Pounding Mill Creek falls (5 falls)

6/16/2012 - went back to see if conditions on the road had improved.  They definitely have.  Looks like quite a bit of road work and graveling was done and the road was in good condition.  I was able to drive the road all the way west to where it becomes a paved road.  Found a new, small waterfall on the side of the road.  It's pretty much buried in rhododendron, so it doesn't show up well in the photo - but as usual, when you are there the moving water makes it easier to see.

7/10/2011 - went back up to Rabun County to Hale Ridge Rd.  My intention was to follow the Forest Service roads all the way into North Carolina, but they were too wet and in too bad a shape and I had to stop at the trailhead for the Holcomb Creek trail and turn around.  But I did get 4 falls along Hale Ridge Rd. 

These are all really hard to see in the photos, they're all buried in thick rhododendon.  As is usual with falls like this, they are much easier to see when you are there.

Falls 1 is the gray spot dead center in the photo.
Falls 2 is the line of white spots in the center of the photo.

According to GMAPS the first 4 falls are on Pounding Mill Creek

GPS: 34°55'40"N 83°14'18"W (Pounding Mill Creek)
GPS: 34°56'16"N 83°14'26"W (Pounding Mill Creek)

These two falls are very close together.
Falls 3 is the broken white line just above the enter of the photo.
Falls  4 is all of the broken white in most of the photo.
GPS: 34°56'21"N 83°14'26"W (Pounding Mill Creek)

This falls is hard to see in the photo.  It goes from the large dark area just off-center to the little white spot that is just visible near the top and just off-center.

 

GMAPS does not show the name of the creek for this falls, but it flows into an also unnamed creek that flows into Holcomb Creek

 

GPS: 34.98488° -83.28256° (this may not be correct)

Directions and Information: from Clayton, GA

• east on Warwoman Rd
• north on Hale Ridge Rd
• last falls is west on Hale Ridge Rd - left turn at the T junction

Note: I didn't see a sign with the name of the road on it, but there is a sign on the right side of Warwoman Rd that says "Hale Ridge Cemetary"

Sterling on the Lake

1/18/2012 - After going to Fairmont on the Park, I drove past Sterling on the Lake and decided to go in and see if the trail to the waterfall was open.  It's been closed for nearly a year due to a bridge being out...but this day it was open.  As far as I can tell it's an open trail, I didn't see any No Trespassing signs. It's a fairly short, easy walk on mostly paved trail.  At the second bridge, where the trail crosses over the creek there's a faint natural trail that goes upstream a short way to the falls.  It's actually a bit of a scramble, which seems kind of funny as there is a sign at the beginning pointing to the waterfall, but there's not really much of a trail to get close to it!

It's a pretty sloping waterfall and probably, really, falls somewhere in that grey area between a falls and a shoals, but since I've been trying to get to it for a year it counts!

GMAPS does not show a name for this creek, but it flows into Looper Lake

GPS: 34.14564° -83.90644°

Directions and Information: from I985

• Exit 12 - south on Spout Springs Rd
• right on Lake Sterling Blvd (main entrance to Sterling on the Lake)
• continue to tennis courts on left and park here
• trail and waterfall sign is at far corner of tennis court fence

Note: follow paved trail across first bridge over small side creek, and at bridge over the creek continue upstream on faint trail to falls.  The falls goes over a sizable rock formation that juts out into the creek and provides a nice platform to get pictures.

Enota Retreat falls (3 falls)

12/18/2010 - Enota Retreat-Garrett Falls

On my way to get another falls, I went past the Enota Mountain Retreat...so I stopped to look for the falls at the entrance - Garrett Falls.  It's not visible from the road, but if you stop in the pull-off and walk to the edge, the falls are easily visible across the picnic area.

7/25/2010 Went to the Enota Mountain Retreat to see their waterfalls.  Their website says there are 4, but at the office they could only direct me to the 2 big ones.  They charge a $10 day use fee, which is probably not too bad if you're actually going to stay all day, but I thought it a bit steep for just a quick trip to see the waterfalls.

Joel Creek Falls is accessed via a fairly short, but tough trail up above the trout pond behind the Visitors Center.  I had to go carefully, as I was alone and there were some tricky spots to negotiate.  But the falls are beautiful and well worth it.

Gurley Creek Falls is behind the Vistors Center and there is a distant view from a platform in the valley at the end of the cabins.  There is a trail to the base of the falls, but it was steep and not in very good condition and I was not able to get to the base on this day.

 

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

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

 

Directions and Information: can be found at http://www.enota.com/

Bearden Falls (4 falls)

12/10/2011 - took a few Traildames to do this hike and see this falls.  It's an easy hike almost the whole way, except just as you approach the falls there's a short, very steep section - maybe 8-10 feet high that I just could not get up.  Some of the group did make it though.  Luckily there's a very good view of the top of the falls at this point, where you can see it as it comes over the edge of the escarpment.  Fantastic sight!  My understanding is that this is the same escarpment that Amicalola Falls and Cochran Falls go over.

The hike goes up Nimblewill Creek and then up Bearden Creek and there are lots of small and medium sized falls before you get to the main falls.  Makes for a pleasant hike.

GMAPS does not show the name of the creek for Bearden Falls, but it flows into Nimblewill Creek.  Mr. Anthony's site says it's Bearden Creek.

GPS: 34.59643° -84.19567° (Nimblewill Creek)
GPS: 34.59874° -84.19598° (Nimblewill Creek)

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GPS: 34.60706° -84.19712° (unnamed creek)

GPS: (didn't get) (unnamed creek)

Directions and Information: from Dahlonega, GA

• West on GA 52
• Right on Nimblewill Church Rd (there's an old, rundown, abandoned store here)
• Follow road to past Nimblewill Church and continue straight
• Road is now Nimblewill Gap Rd and just after the church there a sign FS 28-2
• 1.8 miles from the end of the tarmac, turn right onto short road into camping/parking spot (FS 28-2 turns a bit left and starts up the mountain, you don't want to go up!)
• Park here
• Follow road on foot, along Nimblewill Creek, across small side stream and past several very large wet potholes
• Cross Nimblewill Creek at end of this road
• Bear left - upstream on Nimblewill Creek
• Cross Bearden Creek
• Bear right and follow Bearden Creek upstream across several fords
• Trail gets very steep just before the base of the falls

Nimblewill Gap Rd (FS 28-2) (2 falls)

12/1/2011 - went up west of Dahlonega to scout the trail & parking for Bearden Falls.  Found that easily, so I decided to drive further up the road.  Got all the way to the gap, where the road out the other side looked pretty rough, so I turned around and drove out the way I came in.  Found a couple of small roadside falls - not worth driving just to see those, but if you have some other reason to drive to the gap you can look for them.

GMAPS does not show either of these branches, but they must flow into Nimblewill Creek

GPS: 34.58622° -84.20256°
GPS: 34.59912° -84.21143°

We had some rain and a cold front go through early in this week, and when I got up near the gap I found this!

 Directions and Information: from Dahlonega, GA

• West on GA 52
• Right on Nimblewill Church Rd (there's an old, rundown, abandoned store here)
• Follow road to past Nimblewill Church and continue straight
• Road is now Nimblewill Gap Rd and just after the church there a sign FS 28-2

Note: The day I was there, the road was in decent shape, a bit rough in a few places, but nothing impassable as far up as the gap.