We came early to avoid heat of summer sun. it was quite relaxing to hike or walk through trails at Smithgall Woods State Park, it's relatively easy 6 miles, very quiet. At end of Martin Mine trail, I decided to climb to the top of that small fall, after struggling quite bit with thick woods, managed to get on Shackletford Road, then I had to take off shoes to get cross that creek. That's bit of adventure for myself, I enjoyed it:)

We hiked this trail on 1/21/23 (Pato's Gotcha Day!!!). We only did the Martins Mine Trail. As pups, we did enjoy this trail. There were lots of smells and very little people. Something that, as pups, that wasn't our favorite about the trail was 80% of the trail was paved and felt like we were walking down the highway. It's not great on our puppy joints, and it was boring for Mom, Dad, and quite frankly us. We did LOVE the trail once we got to the Martins Mine Trail. It was a very narrow trail, but honestly that was fun! The waterfall was beautiful and we enjoyed taking pictures with Mom and Dad! We definitely want to come back and do other trails!

This is a cute little state park that’s close to home. It’s more of place to go for a nice walk or to enjoy a picnic rather than to stay at though. The cabin prices are OUTRAGEOUS and there’s not much to do there, but the staff is just wonderful. The rangers are so nice and they have a really cool section in the gift shop of all kinds of animals and information. It’s small and quaint, but not too much for the kids to do. And for real, like $400-500 a night for the cabins…no way.

We did the Laurel Ridge trail today, the view at the top is definitely worth the trek up. Our dog loved it and the snow is starting to melt a little. All and all it was beautiful today.

Some really nice trails. We did the one to duke falls recently and it’s a nice trail. Not too hard and worth the views of the waterfall. There are some steps but not a lot so it’s mostly a sloped walkway. I have a bad knee and I could do it. The trail is well maintained and they seem to be doing some updates too. The trail is undercover of the trees so not too exposed to the sun. People were swimming I didn’t try but it looked like fun for older kids.

Had a great time at the park. Really nice hiking 🥾trail. Couldn’t visit entire park. A portion of the park was closed to Hunters for a few days. Will have to circle back to this park. 😉

A great moderate hike. Active dog friendly and a great view at the top. Bring plenty of water. The trail is shaded the whole way. Took about an hour with stopping for pictures. Bathrooms and gift shop at the parking lot.

Had a fantastic stay, run, hike even in spite of the rain. We stayed in the cabins. When we checked in at the indoors visitor center, the man at the desk was not wearing a mask which freaked me out but other than that our stay was flawless.

We did the Laurel trail. It is 1.6 miles. Great for a family with kids and a dog. The view from the clearing was spectacular. The weather was a bit chilly, but no ice to deal with. I imagine on an icy day it would be tough to do. There are no trash cans on hike; however, the people were respectful enough to not litter.

We hiked the Laurel Ridge Trail with our pet dog. It was a nice walk with some fairly steep parts. The summit was nice. There is a bench there and you can see several nearby mountains. Yonah mountain is easy to see from there.

Had a great hike with my wife and pups. It's not too steep up, then the view of Yonah Mtn is beautiful! It's a little steep on the way down but not bad. There's a cute little area to picnic and a visitors center. Don't forget to check in there to pay for parking!

we’ve been there for just a few hours and walked the 1.6 mile Laurel Ridge Trail. A very nice walk!

Visited a couple years ago for Father's day. Took a nice long walk with my wife and our at the time youngest son. Great place. Recently went to see the sunflower patch and all the bees pollinating. Got great photos. Took a hayride to the sunflowers and back.

Wheelchair bound nature nature lovers. This is a MUST SEE!! All pictures I posted are wheelchair accessible. Share this spot with someone you love.

Beautiful hikes all around. The fall weather was perfect for seeing the leaves change color. Not a ton of people on the trails there, but we went in the middle of the week. We walked to the covered bridge and let the kids play in the water there nearby. We had a great time and can't wait to visit again! Very close to Helen so we could grab lunch after our hike.

Free admission Bathrooms yes Limited parking Tons of hiking trails we weren’t able to do everything, definitely a day hike. Wish the trails were labeled better though

Easy to moderate trails for biking. Our dog enjoyed cooling off in the creeks alongside trail.

