Helen, GA
Unicoi is one of the more well-known state parks in Georgia because of its prime location right near the popular tourist destination of Helen, GA and for the fact that you have to pass through it when going to the popular Anna Ruby waterfall. The park management itself was recently turned over to a private company and thus it has a high-quality lodge and restaurant as well as numerous paid adventure activities like zip lining, paddleboarding, archery, and axe throwing.
Kayaking on Unicoi Lake (53 acres)
The lake at Unicoi is not huge–I did a paddle around it in a little over thirty minutes–but the setting is quite pretty as it is kind of nestled among tree-covered hills all around and even some mountain tops in the distance. With the park additions, you’re actually paddling under active ziplines at times. My first time out on the lake was renting a stand-up paddleboard to try it out but I found I definitely prefer a kayak instead.
