Vogel State Park – A Place for Fall Color

 

Lake Trahlyta at Vogel State Park

Fall color in North Georgia is much sought after when it comes to this time of year. Scores of people drive up to get a glimpse of mountainsides decorated with red, gold, orange, and green quilts of color. The photo at left is from the drive on US-19/US-129 near Neel Gap.

When a friend posted on Facebook about his trip to Vogel State Park, I decided quickly to schedule a visit this past week while the weather was good and the leaves were still on the trees.

I had never been to Vogel State Park before but have visited lots of places near it around Blairsville, Suches, and Dahlonega. I had heard that it is a great place for fall color and once I saw Lake Trahlyta I could see why. The long lake provides an excellent reflection of the trees on the mountains.

Red maple (Acer rubrum)

The park is the second oldest Georgia state park, established in 1931. From the park’s website, “Located at 2500 feet above sea level, Vogel sits at the base of Blood Mountain, the highest summit on the Appalachian Trail in Georgia, and is surrounded by Chattahoochee National Forest. The North Georgia Mountains around Vogel were linked to Native American people for generations before European settlement.” On our way there, we stopped briefly at Neels Gap and admired the trees in the parking lot festooned with old hiking boots, a tradition for those who finish the Appalachian Trail.

Vogel has a number of well-marked trails of various lengths and difficulties. We opted for the shortest and easiest, the Trahlyta Lake Trail and the spur to Trahlyta Falls. The color was fantastic, the trail was easy, and a few floral goodies were found as well. I was thrilled to find a large witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana) in full bloom, the fresh flowers juxtaposed nicely with the crispy leaves. I also found a flower that I had never seen, stiff gentian or Gentianella quinquefolia.

Awesome maple in the parking lot 

Trahlyta Falls 

American witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana) in bloom

If you’d like to read about my other visits to Georgia State Parks, here is a list of them. Each one is special in its own way and season, and several make for excellent winter visits, especially when waterfalls are involved.

Red Top Mountain State Park

FDR State Park – Winter and Spring

Hard Labor Creek State Park

Cloudland Canyon State Park

High Falls State Park

Chattahoochee Bend State Park

Providence Canyon State Park

Tallulah Gorge State Park

And if you'd like to add more fall color to your landscape using native plants, here is a blog I wrote about plants with Dependable Fall Color.