Unicoi State Park

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Unicoi State Park
Lake Unicoi in Unicoi State Park
Location of Unicoi State Park in Georgia
Location	White County, Georgia, USA
Nearest city	Helen, Georgia
Coordinates	34°43′23″N 83°43′20″W / 34.723033°N 83.7223°W / 34.723033; -83.7223Coordinates: 34°43′23″N 83°43′20″W / 34.723033°N 83.7223°W / 34.723033; -83.7223
Area	1,050 acres (4.25 km²; 1.64 sq mi)
Governing body	Georgia State Park

Unicoi State Park & Lodge is a 1,050-acre (4.25 km²) state park located immediately north-northeast of Helen, Georgia in the northeastern portion of the state. The centerpiece of the park is 53-acre (21 ha) Unicoi Lake on Smith Creek. The park is especially popular in October, when the autumn leaves in the forest change colors. ^[1]

Entry to the park is from Georgia 356, just off of Georgia State Route 75 (North Main Street in Helen). Georgia 75 Alt allows visitors coming from the south via Cleveland, Georgia to bypass the massive traffic jams on 75 through the town during weekends, holidays, and Oktoberfest. The park also allows access to Anna Ruby Falls, owned by the U.S. Forest Service and run by the non-profit Cradle of Forestry. Separate parking fees must be paid for the park and the falls.

In August 2005, some damage occurred to the park when a tornado spawned by Hurricane Katrina touched down in part of the town of Helen, and then traveled north through the park. According to signs posted, some relatively minor damage occurred to the lodge, and 15 acres (six hectares) of trees were downed. The trees were logged for timber, and small controlled burns were used to eliminate excessive dead vegetation, while the branches from the timber were turned into mulch used in the park.

Facilities

82 tent, trailer, RV campsites
33 walk-in campsites
Squirrel's Nest camping shelters
30 cottages
100-room lodge and conference center with wireless Internet service
Restaurant
53-acre (210,000 m²) lake and beach
4 tennis courts
6 picnic shelters
Meeting facilities

Activities

Hiking - 12 miles (19 km) of trails
Mountain biking - 8 miles (13 km) of trails
Fishing - accessible docks
Swimming
Canoe and pedal boat rental (seasonal)

Annual events

Visiting Artist Series (September through November)
Saturday Evening Music Concerts (September through November)
Outdoor Adventure Day (September)
Deck the Halls (December)
Hogpen Hill Climb-HFHNEGA Fundraiser (January)

References

↑ GA State Park

External links

Protected areas of Georgia

Federal

National historic sites and military parks	Andersonville NHS Jimmy Carter NHS Martin Luther King, Jr. NHS Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park

National monuments	Fort Frederica Fort Pulaski Ocmulgee

National forests	Chattahoochee Oconee

National wildlife refuges	Banks Lake Blackbeard Island Bond Swamp Eufaula Harris Neck Okefenokee Piedmont Savannah Wassaw Wolf Island

Wilderness Areas	Big Frog Wilderness Blood Mountain Wilderness Brasstown Wilderness Cohutta Wilderness Cumberland Island National Seashore Ellicott Rock Wilderness Mark Trail Wilderness Okefenokee Wilderness Raven Cliffs Wilderness Rich Mountain Wilderness Southern Nantahala Wilderness Tray Mountain Wilderness

Wild and Scenic Rivers	Chattooga River

National Trails	Appalachian Trail Pinhoti National Recreation Trail

Other protected areas	Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area Cumberland Island National Seashore Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary Sapelo Island National Estuarine Research Reserve

State

Parks	Amicalola Falls Black Rock Mountain Bobby Brown Buck Shoals Chattahoochee Bend Cloudland Canyon Crooked River Don Carter Elijah Clark F.D. Roosevelt Florence Marina Fort Mountain Fort Yargo General Coffee George L. Smith George T. Bagby Georgia Veterans Gordonia-Alatamaha Hamburg Hard Labor Creek Hart High Falls Indian Springs James H. "Sloppy" Floyd John Tanner Laura S. Walker Little Ocmulgee Magnolia Springs Mistletoe Moccasin Creek Panola Mountain Providence Canyon Red Top Mountain Reed Bingham Richard B. Russell Sapelo Island Seminole Skidaway Island Smithgall Woods Sprewell Bluff Standing Boy Creek Stephen C. Foster Sweetwater Creek Tallulah Gorge Tugaloo Unicoi Victoria Bryant Vogel Watson Mill Bridge

Historic parks and sites	A.H. Stephens Chief Vann House Dahlonega Gold Museum Etowah Indian Mounds Fort McAllister Fort King George Fort Morris Hofwyl-Broadfield Plantation Jarrell Plantation Jefferson Davis Memorial Kolomoki Mounds Lapham-Patterson House Little White House New Echota Pickett's Mill Battlefield Robert Toombs House Travelers Rest Wormsloe

Forests	Baldwin Bartram Brender-Hitchiti Dixon Memorial Dawson Hightower Paulding Spirit Creek

Other	Centennial Olympic Park Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center Jekyll Island Lake Lanier Islands Okefenokee Swamp Radium Springs Sapelo Island Stone Mountain Park

County,
Municipal
and Other

Parks	Cobb County Parks McIntosh Reserve Murphey Candler Park Okefenokee Swamp Park Robert G. Hunter Memorial Park Seaborn Jones Memorial Park Shaking Rock Park The Parks at Chehaw

Forests & Nature Preserves	Autrey Mill Nature Preserve & Heritage Center Fernbank Forest Marshall Forest Morningside Nature Preserve Phinizy Swamp Nature Park Reynolds Nature Preserve

Nature & Environmental Education Centers	Birdsong Nature Center Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center Chattahoochee Nature Center Cochran Mill Nature Center Dauset Trails Nature Center Dunwoody Nature Center Elachee Nature Science Center Georgia Nature Center Grand Bay Wetland Education Center Melvin L. Newman Wetlands Center Oatland Island Wildlife Center Oxbow Meadows Environmental Learning Center Panola Mountain State Park Nature Center Sandy Creek Nature Center Savannah-Ogeechee Canal Museum & Nature Center Tidelands Nature Center Tybee Island Marine Science Center West Atlanta Watershed Alliance Outdoor Activity Center

Georgia Department of Natural Resources
Georgia Forestry Commission (web)

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