We only spent a little bit of time here visitor center is absolutely fantastic. However, any place that can charge $1000 a night for a cabin (in October) I don’t care where it is, is an absolutely ridiculous place. The whole area is very strange and it’s not your normal state park. It looks like this place is a for-profit company run by the Ritz Carlton. With the rates that they charge on their cabins. I just don’t get it.

Did the Laurel Ridge trail, 1.6 miles for a whole loop. Was very hot but the view on top was good. Note that there is only one resting bench at the view point.

Very nice and clean facility with great hiking trails

Have came here since last day of '99. Will always come back. Mushrooms and more, including peacefulness.

Awesome park. Hiking, picnicking, bike riding, fishing (by reservation, free). Great cabins to rent. Great place to spend the day!

Great for hiking and for playing with your puppy. This place is not handicapped friendly. There are no drive up short hikes.

Lots of trails. It was hunting season so we were only able to go on the Laurel Trail. Beautiful in May with the Mountain Laurel blooming

Beautiful park. We didn't have much time here but walked the short loop near the visitor center. Beautiful plants along the pathway and lovely pebbled creek. We'll return next time we're in the area for a longer trail hike.

Amazing experience here this morning, the man running the visitor center is friendly and helpful. I took the Laurel Ridge Vista trail (1.6 miles loop) and there’s an overlook where you see an amazing view of the mountains. (See attached pictures)

There was a hunt in progress so we were limited to the Laurel Ridge trail but was a good hike to the top even in the rain hope to return and see more of the park

Nice hike and beautiful waterfalls!! A must do. About 45 min down and same back up!

Great spot. Interesting A shop and clean restrooms near the parking area.

This is a tucked away lower traffic State Park near Helen. There is a well stocked gift shop / information center with very helpful staff and an exhibit hall with lots of North Georgia mountain animals displayed via some high quality taxidermy. The park features restroom facilities and vending machines at the information center. We had a great time on the Laurel Ridge Trail which features enough elevation gain to get your heart rate up especially if you do it counterclockwise like we did and a lovely view of Mount Yonah at the top of the trail. It's a loop trail which is always nice especially when you're taking kids. Parking was $4 will be back again we really want to go back to hike Duke's Creek Trail.

Great place to bring the family. Inside they have an educational exhibit that highlights many of the native wildlife that can be seen in the State Park. There are restrooms and a vending machine. Also they have a gift shop for all your typical state park items.

Lovely park! Many different trails to hike. We went primarily to see the sunflower fields which were beautiful! Hiked to the covered bridge and back, stopped to see the wetlands overlook. This trail was paved. Very peaceful and friendly staff in the visitor center.

While this park is in a beautiful area, don’t go here for hiking. There is only access to one short 1.6 mile trail from the visitor center. To get to the other trails, you have to walk miles along paved road, as only authorized vehicles are allowed back near the trails. The main purpose of this state park is for hunting. They have many deer blinds and fields they cultivate. I don’t recommend. There are much better trails in the area.

I love this place! I was looking for a place to day hike and the trails here were perfect! It was also convenient to have restroom access.

Smithgall is always a preferred destination for a good hike. Long or short, the park's trails always feature interesting plants and animals. The welcome center is well- kept and the knowledgeable staff are always a pleasure to chat with.

Great area to hike. Make sure you go to the Visitor's Center for some great information.

Wonderful state park with many northern forest trails to delight. The Laurel Ridge Trail is closest to the visitor center and offers interesting sights, vegetation, and a guided trail map of landmarks. The best vista is a southern view of Yonah Mountain and Sal Mountain, with a bench to pause and take in the serenity. Walk it year round.

What a wonderful surprise! My husband and I stopped for a nice lunch spot with our 4 month old and our dog and were very happy to find a nice man who showed us all the trails! We did the over look loop and it was beautiful. Facilities are very well maintained and the staff was so nice and helpful! Going back tomorrow for more hiking!

We loved our moderate hike on the Laurel Ridge Trail—it was an absolutely gorgeous view. The man at the visitors center was helpful and friendly.

