If you are looking for a scenic North Georgia e-bike ride that gets you away from pavement and into the mountains, Tallulah River Road (Forest Service Road 70) is certainly worth considering.
But there is one thing you should know before you go:
This can be a VERY rough ride.
Tallulah River Road follows the Tallulah River deep into the mountains of Rabun County, passing campgrounds, waterfalls, cascades, swimming holes, and some beautiful mountain scenery before eventually reaching the remote community of Tate City.
It is a gorgeous area.
It is also the ride that convinced us we needed to make some changes to our e-bikes.
THE RIDE
Tallulah River Road is primarily a wide dirt-and-gravel Forest Service road that winds alongside the Tallulah River.
On paper, that sounds relatively easy.
In reality, conditions can vary considerably depending upon weather and how recently the road has been maintained.
When we rode it, the road was VERY rough. There were stretches covered with large pieces of loose gravel, and parts of the road looked as though they had been mangled by recent heavy rains.
We managed it, but this was definitely not the kind of smooth gravel-road ride where you simply ride and enjoy the scenery.
We felt every rock.
In fact, this ride was directly responsible for our decision to start investigating better e-bike seats.
I’ll have more to say about that in another blog post.
WHAT KIND OF E-BIKE?
I would not recommend Tallulah River Road for a typical road or commuter e-bike with narrow tires.
A fat-tire all-terrain e-bike, e-mountain bike, or similarly rugged e-bike is a much better choice. Loose gravel, rocks, washouts, and changing grades are all part of the experience.
Depending on how far you ride, you may also encounter stream crossings and considerably rougher terrain as you get farther into the mountains.
And remember that rough mountain riding consumes considerably more battery power than cruising along a paved bike path.
Don’t judge your available range by what you normally get riding around town.
Make sure you leave enough battery to get back.
Depending upon where you begin and how far you explore, an out-and-back ride can easily exceed 14 miles.
WE LEARNED SOMETHING ELSE
Tallulah River Road is not exclusively for bicycles.
You will share it with cars, trucks, Jeeps, hikers, and other people exploring the National Forest.
That led to another discovery for us.
We needed rearview mirrors.
On a rough gravel road, you don’t always hear a vehicle approaching from behind until it is relatively close. After this ride, we started looking more seriously at mirrors for our bikes.
I’ll be reviewing those in another post.
We also realized that bells would have been useful.
A bell isn’t just for letting hikers know you’re approaching. If a cyclist hears or sees a vehicle coming from behind, a quick ring can alert the rider ahead.
That is another inexpensive piece of e-bike equipment we will be exploring.
So one trip down Tallulah River Road resulted in three future blog topics:
Seats. Mirrors. Bells.
Apparently, rough roads are good for generating product reviews.
WHAT YOU’LL SEE
The rough road is only half the story.
The reason to ride Tallulah River Road is the scenery.
The road follows the Tallulah River through a beautiful mountain valley with cascades, waterfalls, campgrounds, swimming holes, and heavily forested mountains.
There are several places worth exploring along the way.
Denton Branch Falls
Just beyond Tate City is Denton Branch Falls, which includes lower, middle, and upper falls.
The lower falls are probably the best known, with an approximately 40-foot free-falling waterfall and pools below.
It’s one of those places where having an e-bike makes exploring the area particularly enjoyable—you can cover considerably more territory than you could on foot while still being able to stop whenever something looks interesting.
Rock Mountain Gorge
One of the prettiest portions of the route runs through Rock Mountain Gorge, where the road winds through steep mountain terrain alongside the upper Tallulah River.
This is the kind of scenery we came for.
Coleman River Scenic Area
The Coleman River Scenic Area provides another opportunity to get off the bikes and explore.
The Coleman River joins the Tallulah in this area, with clear mountain water, forest trails, and a footbridge providing some great places to stop.
Charlie’s Creek
One of the more interesting sights is the Charlie’s Creek crossing.
Here, vehicles actually ford the Tallulah River before continuing onto a much more rugged 4WD route.
Depending upon water conditions, this is a good place to stop, watch the Jeeps, and decide just how adventurous you really want to be.
There are also several other waterfalls in the surrounding backcountry, including Bull Cove Falls, High Falls, and Flat Branch Falls.
THE MALL
Yes, Tallulah River Road has a mall.
Well…sort of.
“The Mall” is a tongue-in-cheek name for a little cabin where people gather, hang out, and sometimes have lunch.
Don’t expect a food court.
Or a Nordstrom.
THE “AFFORDABLE” MOUNTAIN HOMES
As you travel through the area, you’ll also see some rather impressive mountain homes.
And by impressive, I mean:
Expensive.
Very expensive.
The kind of houses that make you slow the bike down, stare for a few seconds, and wonder what life choices you should have made differently.
We all need goals.
GETTING THERE
Tallulah River Road is in Rabun County, Georgia, in the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest near Clayton and Tate City.
We live in Blairsville, so our route takes us east on US-76 through Hiawassee and toward Clayton.
From the Clayton area:
- Take U.S. 76 West approximately 8 miles.
- Turn north onto Persimmon Road.
- Follow Persimmon Road approximately 4–5 miles.
- Turn left onto Tallulah River Road / Forest Service Road 70.
Tallulah River Road begins as pavement before transitioning to gravel as you continue into the National Forest and pass the campgrounds.
WOULD WE DO IT AGAIN?
Absolutely.
But next time we’ll be better prepared.
Tallulah River Road combines many of the things we enjoy about exploring North Georgia by e-bike: mountains, rivers, waterfalls, gravel roads, remote places, and the ability to cover enough distance to see things we probably wouldn’t reach on foot.
Just don’t confuse scenic with smooth.
When we rode it, the road was rough enough that it changed the way we thought about our bikes and our equipment.
It sent us looking for better seats.
It convinced us to add rearview mirrors.
And it made us realize that something as simple as a bicycle bell can be a useful piece of safety equipment.
Not bad for one afternoon in the mountains.
Although our backsides might have had a slightly different opinion.
You must be logged in to post a comment.