We’ve been talking about taking a bestie camping trip for years, and we finally got around to doing it. Except, we didn’t just go camping. We took things to another level and went GLAMPING at Amicalola Falls in Dawsonville – AKA the home of Georgia’s tallest waterfall.
We go on a lot of girls trips together, but neither one of us had gone glamping before. So, we didn’t really know what to expect. Amanda is super outdoorsy and camps regularly. She was a little nervous that glamping might be a little too fancy and wouldn’t give the same connection to nature that comes with camping. Kayla is super indoorsy and was excited at the prospect of sleeping in a real bed but didn’t know how she’d like spending so much time in the great outdoors.
Spoiler Alert: We absolutely loved our 2 days glamping at Amicalola Falls with Timberline Glamping. So much so, we’re already planning another glamping trip at one of their other locations!
We were hosted by Timberline Glamping in exchange for an *honest* review. Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. That means at no additional cost to you, we may earn a commission from purchases made which will go toward bringing you more travel tips, tricks, and tidbits.
Timberline Glamping at Amicalola Falls: What to Expect
You’ve heard of camping, but what the heck is glamping? It’s glamorous camping. You get to spend time enjoying everything nature has to offer with luxurious amenities you don’t normally get when camping.
The campsite (glampsite?) was so cozy and the tent decor was seriously so cute. We were in complete shock when we first arrived. It far surpassed our expectations, and we immediately knew we were going to have a fabulous time glamping at Amicalola Falls. You can tell that Timberline Glamping puts a lot of thought and intention into providing luxurious comfort in the heart of the Chattahoochee National Forest.
At all Timberline Glamping locations, you get to sleep in comfortable beds in a massive furnished safari tent with wood floors. We had 2 queen sized beds at our glampsite, and let’s just say we won’t be going back to sleeping bags on the hard ground anytime soon!
Timberline Glamping also offers an AC unit for warmer months and heaters for colder months. Our glamping tent at Amicalola Falls even had a ceiling fan! Other amenities included a mini fridge, a desk, side tables with lamps, places to charge electronics, hammocks, card games, Adirondack chairs, Keurig + 2 mugs, and a picnic table.
Like camping though, you have to cook your own food over a fire and use the campsite bathrooms when glamping. We’re not going to lie – we were a little nervous about both. But we seriously impressed ourselves with our campfire cooking skills and the bathrooms were completely spotless for the duration of our trip.
We also had fun add-ons like cornhole and a s’mores kit. And this wasn’t just any s’mores kit. If you’ve never had a s’more made with gourmet marshmallows and Ghiradelli chocolate squares, you’re missing out. We’re honestly kicking ourselves for not realizing sooner that Ghiradelli chocolate squares are the perfect size for s’mores!
As if all the amenities weren’t fantastic, we were also incredibly impressed with the communication from the campsite hosts. They let us know when our tent was ready for check-in, messaged us during our stay to make sure we had everything we needed, and gave us updates on the delivery of firewood to the area in case we wanted to purchase extra. It was nice to know that if we needed anything at all, help was nearby and readily available!
Want some more trip ideas where you can spend a lot of time admiring nature’s beauty? Check out our guides for Banff, Sedona, and Acadia!
Why Amicalola Falls is perfect for a girls trip
A glamping trip is a great way to reconnect with your bestie without the distractions of your phones and other people. It’s a quieter escape where you’ll get to unplug from technology and leave any stresses from the “real world” behind. Amicalola Falls is an especially fantastic location though because it has so much to offer!
Hang Out At The Glampsite
We honestly had a great time just hanging out at the glampsite! We played Bananagrams at the picnic table, laughed around the campfire, laid in bed and played We’re Not Really Strangers, prepped our meals, played cornhole, and tried to spot as much wildlife as we could! There was also a large field near the glamping tents that would be great for throwing a frisbee and other outside games.
Visitors Center
The Visitors Center is a great place to go to stock up on any items you may have forgotten at home, get a boost from their coffee shop, and learn a little bit about the terrain and wildlife found throughout the park.
In the educational portion of the visitors center, there is a wildlife display where you can see some of the snakes and turtles you may come across throughout the park. Amanda may or may not have been a little spooked by a snake that tried climbing up the tank and then toppled over in her direction. There are also large interactive photos of the many other animals that make up the ecosystem at the park.
The visitors center is also the place to go to buy t-shirts, stickers, plushes, books, and any other souvenir type items you want to get to remember your time glamping at Amicalola Falls.
Go See Amicalola Falls
The biggest draw to glamping at Amicalola Falls is that you get the chance to see GA’s tallest waterfall! Amicalola Falls is 729 feet tall, which also makes it the 3rd tallest cascading waterfall east of the Mississippi River!
The hike from the base of the waterfall to the top is challenging but 100% worth it. It’s a combination of switchbacks and lots of stairs. We had to rest several times (and encourage each other to keep going), but thankfully, there were several rest areas with benches along the way. And each stopping point offers great views! Along the hike, you get to see little streams and mini waterfalls – all formed from the massive waterfall you’re hiking to!
If you’d prefer to skip the switchbacks and just do stairs, you can also drive to the observation point at the top of the waterfall and then take the stairs down as far as you want to go. We were glad we did the more strenuous option though even though we huffed and puffed the whole way; it is so beautiful to approach Amicalola Falls from the bottom because you get to see the waterfall in its entirety as you ascend toward the top. It’s also rewarding to put in so much effort in the hike and be rewarded with so much natural beauty!
Appalachian Trail
The Appalachian Trail stretches from Georgia to Maine and starts at the base of Springer Mountain. The Approach Trail is an 8.5 mile hike that starts right by the visitors center at the Amicalola Falls State Park and leads up Amicalola Falls. Many hikers use this as the starting point for their long journey on the Appalachian Trail!