Very good place to hike

(Translated by Google) Beautiful place as nature is enjoyed that natural noise, which is born from the trees, the animals and the beauty of the rivers and waterfalls (Original) Hermoso lugar como se disfruta la naturaleza ese ruido natural,que nace de los arboles, los animalitos y la belleza de los ríos y cascadas

The park is beautiful. The map needs to be redone. Better off using your phone.

Nice relaxing trip. Lovely accommodations.

This place keeps bringing me back.

Very nice hike and park

Great park with well-marked trails.

When go to Helen do not forget to visit this park...very nice views, good staff, good trails. Depend on the season of the year you will find different colors...

Beautiful area, very well maintained, and nice wide paved path for walking around the park. Easy trail that can be walked in typical street shoes. Dukes Creek is a very clear stream with excellent fishing. While there, I noticed that just about everyone had brought their dog or children. Most people also were wearing masks as a result of the pandemic but social distancing was another matter. However, since all were outside, the assumption must have been that there wasn’t an issue.

Great place to hike, and nice center.

Had a great hike!

Many hiking trails to choose from, all easy to moderate. Took our dogs and easily navigated. Beautiful views around every corner. Lovely spot.

Great experience with the staff...Art is awesome... the park is beautifully maintained and a trout haven with rules to keep it that way. Great work everyone at Smithgall Woods!!!

Another beautiful Georgia State Park with several nice trails, a few which lead to waterfalls. Beautiful colonies of various fungi and lichens.

Beautiful fall color

was going to another location for hike, decided to stop here to see what it was about, lovely grounds - lovely shop - lovely museum to GA Birds of Prey stop in and see for yourself

Smithgall Woods is an angler’s paradise. One of north Georgia’s premier trout streams, Dukes Creek, runs through this spectacular mountain property and is a favorite for catch and release fishing. To ensure a quality experience, the number of anglers is limited and fishing is offered only on certain days. As a result, anglers should call ahead for reservations. Five miles of trails and 18 miles of roads allow hikers and bicyclists to explore hardwoods, streams and wildlife. Smithgall Woods is also an elegant mountain retreat, perfect for romantic getaways, small weddings or outings with friends. Six beautifully decorated cottages — Creekside Cottage, Smithgall Cottage, Dover Cottage, Parkside Cottage, Garden Cottage and Laurel Cottage — provide 17 bedrooms with telephones and television. Some cottages have porches along the stream, while others have private hot tubs. A 1 mile trail leads from the cottages to Dukes Creek Falls. Smithgall Woods was acquired by the state in 1994 as a gift-purchase from Charles A. Smithgall, Jr., a noted conservationist and businessman.

Nice but only one trail open for the day.

Love this place

Great state park. Park staff was phenomenal.

Nice walk

Great campsites and trails.

Nice 4 mi walk, do research never made it to the falls

The area is beautiful, however, I'm giving this park one star because it does not require people to wear masks in the visitor center. When visiting Smithgall woods on 10/19 facemasks were not required. I had to leave the visitor center without making a desired purchase when a Florida Couple, who were not wearing masks, came in to ask for information. After waiting 5 minutes in the back of the store for them to leave, I asked the employee if masks were required, he said no they were not required, so I left. Sad thing is, I'm a Ga resident and I was going to support the park by making several t-shirt/sweat-shirt purchases. I suppose mask-less Florida residents have priority over trying to protect the health and safety of Ga. residents. I have been to other state parks that do require masks in their visitor center/ranger station.

We came for a guided walking tour and had a fabulous time.The temperature was just right. Sarah,our guide, 2as friendly and knowledgeable. The Fall colors were absolutely gorgeous. Yellows,oranges, and reds

We enjoyed the hike, but there were a few trees still down on the way to the good mine. Only being one week since the storm, I guess this should be expected. Seems like once the downed trees are removed, it will be awesome.

Awesome hike and views!

A great place to enjoy nature

We walked the Laurel Ridge Loop Trail. It took just over and hour and the view at the peak of the trail was amazing! It was a moderate hike and we'll maintained.

love it. nice walking. easy path. good for novice.

Love hiking these trails 😍

Beautiful cabins to rent. Lovely hike to breath taking falls. Wonderful way to be in nature!