The gently sloping Southern Terminus Approach Trail extends south from the AT at Springer Mountain through the Chattahoochee National Forest. The trail follows the last gasps of the Blue Ridge Mountains as they peter out in northern Georgia. It eventually ends up in Amicalola Falls State Park, a 1500-acre state park that is becoming increasingly popular with hikers from nearby Atlanta. The park, which has campsites, cottages, and a lodge, is named for the precipitous Amicalola Falls. The Falls — which are actually seven separate cascades — plunge 729 feet down a terraced mountainside. The stair-step tumble of the waterfall forms a splashy and spectacular display that disappears and reappears through the thick southern forests.

Many Appalachian Trail thru-hikers use the state park as their embarkation or debarkation point for the AT. And quite a few more day hikers sample the forested highlands of northern Georgia using the Approach Trail, which begins just behind the Upper Falls parking lot at the park. From there it's a steady uphill climb for the next eight miles as the trail follows the ridgeline up Frosty Mountain into the cool reaches of the southern Appalachians. Add this leg to your Appalachian Trail experience and you'll have the backdrop of the falls to add to your recollections. The approach trail is wooded and although it follows the top of Frosty Mountain for much of its length, not particularly scenic.