Black Rock Mountain State Park, named for its sheer cliffs of dark-colored biotite gneiss, encompasses some of the most outstanding country in Georgia's Blue Ridge Mountains. Located astride the Eastern Continental Divide at an altitude of 3,640 feet, Black Rock Mountain is the highest state park in Georgia. Numerous scenic overlooks provide spectacular 80-mile vistas of the Southern Appalachians, and 10 miles of hiking trails afford close-up views of wildflowers, streams and lush forests. The park comes alive with color in late spring, as mountain laurel, violets, bloodroot, ramp, rhododendron and flame azalea come into bloom. This show of color is rivaled only in the fall, as the trees blaze oranges, yellows and reds. While the waterflow of high mountain Ada-Hi Falls fluctuates with the seasons, it is undisputedly worth the visit.

• Go for a hike through lands of pristine streams, luscious wildflowers, and majestical forests.