There's a big lake…read more There are mountains. There are rocks. There are trees. Most importantly, it's dog-friendly. I highly recommend stopping here if you're passing through Western North Carolina.

Lake Chatuge is a beautiful lake located in Hiawassee, Georgia within the Appalachian Mountains…read more The lake like all lakes in Georgia is a man made and was created in 1942 with the Chatuge Dam. The name comes from the Cherokee village that was once located there. The total lake covers over almost 11 square miles and has a maxium depth of 144 feet. The most common fish here are the spotted bass, channel catfish, black crappies and large and small mouth bass. If you have children a great place to take them is the Towns County Recreational Beach located at 525 US-76. They have a playground there and a beach for the kids to swim and play in. They also have bathrooms, picnic tables, bathrooms and showers at the beach. For those who plan to come to Lake Chatuge beware that during holidays, like Memorial Day weekend the lake is extremely packed, which makes it almost impossible to fish off the shore with the heavy traffic causing too much wake. [Review #542] (22nd Review Of 2018)

Alway fun to visit! I'm too old to really fish the streams anymore. When we Rv in the area Andy's…read moreis on the menu! It's fun to catch and cook your dinner in the wilds! Fish you catch and cook are always better tasting! Like most fish farms Andy's provides all the equipment you need. They weigh and clean your fish and put them on ice. They also require to keep any fish you "land".This causes a dilemma; you could catch enough fish for an army in 20 minutes. If you want to take home 4 nice trout for dinner however,your fishing time would be extremely limited.....Huh...what to do? I solved this problem by bringing an extremely light Temkara rod used to fish small streams. I also tied on barbless hooks and viola problem solved. You can extend your fighting times. If they don't throw the hook,"landing" those slippery little buggers with arthritic fingers makes it almost impossible to "land" any fish at all! I was lucky to catch those 4 rainbows for dinner. Lots of fun ....if you close your eyes you are in Montana again!

Great place to bring young kids to fish and ensure they catch something. The adults running the…read moreplace are unpleasant and unfriendly, specially the fat woman . The teenagers helping run the place are at least somewhat pleasant. A bit pricey though at $6.50 a pound .

Beautiful park to walk, run, hold events or go to their events. They have a fitness trail type…read moresetup. Lots of gorgeous scenery to take photos of. Parking was easy. No charge to visit. Seems like a popular place, which I can understand after visiting. There is a really cool old historical water wheel. Sometimes it's running. Sometimes not. Apparently people hide painted rocks here on occasion as well. No pets allowed though sadly.

Found a few good shots of flowers and mushrooms at Meeks Park that I had previously taken.read more

I fished with a friend, and we are both semi-experienced anglers. Joe was perfect--he knew the…read moreriver intimately, spoke exactly to our level of experience, and offered just the right suggestions to match our knowledge base without over-coaching. Along the way, he shared the history of the Toccoa, great stories and commentary about fishing and his writing experiences, which added another enjoyable layer to the day and punctuated the fishing beautifully. I brought along a friend who is very particular, and by the end of the trip he was already talking about organizing another outing for a friend of his who has mobility issues--which says a lot. I loved the day, and Joe was truly the icing on the cake.

My son loved his trout fishing experience with Joe. Caught a lot of fish on a boat in the Toccoa…read moreand the overall experience was great. Can't beat the 4+ hours of trout fishing we did on a weekend and we saw NO ONE else out on the river! Joe knows his stuff and got my novice son trout fishing like a pro in no time!

Edge of the World is a great nearby walking trail that winds along Amicalola Creek. The trail is…read moremostly easy, with a mix of wooden walkways (watch out for a few holes) and dirt paths. There are also a few side trails that climb up the mountain if you're looking for a bit more of a challenge (including dodging Joro spiders!). The small waterfalls are beautiful, and the cool creek water is perfect for dipping your feet in on a warm day.

