When it comes to outdoor recreation, Georgia is probably best known as the home of the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail, just north of Atlanta at Springer Mountain. However, although many of the best hikes and mountain bike rides in Georgia are indeed in the Appalachian Mountains, there are excellent opportunities for outdoor recreation throughout the state.

In Georgia’s northwest corner, hiking is available on the great trails of the Cohutta Wilderness Area, part of the vast Chattahoochee National Forest that stretches along the state’s entire northern border. Beyond the famous Balds and Gaps of the Appalachian Trail, long-distance hikers and backpackers can explore the region via the Bartram Trail and the Benton MacKaye Trail, two of the best long trails anywhere in the southeastern U.S. Great mountain biking can also be found nearby, on the trails of Tallulah Gorge and Bull Mountain.

Whitewater kayakers will enjoy running the Cartecay River, Amicalola Creek, the Chattahoochee River, and the Chattooga River, on everything from small riffles to wild, Class-V drops. Calmer paddling awaits canoers and kayakers on the flatwater of Lake Sidney Lanier outside Atlanta, the Savannah River near Augusta, or on the vast water trails of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge in Okefenokee Swamp below Waycross. And fisherman will no doubt enjoy reeling in some of Georgia’s finest fish on many of the same waters.

Far down the Piedmont Plateau from the Appalachians, the Coastal Plain meets the Atlantic Ocean, between Savannah in the north and the Florida border in the south. Georgia’s Atlantic Coast is great for families who can take-off for a quick day trip or a longer weekend getaway to great beach playgrounds and historical sites like Tybee Island and Saint Simons Island, along with the famous Cumberland Island National Seashore