiraea virginiana), was found on the property and previously known from only one other location in Georgia. When learning this, Mr. Davenport became completely convinced of the importance of preserving this unique area for future generations."

Sweet azalea (Rhododendron arborescens)

If you’ve visited Lula Lake before, you might be surprised to find a new parking area as well as a mandatory fee ($10 per car, just implemented in June). The volunteers gave us a map of the trails and we headed off to find Lula Falls. The well-maintained trail was flat and easy walking through a variety of conditions, from cool hemlock forests to sunny openings. We followed along beside Rock Creek the entire way. I wasn’t sure what to expect in terms of plants, but our first stop near the nature trail area had a welcome surprise. Next to the creek was a blooming smooth azalea (Rhododendron arborescens). Honestly, that was worth the drive alone!

Variety of Silphium asteriscus

Ginger (Hexastylis sp.)

We saw a lot of blooming rosinweed (Silphium). I assumed it was starry rosinweed (Silphium asteriscus) but was surprised to see how hairy the stem was; I didn’t remember mine at home having such hairy stems. I snapped a few pics to share on a Facebook group when I returned. I learned more about potential varieties of this species as a result and was pleased with the interest the discussion sparked in the group about Silphium identification.

Witchhazel (Hamamelis virginiana)

Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis)

Since we stayed on the path, we saw very little of the overall plants, but I was very pleased with the diversity of what we were able to see. I didn’t keep a list (we were pressed for time to complete the hike by the 5 pm closing time), but I was constantly delighted with the number of tree and shrub species that we saw as well as the herbaceous layer.

Rock Creek from top of  the falls that drop into the Lake

You can’t hike along a place called Rock Creek and not expect to see rocks – they were huge! Giant formations of rock were abundant near the areas scoured by the creek over thousands (millions?) of years.  You reach the Lake first where the color of the water can be quite striking and a 20-foot waterfall tumbles into it. Perhaps it was the clouds or the angle of our viewing, but we didn’t get to see the best color that day. People are forbidden from swimming in the lake (you could easily be carried over the lower falls from the lake).

There are two paths down to the base of the main falls. The first trail (called the Old Lula Falls Trail) is steep and difficult. The newer one is longer and more manageable but requires you to scramble over quite a few large rocks. We took the new walk down and the old trail back up.

There can be quite a spray from the 120-foot falls but if you move around you can find some dry places. Lots of people like to get close to the falls and even stand under them. We watched from afar on this visit. It was a lively place, full of families having fun. If you want to get wet, bring a suit and drip dry yourself on the return hike to the parking lot.

The 120-foot falls

Sign at the gated entrance