Loved the Edge of the World! All I could think in my head was the song, it's the end of the world…read moreas we know it, & I feel fine. The Edge of the World is a landscape we never see. It was semi difficult hike just because we live in Florida and use to live in Illinois (AKA Flatland), but we did it. The easiest way to this is from the parking lot, walk to the left and walk down the stairs. Keep walking on the boardwalk and watch for holes in the boardwalk. When the boardwalk is done, keep walking and then you will come to trees, the trees have steps made from the trees, & carefully watch your step and go down. I actually scooted my butt down and then climbed the tree steps. It was not bad, just something I'm not accustomed to. You will see the water and rocks moving and it is just so beautiful. People walk through and sit in the water and take pics. Be careful when you walk through it can be slippery. We had water shoes. Water is so refreshing. We actually walked the long way, which is walking to the right of the parking lot to the start of the boardwalk. We didn't want to walk down the stairs bc they looked pretty steep. It really is amazing. I'd say you will be here about an hour or two. Parking is free and there are a bunch of signs you need a fishing license. Which we don't have. We just parked And walked!

Run to Black Rock Mountain State Park! From the moment we arrived at the visitor center, we enjoyed…read morebreathtaking views. The views throughout the park are epic and the hiking is superb. Jack the gentleman at the entrance was beyond helpful and likely saved us from our own demise. As we were wandering about, he kindly interjected and offered us a map along with some detailed instructions regarding the various trails. We then explored a few trails to include the Ada-Hi Falls Trail and the Tennessee Rock Trail. We enjoyed all the views but would recommend a walking stick. The guide shop at the visitor center has some great merchandise including many items from local businesses. Furthermore, the prices were fair.

What a beautiful campground, especially in October when the leaves are changing…read more Each reserved lot has access to electricity, a picnic table, and a nice fire pit. Dogs are more than welcome. In fact, most of the people there brought one or two dogs. The lots vary in size from canvas tent and car all the way to travel bus. It's great for a weekend trip away from the city noise!

This place is great especially if you are looking to catch fish and catch them pretty quickly…read more Especially if you have kids with you who want to fish and think that it is just so easy to fish in a river. Hahaha! The owner gave the kids directions on how to fish and provides all of the equipment. He is super friendly and got excited when the kids caught something. You pay for what you catch so keep that in mind especially if you go with a large group. The price is super reasonable especially since this is the freshest trout. He also has a few animals and sells local honey too. The owner will clean your fish for an additional tip. DO IT!!! Also, BRING a COOLER with ICE Between our 4 kids and 1.5 hours, we left with over 27 lbs of trout. We had all but 4 filet. The other 4 were cleaned, but left intact with heads so we can bring them home to smoke. We cooked some the same night we caught it. 2 filet in a brown sugar butter sauce and the other two in a fresh garlic, salt, and pepper blend. All cookies on foil over a charcoal grill. Everyone gave 2 thumbs up!

At first I was hesitant given the unconventional presentation of the trout farm. A small hand…read morepainted sign told us to honk and look left. We complied and saw a young lady sitting on the porch across the street. She smiled big and waved! We pulled down the gravel road to what appeared to be an empty lot...However the owner, Alex, rounded the corner, stood on the bridge with a tattered hat, dark glasses and long white beard. I questioned if we were in the right place.......so I walked up to him and immediately he made my family and I feel right at home with engaging conversation, anecdotes, and explanations. Instead of explaining things directly to me, he sat down and took the time to explain things to my 8 year old son and held his attentional phenomenally.....while still explaining the process to all of us. Poles and bait were provided!!!!! Alex has an amazing way with kids and LOVES explaining things! My son caught 3 trout in under 15 minutes!!! A fish was on the line as soon as it hit the water!!! This really boosted my son's confidence in fishing! Alex took us into the cleaning trailer and gave my son a biology lesson while gutting the fish, talking about the heart, gills, spleen, liver, ect. My son is still talking about how amazing it was! We purchased the trout and tipped Alex for cleaning them for us! Needless to say, my 8 year old is walking tall knowing that he caught our dinner tonight. Plus the picture grotto makes it looks like you've been on a mountain river catching wild trout! #LongLiveFishingLies I HIGHLY RECOMMEND OTTER CREEK TO THOSE WITH CHILDREN OR THOSE WANTING FRESH TROUT FOR DINNER!!! The experience is something we will never forget!! Also, watch out for the chickens!

