Cummins Falls Begins Future Reservations Planning Period

Cummins Falls officials began the planning period to eventually implement reservations to the park.

Park Manager Ray Cutcher said a group of Cummins Falls staff visited Tallulah Gorge State Park in Georgia last Wednesday.

“We went through their permitting process to see how they do things and made the trip through the park to the gorge that you have to get permits to go to. Just to see what it was like,” Cutcher said. “And see what we can learn about what they do and how we might apply it to our needs. We gathered some information on how exactly they go about their permitting process.”

Cutcher said the group learned beneficial permitting and reservation techniques during their visit.

“By using the permit system you’re able to control the number of people that go into the area. We like where they do an orientation starting off before you get a permit of the area of the hike,” Cutcher said. “What it is like, what the risks are. Basically, let people know how rugged it is and what they need to be prepared for. So we really like that.”

Cummins Falls officials had already discussed having orientations before visiting Tallulah Gorge, Cutcher said.

The number of visitors to Cummins Falls has increased steadily over the past six years and calls for better regulations, Cutcher said.

“For a number of reasons, one for impact on the resources. Those being the physical resource of the land, what we have there, but also our resources as far as staff,” Cutcher said. “Resources as far as county support for emergencies. It is stressing all of those resources at this point and has been for a little while.”

Cutcher said the falls wants to benefit park visitors by regulating admission to the gorge.

“We do hope and actually this is just a hope, we are planning and want to have it in place next summer,” Cutcher said. “And exactly what those details would be, we are not sure yet, because we are still in the planning process.”

Cutcher said the recent daily visitation has reached into the thousands.