Lula Lake is located on Lookout Mountain near the Tennessee Georgia border. Old postcards indicate that this beautiful lake and water fall have been a popular tourist destination for decades.

There is a old rail road grade that makes the main trial through the property. This railroad was apparently used to log off the area in years past. The delicate environment of the brow was ravished by the logging operations so the land was sold cheap over the years.

Now the Lula Lake Land Trust has taken over the area to preserve the rich natural beauty of the area. They open the area to the public only two days per month to preserve it.

The narrow road in is slightly rugged and we were glad we were in our 4wd Suburban and wished for our Jeep in a few spots. However, we never actually had to engage 4wd, it was just nice to know it was there.

At the bottom of the hill is a large grassy parking lot. There was a blue tent set up and we were greeted by a friendly person with maps of the park and he was happy to answer any question we might have. He suggested a couple of different paths we might take around the maze of trails.

We chose to walk down the gravel road on the old rail road grade as we wanted to see the lake and water falls. We left the road about halfway there to take a trial that paralleled the road on the other side of the creek. This involved crossing Rock Creek but there were plenty of stepping stones to make it a dry crossing. The children with us used this time to cool off and play in the water.

This trail was actually an old road as well. I sure wish I could explore the area in my Jeep. The creek crossing would have been really fun in the Jeep. Unfortunately they do not allow motorized vehicles on the trials. They do allow bicycles however and the park is dog friendly.

We hiked thought the woods until we intersected the creek again. Here the gravel road has a nice new bridge to cross the creek at the top of the first falls. This is really a cascade into Lula Lake. The rail road grade made a huge cut through the rock at this point so there are steep rock walls on either side of the road after it cross the bridge.

The Trust has added picnic tables and grills to a wide spot they have created overlooking the lake. The lake was much smaller than I expected form the pictures. It is very pretty however with eh falls cascading down into the still pool. I have heard estimates of the depth form 20 to 40 feet. I have heard stories of it being a popular place for scuba diving in years past but swimming or even wading is prohibited now.

Continuing down the path for a few hundred more yards we found the over look to the main falls. This is a huge water fall that drops over an under cut rock. There is a large cave or rock shelter under the falls.

The trail down to the base of the falls is steep and treacherous. There are some cross ties set in the dirt but they seem to be more for erosion control that for steps. Expect a difficult climb down the steep hill to access the bottom of the falls.

The climb is well worth the effort however. At the bottom the trail opens up into the rocky creek bottom.

When we visited it started to rain just as I made it to the bottom. As I hurried across the exposed rocks to the shelter of the overhang, I slipped on one of the polished slabs of rock. The rocks are very slick when wet. I finally made it under the over hang and we waited out the storm with a dozen or so other visitors. There is a large cave that I did not explore as it was filled with more slick rocks and debris that had washed in from the creek.

We enjoyed the view of the back side of the falls while we waited out the storm. The children with us enjoyed playing on the rocks and in the water.

The climb back up the hill is really tough. I had to lift the smallest child that was with us as the steps were too high for him to negotiate. We were all pretty worn out by the time we made it back to the gravel road.

We elected to save the bluff trail and other side trips for another visit. We hiked the gravel road back to the parking area and were happy to be back in our trusty Suburban.

The road out has one steep climb that some cars seemed to be having trouble with. However the climb is paved and our truck had no trouble at all.

I look forward to returning and hiking more of the trails to see more of what the park has to offer. The limited opening schedule may prevent me from going back right away however.

For more info about the area and to see the opening schedule see http://www.lulalake.org

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For my parents 50th anniversary, we made a family trip to Savanna, Georgia and Tybee Island. While there, we toured the Tybee Island Lighthouse Museum.

The drive along Hwy 80 provides and interesting view of the narrow channels and grassy marshes that make up the area. At times, the road was very busy and always windy. We enjoyed looking at the boats of all sizes and the long wooden walkways to the private docks on the canals.

The Tybee Lighthouse has 178 steps that we climbed to take in the view from the top. This is still a functional lighthouse, although the electric light bulb means that constant maintenance is no longer needed. The light house keeper’s homes are now on display.

The entrance is through the gift shop where you may be greeted by one of the two Tybee Island Light House cats. There is a white one named Michael and a yellow one named Miss Kitty. Michael just lay there and yawned at us. Miss Kitty wanted to be petted. The signs there warn that the cats do not always want to be petted however and that visitors should use caution when approaching the cats.

The 178 lighthouse steps are steep and the circular nature makes it hard to pass people who are climbing in the opposite direction. It seemed best to wait on one of the landings to pass. The view from each landing provides a different perspective as you climb so they are good places to stop anyway.

The view from the top was well worth the effort to get there. There is a narrow platform that goes around the top of the lighthouse where you can get a view of the surrounding area. You can see the beach and the shipping channel that the light house marks. You can also look out across the island and see the homes and condominiums that make up the north end of the island.

After climbing the light house, we toured the former keeper’s home. Before 1933, the light house had an oil lamp that had to be refueled often. This meant the keepers had to be onsite to constantly climb the stairs and keep the oil light burning. The renovated homes on the site are where these people used to live.

One of the homes is now a movie theater and the other has been restored to see what life might have been like for the keeper and his family. The home is furnished in period fixtures and decorated with old toys and curios that might have been found there.

The distinctive black and white stripes of the Tybee Island Light house were first put there in 1916. The black at the top helps the light house be visible in the day time from the sea. In 1965 they changed the paint scheme but it was restored in 1999 to the 1916 pattern that has become the Tybee Island Lighthouse we are familiar with.

The light house is closed on Tuesdays but open other days of the week. It cost $7 to tour. There are various discounts available. Parking is ample and free in the Museum parking lot. You can also park across the street in the beach parking area but you have to pay the parking meters there.

The ticket price also includes the Battery Museum across the street. I seemed to be the only one in my family that expected to see batteries in the Battery Museum. It is actually an old fort designed to protect the island and the river from enemy attack. I don’t think it was ever used for that as most attackers simply went somewhere else to enter Georgia.

Inside the battery however are several interesting old photos of Tybee Island or Savanna Shores as it was know previously. In the 1920’s and earlier Tybee was a playground for people looking to escape. Before Hwy 80, there was a train track to the island playground. There were huge resorts, dance clubs and carnival type places on the island. Not much remains of the former glory days on the island now.

After our tour of the museum, we hit the beach right behind the Battery museum. For lunch, we noticed the local Shriner’s Lodge was selling hot dogs. So, we ate hot dogs and chips on the back bumper of our Suburban while every one changed into their swim clothes.

The beach is accessed by a wooden walkway across the marsh grass. The sand is nice and wide with plenty of space even on the busy Forth of July Weekend when we visited.

For more information about the Tybee Island Lighthouse Museum see: http://www.tybeelighthouse.org/

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