Isaqueena Falls

5/27/2013 - took advantage of the holiday and drove over to South Carolina, above Walhalla, SC to see this falls.  The road down to the parking is 2 lane, but narrow and winding.  Just before you get to the end there is a turn across the creek and that leads to the parking for the falls.  To view the falls, take both footbridges and follow the path down beside the falls to the viewing deck about half-way down.  The falls is bigger than it shows in the photo, but the rest of it is below the viewing deck and hard to photograph.

 

Directions and information: from Clayton, GA

http://www.oconeecountry.com/stumphouse.html

• Warwoman Rd to SC 28
• right on SC 28 to Stumphouse Tunnel Rd
• left on Stumphouse Tunnel Rd
• at the bottom of the road, right on bridge to falls parking

Bear Gap Rd (4 falls)

The first falls on this road is in the 18 Waterfalls in One Day - hike and drive, see the link on the right

5/25/2013 - got a chance to go back and get the falls I missed last time.  Because I have a sore leg I couldn't climb down to get the best angle, so I did the best I could from the road.

Starting from when you turn onto Bear Gap Rd on the way to Minnehaha falls, at .3 miles there is a creek with a small waterfall visible from the road. Today when I was there it looked like the road might have been damaged by flooding as there was a lot of new rocks, and what looked like new pipes under the road. The falls is upstream of the road, and the best view is a very short scramble down beside the new work and then crouch down to see the falls under the fallen trees and the creek side shrubs.

According to GMAPS this is on Flat Creek

GPS: 34°45'11"N 83°29'30"W 

 

At 3 miles from the start of Bear Gap Rd (past Minnehaha Falls) there is a falls visible on the left. Just before you get there, you ford a small branch across the road and this is the same branch that has the falls, a short way further up the hill. The falls are just past the property sign on the left that says 3033 (the day I was there the property was for sale). As far as I can tell this falls is on private property, but the lower falls are visible from the road. The property was not posted, and it is a fairly short scramble up the hill to see the upper falls.

According to GMAPS there is no name for this branch, but it's flows into Bear Branch

  

At 10 mi there is a waterfall you can just barely see from the road. To get a better view of it, you have to bushwhack down from the road. Right at the 10 mi point there is a cut in the road side, and that is the easiest way down. Go down and downstream carefully and you can get to the base of the falls

According to GMAPS this is on Bear Branch
 

GPS:34°44'11"N 83°27'22"W

 

 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
• left on Low Gap Rd (below dam)
• where Low Gap Rd bears right, straight on Bear Gap Rd

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.

http://www.jjanthony.com/waterfalls/falls/angelfalls.html

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

http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/conf/recreation/picnickinginfo/recarea/?recid=10507&actid=70

US 441 GSMNP *

5/23/2013 - went up to the Great Smokey Mountains National Park intending to spend an extended weekend in the area, but my van let me down by stalling on top of a mountain on the NC side.  I had to have it hauled back to Franklin, NC.  The garage couldn't find anything wrong with it, but I didn't trust to drive it around in the mountains until we can figure out what happened.  So I drove it back home and I'll get my local mechanic to check it out. 

I did get 4 small waterfalls though...all of them north of the Visitors Center for the park, on the NC side.  These are all small branches that flow into the Oconoluftee River.

Directions and Information: http://www.nps.gov/grsm/index.htm

Dicks Creek falls-Lumpkin (11 falls)

5/20/2013 - had the day off, so I took advantage of all the rain we've had lately to get some more videos.  

4/8/2011 - went back up to Dicks Creek Rd to get new pictures and get them in order this time.  Found that I actually posted a couple of pictures here that aren't on this creek - so I've removed them.  I did find some new ones too, driving with my windows open pays off again!

Mileages are from the beginning of Dicks Creek Rd.

The first falls is on a side branch on the left and might be dry if there hasn't been any recent rain.  Falls 2 is on the right, on Dicks Creek.  It's on private propery and there is a rough rail fence right by the road.  The road here is narrow and there's really nowhere to park, but if you pull over as far as you can there is room for other cars to get by.

GPS: 34°40'4"N 83°55'13"W .8 mi

GPS: 34°40'36"N 83°56'6"W 1.1 mi

This one is on private property and it's hard to get a good angle for it, plus, the sun was very bright on it...so it didn't turn out very well.  I guess I'll have to go back an try again later in the day!

The 3rd falls is just barely visible from the road, but at the GPS point there is a power pole and a steep, short trail that goes down to the base of the falls.  The next falls is very close and the best view is right at the end of the steel barrier on the creek side.

GPS: 34°40'42"N 83°56'7"W 2.5 mi

GPS: 34°40'42"N 83°56'7"W  2.5 mi

After all the rain we've had, I was not able to get down beside this falls for the vido.  The "trail" down the side of the road has been worn almost smooth by all the rain, plus I'm nursing a sore leg, so I just didn't feel like I could negotiate it with the trekking poles I would need for balance, plus carrying the cameras and tripod.  So I got the best angle I would from the road.

The 5th falls is distantly visible upstream from the 4th falls, but if you drive up beside it you will find it is actually opposite a nice parking area across the road and up the hill.  There is a rough path to get down to the falls.  For falls 6 you can walk right out on the rocks just below the falls.  At this point the creek flows through a narrow slot at the base of the falls.

GPS: 34°40'45"N 83°56'10"W 2.6 mi

GPS: 34°40'46"N 83°56'12"W 2.7 mi

The video for this falls was taken from behind the guard rail and is zoomed in pretty close

At 4.2 mi there is a very pretty "braided" shoal, and from here to the next falls there are quite a few small, pretty shoals and very small falls.

