#Circle y park and trail barrel full

It was the first of the Georgia State Park lodges, and Unicoi now ranks alongside Helen GA among the most popular places to visit in North Georgia. Unfortunately, Maloof died before he could see his dream come to fruition, but the Unicoi State Park Lodge finally broke ground in 1982. In the 1960s, the park was known as the “Unicoi Outdoor Recreation Experiment Station.” Its mission was to “build some cool stuff” (including the unique Barrel Cabins) to attract more visitors to the North Georgia mountains. Soon they dammed Smith Creek to create the 50+ acre Smith Lake, which is also known as Unicoi Lake. The 278-acre White County Area State Park opened in 1954, with just 8 campsites and a Visitors Center. Maloof eventually became the mayor of Helen, and proposed building a new mountain lodge just north of town. Now known as Georgia 75, the new highway soon gave birth to the town of Helen GA. In the 1930s, local politician Charlie Maloof convinced the State of Georgia to replace the old Unicoi Turnpike (which dated back to the gold rush of the 1830s) with a highway to Hiawassee. The name Unicoi comes from the Cherokee word “ unega,” which may mean “white” or “the New Way.” Some historians believe that Unicoi was the Native American name for the road that originally brought white settlers into Cherokee territory.īut it may also refer to the white fog often associated with the Blue Ridge Mountains. It brought the Civilian Conservation Corps to North Georgia, where they built a camp along Smith Creek in the early 1930s, just north of the site where the Unicoi Lodge stands today. In the wake of the Great Depression, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal created more than 3 million jobs to improve American infrastructure. The US Forest Service bought 31,000 acres of land (spanning Fannin, Gilmer, Lumpkin, and Union Counties) from the Gennett family in 1911, and created what was originally known as the Cherokee National Forest in June 1920. In the Muskogean language of the Creek Indians, Chatta means stone and ho chee means flowered or marked. It’s located near the source of the Chattahoochee River at the foot of Jacks Knob, surrounded by the Chattahoochee National Forest. The 1,050-acre area we now know as Unicoi State Park was Native American land for thousands of years, as was most of the North Georgia mountains and southern Appalachia as a whole. The Dark History of the New Echota Historic Site Unicoi Lake (a.k.a.

Things to Do in Unicoi State Park & LodgeĬloudland Canyon State Park Cabins Review Things to Do in Moccasin Creek State Park Things to Do in Black Rock Mountain State Park Want to explore more of the best North Georgia State Parks ? Take the 2nd exit to stay on GA-115 N and follow it for another 9.6 miles. In two miles you’ll reach a traffic circle (a.k.a. Continue on GA-115 for 4.8 miles, then turn right onto GA-115 N / GA-52 E / State Rte 52. Continue to follow GA-400 N for 6.3 miles until it becomes US-19 N, then keep left to stay on US-19 N.įollow US-19 for 41.8 miles, where it becomes GA-115. Take I-85 North to exit 87 for GA-400 N toward Buckhead/Cumming.

#Circle y park and trail barrel full

Each features two king bedrooms, one queen bedroom, a sleeper sofa, full kitchen, fireplace, and more. Other Unicoi State Park lodging options include 3-bedroom, 2-bath Deluxe Cabins for large families and groups. Nestled in the forest around Lake Unicoi, these 1- and 2-bedroom cabins offer full kitchens, heat/AC, wood-burning fireplace, BBQ grill, and balconies with rocking chairs and great lake views. The Unicoi Barrel Cabins are arguably the most unique cabin rentals in Helen GA. Each includes a full kitchen, wood-burning fireplace, heat/AC, and easy access to trout streams.

The 2-bedroom, 2-bath Smith Creek Cabins are more remote and rustic, arranged in a cluster across from the creek. There are 30 Unicoi State Park cabins to choose from, located in two different parts of the property. Row of Unicoi State Park Barrel Cabins Unicoi State Park & Lodge InfoĪDDRESS: 1788 Highway 356, Helen, GA 30545ĮNTRY FEES/PASSES: $5 parking fee for daily entry, or $50 for an annual park pass