There is a great photo opportunity right outside the visitors center at the Appalachian Gateway arch, and you can get fun merch inside the gift shop to commemorate your experience of hiking the AT.
Ziplining
Adrenaline chasers will love ziplining through the state park with Screaming Eagle Aerial Adventures. They have a few different tour options that range from 1 to 4 hours. The ziplines are anywhere from 75 ft long to up to 2,000 ft long!
In addition to the thrilling ziplines, you’ll also get to cross suspension bridges and have stunning aerial views of the North Georgia Mountains. This is such a fun experience if you’ll be glamping at Amicalola Falls!
Archery & Hatchet Throwing
For more laid back vibes, you can do archery or hatchet throwing! The archery activity is a guided introduction to how to safely use a compound bow with the opportunity to practice what you’ve learned at various distances with 3D targets. It takes around 1.5 hours.
With hatchet throwing, you’ll learn the basics of how to throw a hatchet and then get some target practice in on the outdoor wooden targets. This activity takes around 1 hour.
Both activities currently take place in the grassy field across from the visitor center. Remember to wear your favorite close-toed shoes! We have done both of these activities together before at Ancient Lore Village in Knoxville and had an absolute blast!
Want to relax in the hammock and read a book during your glamping trip? We’ve got several bookish blog posts, but our list of books with nature as a main character is perfect for glamping!
Tips for packing for your Amicalola glamping trip
Here are some packing tips to make your girls glamping trip at Amicalola Falls a smashing success:
You’ll need to bring your own firewood and fire starters or you can purchase it as an add-on. We found these fire starters at the visitors center, and they helped make the best fire we had during our trip. We recommend bringing Firm Grip Gloves with you to handle the firewood. Amanda wore hers and didn’t have any splinters. Kayla did not and got a few painful ones.
Bring food and prep your meals in advance to avoid having to do it at the glampsite. The night before we left, we went ahead and cut up our veggies and meats so we wouldn’t have to fool with it too much at the campsite. Then when we were at the campsite, we just used heavy duty aluminum foil to make our foil packets and ate with camping plates and utensils.
A table cloth is a great small luxury to make for a smooth surface on the picnic table when you eat or play games. The picnic tables are wooden, and you don’t want to end up with splinters if you play a game of Taco Cat!
Also FYI – it takes longer to build a fire and then cook the food than it does to turn on an oven and cook it at home. We recommend cooking before the hunger sets in so that your glamping party doesn’t get hangry!
Bring a first aid kit. It’s better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it! We were thankful to have ours after Kayla stabbed her thumb with a knife while prepping dinner (are you seeing a trend of who is the clumsy half of our friendship?).
Don’t forget your insect repellant! Kayla converted over to NatPatches last year and hasn’t looked back since. They are insect repellant stickers that you place on your clothing near your exposed extremities. They’re made from natural essential oils, are super lightweight and easy to pack, and don’t leave a sticky residue on your skin. Kayla got way less mosquito bites this past summer than usual thanks to NatPatches!
Pack your camping supplies in a large storage container and any food items in a Yeti Cooler. Both can hold a lot and both are easy to close up and quickly move to shelter in case it starts raining – something that happened to us in the middle of cooking dinner over our campfire! This is the storage container Amanda uses to store her camping supplies. It worked out great for us, but you could also get a camping kitchen organizer like this one if you prefer.
This is the Yeti Cooler that Kayla uses when she needs her ice to stay frozen for a few days. Our Yeti cooler still had ice in it 3 days after we packed it, which meant we got to bring home our un-used food and sauces without worrying if they would keep or not.
Bring your favorite hiking gear. Amicalola Falls has several hiking trails, and it would be a shame to go and miss out on them. Check out Amanda’s list of her favorite hiking gear if you need some inspo!
A flashlight is needed for the walk from the tent to the restroom. It’s not a far walk at all, but it can feel a little spooky in the woods late at night! While the glampsites have string lights by the picnic tables, there aren’t any lights to guide your way at night. The restroom area is very well-lit though.
FAQs About Glamping at Amicalola Falls
When’s the best time of year to go glamping?
Glamping is a year-round experience! Especially since each glamping tent is equipped with AC units and heaters. We personally like going in fall or spring though when the weather isn’t too hot or too cold.
Before your trip, look up what the temperatures will be for daytime and at night. We were comfortable in short sleeves during the day, but had to bundle up more at night.
What time is checkin and checkout?
Checkin is at 3pm, and checkout is at 10am. We received email and text communication from our campsite hosts letting us know when our site was ready to checkin, and then again with checkout reminders the day prior to checkout.
What’s the restroom situation like?
There are restrooms near the glampsite that are shared with the adjacent camping area. We loved that each restroom was private (no stalls), and they were extremely clean when we visited. Some of the restrooms also have showers. You’ll want to pack your own towels and washcloths if you’ll be showering there! We also appreciated that the restrooms have a hook and bench to store your toiletry bag.
Can I bring my dog?
You sure can! When you make your reservation, select the pet fee add on. Timberline just asks that dogs are not left inside the glamping tents unattended unless they are crated.
Will I see any wildlife?
Yes! At our glampsite, we saw squirrels, crows, and an armadillo. At night we heard a bobcat and a bear walking through our glampsite – which honestly was a bit terrifying in the moment. Amanda had brought her bear spray though from her trip to Banff just in case. But if you don’t bother the black bears, they won’t bother you.
It is very important that you throw away all trash at your glampsite in the nearby bear-safe trash bins. Do not leave any food unattended at your site, and stow food away in your locked vehicle at night.
Click here to book your own glamping safari tent at Amicalola Falls, and be sure to tell us about your favorite place to go glamping in the comments below!
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