Mr Anthony has the next 2 falls on his site as "Falls on Blood Mountain Creek" but it looks like all I really got was the lowest falls - maybe.  My GPS coordinates pretty much match his, but the pictures I got don't really look much like any of his.  At any rate, this falls is just visible from the road, just past a camp spot and before the concrete crossing across Blood Mtn Creek.  It's easiest to cross the creek, park on the left, then walk back across the creek and up through the camp to the falls.  I didn't see any way to get above falls 7b, but maybe it's possible if you're a stronger hiker/climber than I am.  Certainly Mr Anthony says it can be done.

He also says there's another falls further upstream, and gives directions to find that one also, but I didn't try that today.

GPS: 34°41'52"N 83°57'7"W 4.5 mi

The next 2 falls are a short way upstream on Dicks Creek from the creek crossing with Blood Mtn Creek.

GPS: 34°41'52"N 83°57'12"W 4.5 mi

Looks like I missed these 2!  I'll have to go back and get videos of them when I get the chance.

The next falls is, as far as I know, the last one.  Not too far above this one the road begins a steep ascent of the mountain and I didn't have time to do the whole thing today, but I've done it before and my memory is that it's WAY above the valley and no creeks.  Maybe sometime I'll go back and do the whole thing just to check though.

GPS: 34°41'56"N 83°57'19"W 4.7 mi

http://www.jjanthony.com/waterfalls/falls/dickscreekfalls.html

12/27/2010 - I actually saw these last year, not in 2010, but they still count.  So I don't have a date for them.  There are many falls and steep shoals along this creek, so I'm not sure I have them in the right order.  This is another I will need to go back and redo once the Forest Service road is opened in the spring.

Directions and Information: from Cleveland, GA

• north on US129/GA 11
• left on US 19/GA 9
• right on Dicks Creek Road (changes to FS 34 at 2.1 mi)

Note: road will change from paved to gravel at mile 2.1 and is marked FS 34.  At 3.4 mi there is a creek ford that might not be passable if the water is high.  This is a popular place in the summer and there is parking up the hill to the right, at falls 5 and at the bridge past the parking up the hill.  The uphill parking has what appears to be an outhouse type toilet (I've never gone up there to park).  When the Forest Service road is closed, there will be a gate across the road after the bridge, but when the road is open there are more falls and cascades beyond the gate.

Clay Creek Falls (2 falls)

5/5/2013 - took advantage of a lull in the rain to go up Dahlonega way and get these falls and Cane Creek Falls

3/19/2011 - went to the Trailfest event in Dahlonega, GA today.  This was their first since they've been designated an "AT Trail Town" and I didn't expect it to be very big, and it wasn't.  So had some time to do some waterfalls in the area.

I thought I had already added this one, but I guess not!  So I'm glad I had time to go back and get good pictures.  I also found a small falls on a side branch that goes under the road and into Clay Creek a short way below the falls.

This one is on private property, but is right beside the road.  Where you would naturally want to stand to get a good picture is fenced off with barbed wire, so it's difficult to get a good picture without trees in the way.

I couldn't take the video from the same place as the still photo...that spot is only good when the leaves have fallen.  The video was taken from directly across the road from the side falls.  It's amazing what a difference 3 consecutive days of rain makes in a waterfall!

Directions and Information: from Dahlonega, GA

• west on GA 52/GA 9
• north on Clay Creek Falls Rd
• falls is visible as road swings left
• parking is available past gate at top of falls

Note: this falls is on posted private property and is fenced below the road with barbed wire, which is not easy to see in some places.  Stick to the road and you won't be trespassing.  The smaller side falls is on the opposite side of the road just as it swings left and is a small branch that goes under the road and into Clay Creek.

Cane Creek Falls

Cane Creek Falls is on the grounds of Camp Glisson - a Methodist retreat. There is no fee, but you do have to sign in at the visitors center so they will open the gate for you, and the camp will be closed to visitors if camp is in session.

5/5/2013 - took advantage of a lull in the rain to make a quick trip to Dahlonega to vidwo a couple of waterfalls that are easy to get to.  Got this one and Clay Creek Falls as well.

10/28/2011 - went back to Camp Glisson to get the GPS points for this falls. Took more pictures. On this day the only thing open to the public was the falls. At the Visitors Center I was told everything else was closed.

4/10/2011 - My trip was funny. As you drive in, there is a sign pointing to the falls and you go down a short, but winding drive. I got to the bottom, and saw a parking area but NO falls. Darn! So I drove through the parking and out on a road on the other side, but when I started getting into a cabin area I decided I must have missed a turn or something. So I turned around and drove back to the parking and there before me were the falls! It is BEHIND you as you come
down the drive.
GPS: 34°33'19"N 84°0'32"W

Compare the video to the photo.  It's amazing what 3 days of continuous rain can do to a waterfall!

http://www.jjanthony.com/waterfalls/falls/canecreekfalls.html

Directions and Information: can be found at http://www.campglisson.org/ - directions are on the Contact Us page

• north on US 19 bypass
• left on Camp Wahsega Rd
• right on Camp Glisson Rd
• Camp Glisson is at the end of this road
• road down to falls is past gate, on the right & is marked by a big sign
• parking is on the left, falls is on the right - at the bottom of the short road

Note: stop at the Visitors Center to sign in and have them open the gate. If the Camp is closed there will be a sign at the entrance