The southern end of Tallulah Gorge. Oceana Falls is in the foreground.
Yesterday I talked about my adventure (or misadventure) on the steps leading to the Hurricane Falls Observation Deck in Tallulah Gorge State Park. Today I would like to share a little about the gorge itself.
Tallulah Gorge is one of the most spectacular canyons in the eastern U. S. It is approximately two miles long and nearly 1,000 feet deep. As I mentioned yesterday the gorge contains six waterfalls which are collectively known as Tallulah Falls. Until 1913 the Tallulah River ran freely through the gorge and the falls were considered the “Niagara of the South”. In 1913 a dam was completed just above the gorge, diverting most of the water for power generation.
The Tallulah Gorge Dam. June 23, 2009.
Tallulah Gorge was designated a state park in 1992 and is operated by a public-private partnership with Georgia Power Company, the owners of the dam. This arrangement allows for aesthetic releases of water several times a year, which approximate what the river looked like before the dam was built. There are also whitewater releases which allow kayakers to shoot the falls.
