My North Georgia (mostly) Waterfalls Project

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

Monday, April 22, 2013

Bean Creek Falls

4/22/2013 - took advantage of having the day off to make a quick trip to get a video of this falls. Lots of water this time...we've had quite a bit of rain lately!

5/30/2011 - went back to Bean Creek Falls again to get the GPS reading, and of course while I was there I took some photos too!

1/30/2011 - Bean Creek Falls - went back to get a better picture, since I was in the area for another falls anyway.

8/22/2010 - easily accessed from Unicoi State Park. To make a correction to Mr. Anthony's directions, coming from the direction he advises, the falls are on the left - not on the right. I drove past them several times before I realized I was looking on the wrong side of the road.

GPS: 34°42'49"N 83°41'39"W

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

Directions and Information: from Cleveland, Ga

east on GA 75 - towards Helen, GA
right on GA 17
left on GA 255
left on Bean Creek Rd
falls are 2.3 miles on left (Mr Anthony says right, but this is not correct)

Note: this falls is, essentially, in the "ditch" on the left side of the road. When I was last there, there was a driveway across the creek above the falls and a sign that the property was for sale. The sign, if it's still there, mentions the falls

or from Unicoi State Park

east through Unicoi State Park
right on Bean Creek Rd

Note: I don't know exactly how far down the road the falls is, you just have to watch carefully. Going in this direction the falls is on the right.

Sunday, April 14, 2013

Soque River shoals (2 falls)

This is in the 18 Waterfalls in One Day - hike and drive, see the link on the right

4/13/2013 - Since I went righ past this falls on my way to Wildcat Creek, near Lake Burton, I stopped and got a better video of the shoals on the river.

7/9/2011 - took some TrailDames on my waterfall "Hike'n Drive" that included these falls. I found on the previous trip that there is actually a falls INSIDE the pottery here! So I finally got a picture. It's not very good, I'm still learning my new camera - but it gives a good idea of what you see when you're there.

Strictly speaking these aren't a true falls...but they're close! The shoals are behind Mark of the Potter, on hwy GA 197 north http://www.markofthepotter.com/ I kept passing these on the way to other falls at points north and finally stopped and got some pictures.
GPS: 34°43'44"N 83°35'19"W

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

Directions and Information: from US23/US441/GA 365

go north on GA 197 through Clarkesville, GA
pottery is on the right before you get to GA 255
shoals is visible from the road, behind the pottery
there is parking available
the falls inside is on the lower level of the pottery

Shoal Branch falls

This falls is in the 18 Waterfalls in One Day - hike and drive, see the link on the right
4/12/2013 - on my way to video the falls on Wildcat Rd, near Lake Burton, I stopped and got better videos of these falls.

1/20/2013 - got a late start, so I set out to drive up Hwy 197 to "The Mark of The Potter" and get videos of the 5 waterfalls along that stretch. We had a week of rain just before, so the falls were really full!

According to GMAPS these are on Shoal Branch

4/2/2011 - had a long day of waterfalling, and came home via 197. Saw 2 waterfalls I've missed before. These are on a side creek that flows into the Soque River very close to the road. They are at a "watersplash" crossing. The water today was flowing under the road, but when there is a lot of rain the water comes over the top of the road. since this was split by the road, I counted it as 2 falls.

GPS: 34°42'31"N 83°34'0"W

Directions and Information: from Gainesville, Ga

north on I985/GA 365
exit at GA 197 (Mt Airy)
north on 197 - through Clarkesville
falls is on the right & left - approx 11.5 miles from GA 365

Note: exit GA 365 at light, to the right. At the end of the ramp turn left to go under the overpass. These falls are at the location where the road dips down and over a "watersplash" creek crossing. The lower one is on private property and can only be viewd from the road.

Little Hazel Creek falls

This is in the 18 Waterfalls in One Day - hike and drive, see the link on the right
8/24/2013 - took a group from a women's Meetup group (Off the Grid) on my 18 waterfalls tour. This is the last falls on that tour and as we were admiring the falls, a deer decided to enhance the experience! Thanks for the photo Doris!

4/13/2013 - drove up to the Lake Burton area to drive down Wildcat Rd and get some videos. Since I was going right past this falls, I stopped and too another video. What a difference a tripod makes!

1/21/2013 - somehow when I re-organized my blog this one got left out completely! Yesterday I got a late start, so I just drove up Hwy 197 to get the falls along there with my new video camera. The still photo was taken after a LOT of rain and shows as much water coming over as I've ever seen on this falls.

According to GMAPS this is on Little Hazel Creek

This might be Shorts Mill. My map program shows a Shorts Mill about 1/2 mile further north on Hwy 197, but at that point there's no creek and no mill.

GPS: 34°34'7"N 83°29'35"W

Directions and Information: from I985

north on I985 - past exits to Cornelia, Ga
exit at Hwy 197 (watch for Richard Russell Rec Area signs)
at bottom of off-ramp, turn left
about 1/3 mile (or a bit more) watch for falls on right

Sunday, April 7, 2013

Wolf Creek Falls

Wolf Creek Falls is at Vogel State Park, north of Neel's Gap on Blood Mountain.

4/7/2013 - while I was getting videos of the falls along US 129 on Blood Mtn I did this one too, since I was so close!

12/24/2011 - Went back around and about Blood Mtn to get new pictures and look for new falls. Found that by far the best view of the falls below Lake Trahlyta in Vogel State Park is from a pull off on US 129. It's a more distant view than from the viewing deck, but you can see the whole falls much better. And you don't have to pay to enter the park!

7/3/2010 - The trail to the falls is at the north end of the lake dam in the park. The trail down is somewhat steep, but not very long and there is a nice viewing area. You can also get a bit more distant view of the falls from the road on the other side of the creek.

GPS: 34.76962° -83.91599°

h ttp://www.jjanthony.com/waterfalls/falls/laketralytadam.html

Directions and Information: from Cleveland, GA

north on US 129, past junction with US19
continue past Neel's Gap
left into Vogel State Park
or, go past the entrance and park at the low stone wall on the park side of the road for a view of the whole falls from a distance

Note: there is a parking fee in the park. To get to the falls, take the lake trail around to the dam. Trail to falls is at north end of the dam and goes downhill to the viewing platform.