Vogel State Park

At the center of a vast network of hiking trails through Georgia's Blue Ridge Mountains, Vogel State Park is beautifully set in a highcountry cove surrounding a trout-stocked lake named for a Cherokee princess. The park was designed by the Civilian Conservation Corps, with its signature carpentry and stonework from 1935; the park's CCC museum tells the story of this New Deal initiative. The homey cottages and campsites, swimming beach, pedalboats and miniature golf make Vogel an attractive spot for families, while serious hikers can spend a day or weeks exploring surrounding backcountry trails, including the Appalachian Trail (A.T.). Nearby, ...

At the center of a vast network of hiking trails through Georgia's Blue Ridge Mountains, Vogel State Park is beautifully set in a highcountry cove surrounding a trout-stocked lake named for a Cherokee princess. The park was designed by the Civilian Conservation Corps, with its signature carpentry and stonework from 1935; the park's CCC museum tells the story of this New Deal initiative. The homey cottages and campsites, swimming beach, pedalboats and miniature golf make Vogel an attractive spot for families, while serious hikers can spend a day or weeks exploring surrounding backcountry trails, including the Appalachian Trail (A.T.). Nearby, the Walasi-yi Center is the only place where the A.T. crosses under a manmade structure, a landmark for A.T. travelers (the adjacent outfitting store offers products and services for hikers, including shuttles, showers, and bunks). This Southern Appalachian forest is known for sheltering more types of trees than in all of Europe, with an understory of dense rhododendron dells and thickets of mountain laurel. Wildflowers draw hikers in the spring, cooler high-altitude temperatures draw flatlanders all summer, and a spectacular array of fall colors draw "leaflookers" at their peak, usually in October (reservations are taken up to a year in advance).

About the Expert

Kap Stann has written or contributed to many guidebooks to the American Southeast for such publishers as Moon, Avalon Travel, Lonely Planet, DK Eyewitness, and Mobil Guides.