High Shoals Falls & Blue Hole Falls (2 falls)

6/5/2011 - went back to the High Shoals Trail with the TrailDaimes, but I only got pictures of High Shoals Falls.  My camera batteries died and ALL of my spares were too low to power up the camera!  But I did get GPS points.  There are several other falls along that same creek, so I'll have to go back again to get them!

These falls are on High Shoals Creek

5/29/2010 -I describe this as a "roller-coaster" trip.  Driving north on GA 17/75 out of Helen, Ga you drive UP to Unicoi Gap, then DOWN the other side to the Forest Service Road, then UP that road to the top of the ridge, then you hike back DOWN to  the bottom!

I had difficulty finding this one at first.  They day I hiked it there was no sign for the Forest Service road - going north on GA 17/75.  So I turned around to go back, and there WAS a sign on the south side.  Shortly after the beginning of the gravel road, you have to ford a creek...but the ford is well designed and I was able to cross it easily in my little station wagon.  Then you drive up a winding, twisting road to park at the top of the ridge and the beginning of the High Shoals Trail.

Just after I crossed the creek ford, a small black animal ran across the road and it wasn't until after he passed that I realized it was a BEAR CUB!  First time I've ever seen such a young bear in the wild.

The trail down to the waterfalls starts out fairly steep, then levels out for a bit, then goes downhill again.  Both of the waterfalls are on short side-trails.  High Shoals Falls is first, then Blue Hole Falls.  The trail to Blue Hole Falls is steep and a bit rough.  The one to High Shoals Falls is much shorter and easier.  I found out later that there are supposed to be 5 waterfalls along this trail, but I didn't know that on the day I did it...have to go back again and try to find them.

As I was hiking out, I stopped to speak to some other hikers that were hiking in and I told them about the bear cub.  They were, literally, just saying they hadn't seen him when at THAT moment, up jumped a bear cub out of the brush and took off down the hill!  Had to be the same bear cub, how likely is it there would be 2 in the same area?  Anyway, we all left as quickly as we could manage as we did not know where his mother was!
GPS: 34°49'17"N 83°43'21"W
GPS: 34°49'20"N 83°43'19"W

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

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

Directions and Information: from Helen, GA

• north on GA 17/GA 75 - past Unicoi Gap
• at bottom of mountain, right into High Shoals Scenic area (see note below)
• parking area is on left, after sharp left turn and steep hill

Note: Mr Anthony says to turn at the sign, but the day I did this there was no sign on the northbound side of GA 17/GA 75.  If you get to GA 180 on left, you've gone too far.  Turn around and go back, there was a sign on the southbound side.

Dawson Forest (3 falls)

5/29/2011 - didn't feel like hiking, the weather got hot and muggy.  So I drove up into the Dawson Forest area - around and about Burnt Mountain, Sassafras Mountain and Oglethorpe Moutain.  I just drove around on the roads, some of which WERE marked "property owners only" but I figure if they didn't want others driving on their road they would gate them! 

I didn't find as many falls as I'd hoped, but I did get distant views of a couple, and a good view of a small one.  The small one is at the end of a very short driveway/old road (not sure which) that ends abrutly at a drop-off into the creek, but it looks like it's possible to get down and cross the creek to what looks like a trail that goes back upstream.  One day I'll go back and try that, because it's the same creek as the one with the falls I've called #2 and I might be able to get better pictures.

Since the roads actually ARE labeled private, I won't give exact directions but the three falls I got were all on roads that are to your left, and before the pavement ends, as you drive down Monument Rd, which turns off of Hwy 136.  I found them by driving with my windows open and listening for falls.

Creek name (or no name) shown below are from GMAPS

GPS: 34°31'30"N 84°18'39"W (creek not shown on GMAPS)
GPS: 34°31'39"N 84°18'28"W (creek not shown on GMAPS, flow into Huckleberry Branch)
GPS: 34°31'41"N 84°18'27"W (Huckleberry Branch)

FS 58 & Noontootla Falls (7 falls)

5/28/2011 - went back to Long Creek Falls (see update for that falls) with my sister (she hasn't seen this one before) and also drove the whole length of FS 58 to look for waterfalls.  The creek along this road (Noontootla Creek below Three Forks, I'm not sure which creek it is above that) has lots of small drops and rocks, and is therefore quite a "talkative" creek.  It sounds like it has a lot more falls than it actually has.

