Visitors may be surprised to discover just how easy it is to access the many natural landforms in “The Peach State.” Besides its 100-mile stretch of Atlantic Ocean coastline, Georgia has numerous lakes, rivers and wetlands, mountains and the world’s most massive single block of granite.
Along the Atlantic coast, explore landforms ranging from beaches, marshlands, hammocks and islands. Barrier islands, like “the Golden Isles” of St. Simons Island, Sea Island, Little St. Simons Island and Jekyll Island, are vacation destinations, but development hides the fact they protect mainland communities from storm surges. To best observe these natural landforms, visit Cumberland Island National Seashore on Cumberland Island. The largest of the state’s barrier islands, Cumberland Island is accessible by ferry, and visitor attendance is limited to protect the undeveloped ecosystem. Visitors can stay at the historic Grayfield Inn or the park service’s Sea Camp campground while checking out the island’s maritime forest, wetlands, marshes and sandy beaches.
Lakes, Rivers and Wetlands
To view an abundance of landforms in one location, head to southeast Georgia, home of the Okefenokee Swamp, the most extensive fresh- and blackwater swamp in North America. Once part of the ocean, the Okefenokee is a peat-filled bog set in a sandy depression in the earth’s surface. Today, the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge encompasses this landform. Explore the swamp’s cypress forests, canals and prairies by canoe trail, boardwalk hikes and even by bicycle or car. The Suwannee River and the St. Marys River, two of Georgia’s 33 rivers, originate in the swamp. The Okefenokee is also home to 60 named lakes, with Billy Lake the largest at 60 acres.
Travel 90 miles north of Atlanta to explore the southern Appalachians and Georgia’s tallest mountain peak in the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest. Atop the summit of Brasstown Bald, 4,784 feet above sea level, the visitor information center offers ranger programs, exhibits, videos and information on hiking and recreation. Just 15 minutes east of Atlanta, explore Panola Mountain State Park, a national natural landmark that’s part of the Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area. Guided tours are the only way to explore Panola, as the park limits trail usage to protect rare plant species.
Stone Mountain isn’t a mountain per se, but a granite pluton -- an ancient magma chamber visible on the earth's surface thanks to uplift and erosion. Rising 825 feet above the surrounding landscape, at its highest point Stone Mountain is 1,683 feet above sea level. Just 18 miles east of downtown Atlanta, Stone Mountain has developed into a theme park complete with human-made landmarks, seasonal thrill rides and outdoor recreation. The Confederate Memorial Carving, depicting Robert E. Lee, “Stonewall” Jackson and Jefferson Davis, looks small from a distance but covers 3 acres of one side of the mountain. Visitors can travel to the summit by cable car or enjoy a 5-mile-long train ride around its base.
Karen Sweeny-Justice is a writer living in Surprise, Ariz. Her work has appeared in "Writer's Digest" magazine and "RubberStampMadness" magazine, as well as in newspapers around the United States. She also writes book reviews for "RT Book Reviews" magazine.