I never met a waterfall that I didn't like. We did a driving tour along Little River in Great Smoky…read moreMountains National Park to see if we could spot some wildlife. The Sinks is a lovely waterfall along the river. There is a small parking lot with about a dozen spaces where we found parking. An observation area is a short walk from parking. A sign describes the area and that the falls were manmade. During the late 1800's the river was used to transport logs/timber to the nearby town of Elkmont. After a storm, flood waters caused a jam in the river. Dynamite was used to restore water flow. The blast resulted in a twist in the river and creation of the waterfall. A set of stone steps leads up a hill, offering lovey views of the falls. There are dozens of waterfalls in the Park. Sinks is one of the few that is drivable, which is great for people that cannot hike. I picked up a Waterfalls map at the visitor center that I found interesting and informative. Parking passes are required to park in the lot. There are no amenities at the falls. Plan 15-30 minutes for a stop and photos.

The Sinks is such a fun outdoor experience! Our boys, ages 11 & 13, loved it! The parking is not…read moregreat though, with only about 15 spots in the parking lot and nowhere else to go. It's super busy in the summer, so just be prepared for that. We had to wait about 15 minutes for someone to leave so we could park. That wouldn't keep us from going back, though.

My son and I had a great trip with Joe this morning. We highly recommend Big Ol' Fish Guide Serviceread more

Shane is an excellent guide and I would highly recommend him to anyone. Very reasonable price and…read morehe knows how to put you on the fish!

What a beautiful trail! There's plenty of free parking and it's open until 10 pm. Lake Chatuge…read morestraddles North Carolina and Georgia. You can catch glimpses of it from the Jackrabbit Mountain Recreation area (if you feel like hiking or mountain biking) but the beauty is near the dam. Built in 1941 and named after a Cherokee settlement, Chatuge Dam is 150 feet high and stretches 3,336 feet across the Hiwassee River. The Nantahala National Forest surrounds the dam and NC section of the reservoir, the Chattahoochee National Forest surrounds the GA section. Chatuge Dam Trail is 1.5 miles, paved and open to walkers, hikers, bikers and runners. It's ADA accessible, perfect for those with mobility issues and babies in strollers. The trail leads through the woods (where I didn't venture) and to two nearby campsites. The breathtaking views are stunning! Lake Chatuge reflects the sun so it looks different in the morning and in the evening. You're surrounded by some of the tallest mountains in Georgia, which are sometimes backlit with hues of purple. The colorful autumn leaves and the stillness of the lake really bring a sense of calm. There were families, couples strolling hand in hand, kids on bikes and seniors. The trail can be accessed from Chatuge Dam Road or Clay County Park which offers bathrooms, fishing access, a playground, ballpark, pavilions, camping & a small sandy beach with a swimming area. Pets on a leash are welcome! Chatuge Dam Trail is definitely worth a trip!

Great trail, plenty of people walk it without it seeming too crowded. However my only issue is that…read moreit's pavement or cement most of the trail with very little shoulder so it's difficult for people who have knee and back problems to walk for any length of time on it. I suffer from neuropathy and so I have to be careful and stick to the grass and ground beside the pavement whenever I can. One good thing about the trail though is that if you were to fall or injure yourself that it wouldn't be difficult for someone to reach you or emergency services to make it to you. The only other thing that would really help out is adding more benches periodically throughout the trail. There are a couple but not very many. Otherwise it's a good trail and it has a nice breeze especially when you're on the dam part of it.