We also found the short, steep trail to Noontootla Falls - which is distantly visible from the road, right up at the top of the ridge.  We didn't have time to try to hike that trail, will have to go back and try it.  I did take a picture, but the falls is so high up that it's really not a good picture.  There is also a fair sized "braided" falls right at the road on the same side branch.

Falls #1 & #2 are across from each other.  Falls #1 is in Noontootla Creek, and falls #2 is at the base of the side branch that has Noontootla Falls at the top of the ridge.
GPS: 34°41'9"N 84°11'44"W (unnamed branch, flows into Noontootla Creek)
 

Noontootla Falls is the wavy white streak that goes from near the top of the photo to about the center of the photo.

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

GPS: looks like I forgot to get these!

 

Falls #5 & #6 are right across from each other a little way above the Three Forks area.  Falls #5 is in the main creek beside the road, and #5 is on a side creek just above the road.
GPS: 34°39'36"N 84°10'42"W

Directions and Information: from East Ellijay, GA

• go east on GA 52
• turn left on Roy Rd (drive carefully, there is a sharp curve on this road)
• turn right on Doublehead Gap Rd
• turn right on Noontootla Rd (this is after Doublehead Gap Rd paving ends) - this is FS 58

Note: I forgot to get the mileage to the base of Noontootly Falls, but when you pass a short section of road that has white posts on either side (indicating the road was reconstructed here) you are only a short way from the trail to the base of the falls.  There is a wide "braided" falls right at the road where the side branch crosses underneath.

Patterson Creek falls (3)

See also: the entries for Patterson Creek Falls and Patterson Gap Rd falls and Kilby Mill Falls...these are all along Patterson Gap Road and when the road is in good shape (not always a given) it's a pleasant drive through the mountains

5/22/2011 - these falls are upstream of Valley Springs Lodges

According to GMAPS these falls are on Patterson Creek

GPS: 34°58'38"N 83°27'6"W

  

Directions and Information: from Dillard, GA

·         go west on Betty's Creek Rd

·         turn left on Patterson Gap Road

·         take fork to right on Tarheel Lane

·         watch for sign for Valley Springs Lodges

·         falls is past turn to Lodges, and beside the road

Patterson Gap Rd falls (4 falls)

See also: the entries for Patterson Creek Falls and Patterson Creek falls (Valley Springs Lodges) and Kilby Mill Falls...these are all along Patterson Gap Road and when the road is in good shape (not always a given) it's a pleasant drive through the mountains

5/22/2011 - drove from the north end of Patterson Gap Rd, past the trail to Patterson Creek Falls and Valley Springs Lodges falls, all the way to the south end where it becomes Persimmon Rd at the parking for Kilby Mill Falls.  I'm pretty sure these falls are on either the same creek as Kilby Mill Falls, or one that feeds into that creek.

From the sound of it, there might be as many as 12 falls in this area.  At every place where I could see a falls, I could hear what might have been 1 to 3 more, but you just can't see all of them due to the evergreen shrubs down the hill and along the bank.

Creek names below (or no name) are from GMAPS.  Note: 1/27/13 - turns out that according to GMAPS these falls ARE on the same creek as Kilby Mill Falls, which is Persimmon Creek

Falls #1 is hard to see, but it's a pretty long falls that goes from the top left to near the bottom right of the photo.
GPS: 34°57'3"N 83°29'35"W (Persimmon Creek)
GPS: 34°57'6"N 83°29'35"W (Persimmon Creek)

GPS: 34°57'17"N 83°29'34"W (Persimmon Creek)

GPS: 34°57'20"N 83°29'29"W (unnamed branch, flows into Persimmon Creek)

Directions and Information: from Clayton, GA

• west on US 76
• right on Persimmon Rd
• where pavement ends, and road crosses creek-continue straight ahead

Note: this drive would combine nicely with the short hike to Kilby Mill Falls, then at the north end you could add in the trail along Patterson Creek to see those falls.