My North Georgia (mostly) Waterfalls Project: April 2014

What this is all about

I like to hike, and I belong to a womens hiking group called "TrailDames" - one of our hikes took us to a waterfall just over the border in South Carolina. This got me interested in finding waterfalls nearby and earlier this year I found a website with directions and photos of waterfalls in North Georgia at (see links for TrailDames & North Georgia Waterfalls below)

I now also belong to another womens hiking group called Off the Grid. Both OTG and Traildames are on Meetup.

Mr. Anthony's site has lovely photos of well over 100 waterfalls in North Georgia and I got interested in seeing them. As the weather got hotter through the summer I concentrated on shorter hikes to falls, and falls that were visible from the road. Then, as it started to get cooler again, I started doing longer hikes. It turned out to be far more fun than I expected it to be, and to my surprise - when I added them up - I had been to over 100 myself!

So I decided to make a record of them and of what it's like to visit them, in case anyone else is interested in seeing them too. I will be adding photos and directions, trail conditions, etc. in the future. As I "redo" falls I will update the page that already exists for them, instead of creating a new page every time. Keeping with the format of this blog site, I will put new information at the top of each existing page.

I won't be putting road mileages on the directions, I strongly urge you to compare my directions to a good map so you can see the distances for yourself. I'm not very good at guessing distances, so if I can find a trail length I will use that. If I'm guessing, I'll put a question mark so you'll know!

My apologies for the "watermarks" on the photos, but I have had...and know other people who have had...photos stolen off the net. The watermarks are to ensure that they can't be reused without being identified as mine.

I got a good GPS unit and I'll slowly be putting GPS coordinates for the falls, when I can. If I can get close to the falls the GPS will be for the falls. Otherwise, it will be for where you can see them most easily.

Nov 2012: I got a new PC and now that I can actually get things done (!) I'm going to rearrange the way the falls are listed. I'm going to list them separately, instead of grouping them by the day I saw them. The only ones I'll group are the ones that are on the same creek, or very close - like on the same road.

I've completed rearranging the posts. Hopefully this will help make the falls easier to find. I also found my count was WAY off, so I've updated the total too.

Jan 2013 - I just got a video camera, so I'll be adding short videos of the falls as I am able to get back to them. They might be a bit shakey at first, but hopefully I'll get better as I get used to using it!

Jan 2014 - I almost forgot about posting this! I had been in contact with Sharon Collins, the host of GPB's "Georgia Outdoors"...offering to take her around my 18 Waterfalls tour. She was not able to make it, but I did take her cameraman Shane Keating on the tour. I was hoping they'd do a show about the tour, but that didn't happen. However, some of the shots did show up in the episode "Mountain Magic"...so I've added a link to that episode.

Aug 2015 - I've created a Google map of the waterfalls I either have been to, or know about as publicly accessable, check it out at: https://goo.gl/maps/79Lyb

Got some additional news. The episode of Georgia Outdoors mentioned above, that has some of the shots taken by the cameraman on my 18 Wateralls tour...won a 2015 Southeastern Emmy for "Magazine Program" http://www.gpb.org/emmys

Sunday, April 20, 2014

Ward Creek falls (2 falls)

2/22/2014 - went to scout the Forest Service road to Long Creek Falls, and since I was more or less in the area I went to get a videos of Ward Creek Falls. My knees are doing better, but are still not well and I wasn't ready to try to get down and do the lower falls, but at least I did get the falls by the road.

As Mr. Anthony says, this falls (the upper falls) looks bigger in photos than it actually is. It's pretty easy to see from the Forest Service road, in the winter and fall, but in spring and summer it's easy to miss if you don't know where it is.

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

Directions and Information: from Dahlonega, GA

north on US 19 bypass
left on Camp Wahsega Rd
at Camp Merrill - right on gravel road (FS 80/Coopers Gap Rd)
at top of mountain, right on Forest Service road 42 (FS 42)
falls are 1 mile on left

Note: Camp Wahsega Rd is blocked, at the end, alternately right & left by traffic dividers - to protect the entrance to the camp. Just go around them and then right on the gravel road. Watch your odometer after you turn onto FS 42, the falls might be hard to see in spring & summer

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Fall Branch Falls & Stanley Creek Falls (10 falls)

4/5/2014 - took a small Meetup group to see these falls. The weather was really nice and there were LOTS of people there that day. Looks like I missed a falls, but picked up one I didn't have before! Guess I'll have to go back again and double-check.

9/19/2012 - went back to this area to find Stanley Creek Falls - which is near the trailhead for Fall Branch Falls. Turned out to be pretty easy to find. Driving West on Rock Creek Rd, right at 1/2 mile from the trail to Fall Branch Falls...there's an old road. Park here and hike down the road and you'll hear the falls. They're not very far, maybe 1/4 mile...and not very big, but very pretty.

I also found a small, complex falls right beside Rock Creek Rd., about 1 3/4 miles further West from the old road to Stanley Creek Falls.

7/3/2011 - went back to Fall Branch Falls to get the GPS points and found that there are quite a few smaller, sliding falls on this same branch.

7/17/2010 This falls is on a short, steep trail that is part of the Benton Mackaye Trail. There is a short side trail to the viewing area. You can also hike further up the trail and, with care, get down to the creek to see some smaller, but pretty shoals.
GPS: 34°47'3"N 84°18'8"W
GPS: 34°47'4"N 84°18'12"W

It's hard to see in the photo, but this falls is wider than it looks. There's quite a bit more behind the fallen log that is near the center of the photo.

GPS: 34°47'5"N 84°18'14"W
GPS: 34°47'6"N 84°18'16"W

Falls 5 is hard to see in the photo, it actually goes from just above the middle on the left side to the white spot near the right side.
GPS: 34°47'9"N 84°18'19"WGPS:34°47'9"N 84°18'19"W