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Saturday, May 25, 2013

Angel Falls & Panther Falls (13 falls)

4/24/2011 - got lots of falls on Joe Branch today - I had forgotten how many there were!

These falls are on Joe Creek
5/25/2013 - got a late start on the day, but I did managet to get at least the very first falls on the trail to Panther and Angel Falls!  The rest will have to wait until my sore leg is better and I can get back to doing some hiking.

5/28/2010 - these falls are nowhere near as close together in height as they appear in the photos. Angel Falls is considerably higher, and the viewing platform is so close to the falls that I had to take 3 pictures and then "stitch" them together to get all the falls in one photo!

The trail to both of these is just a bit over 1 mile in length. Up to Panther Falls it's fairly easy, though the last time I was there quite a few small trees had come down and had not yet been cleared away. Above Panther Falls, on the way to Angel Falls the trail is quite a bit steeper and rougher, then it gets easier. There's a tiny loop in the trail at Angel Falls, so you can leave either way from the platform.

All of the following pictures are from my 4/23/2011 hike with the TrailDames, they are in the order you see them as you go upstream. I thought I'd gotten GPS for all of them, but apparently not, as I have fewer GPS points than I have falls. The only ones I can be certain of are the first and the last...so I'm only going to give those. 

GPS: 34°45'42"N 83°28'22"W
GPS: 34°46'15"N 83°28'41"W

The first three falls are very close together. The #1 is at the first bridge across the creek, very close to the beginning of the trail. The other two are just above the first falls. The 4th is above those again.




Falls 5 & 6 are very close to each other


Falls 7 is close to the 8th falls - which is Panther Falls. There is a bench here were you can sit (though not very comfortably, to be honest). From here the trail gets quite a bit steeper, until you are above Panther Falls. The last time I was here, the cable rail above the falls was in bad shape, but the rotten posts have been replaced with strong, sound new ones and the cable has been reanchored.


Falls 9 & 10 are immediately above Panther Falls

Falls 11 & 12 are very close to each other


Falls 13 is immediately below Angel Falls. There are 2 sections to Angel falls, as you are facing the falls the one I've labled "a" is to your right and then the very tall part "b" is to the left. It's possible they are both the same falls, or it's also possible that "a" is a separate stream flowing over the same rock face. Since I couldn't tell, I chose to count them as 2 falls.

The picture of the tallest falls doesn't do it justice. The platform/bridge is just too close to get a really good shot of the whole thing. It widens as it gets close to the platform.


Directions and Information: from Tallulah Falls, GA
  • north on US 441/US 23
  • left on Old 44
  • immediately right on Old 441
  • left on Lake Rabun Rd
  • right into Rabun Beach Campground #2
  • parking is at top of road, on the right
  • Angel Falls Trail is across road, beside creek

Note: there is a fee box, but the website says it's free

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