Secret Falls

 

Somewhere in the Georgia mountains. Photo by me, October 2024.

In typical fashion, the last week of October near Halloween is when I drive up to the mountains of Georgia or North Carolina to see the peak leaf color, go for a hike and buy locally grown Georgia apples and apple cider doughnuts. These are trips I have been making since the 1980s.

One of my destinations in October 2024 was a little known waterfall that I had found in a hiking book from the 1990s. There are many waterfalls in the Georgia mountains and in the fall, the mountain trails are crowded, especially on weekends. I call it the tourist circuit in which metro Atlanta residents drive up to the mountains, fill up the trailheads and huff and puff through the woods for a selfie in front of the water falling over the rocks. The peace I associate with the mountains is nonexistent during fall weekends and the last thing I want to do is listen to people drowning out the sounds of nature.

To help prevent this location from falling victim to the overcrowding of the tourist circuit, I am not going to name this waterfall or its specific location. There is very little information on the internet about this trail and waterfall and I do not want to contribute to it being overrun like most every other place.

The snaky road with sneaky curves. Photo by me, October 2024.

To hunt down this waterfall and lightly traveled trail which I feared might be overgrown, you drive a twisting and narrow two lane state road into the Chattahoochee National Forest. After passing over the tops of ridges for many miles there is another turn onto an even more narrow and curvy road that follows a gap between the ridges. Several miles down this road and following directions from thirty years ago we turned again down a gravel and mud Forest Service road. There were no signs indicating there was a trail or waterfall to be found. The road was in decent shape for an unpaved Forest Service road given that it was only a month since Hurricane Helene had barreled through the mountains and caused so much destruction. Also, you never know what conditions to expect on Forest Service roads as some are more treacherous than others.

Shall we drive this Forest Service road through a creek? Photo by me, October 2024.

The gravel road followed a creek upstream into a mountain cove for some time before we guessed we had located the trailhead by a small pullover as again there were no signs. 

Tempted by the unmarked path. Photo by me, October 2024.

A trail peeked at us through the brush and we decided to take it with no one else around to tell us that we could be making a mistake. Not that I cared, I was happy to be having an adventure in the woods just as I had since I was a boy. Up the cove we walked between the ridge tops that ranged between 3,200 and 3,400 feet in elevation.

A bigfoot. Nah, just me. Photo October 2024.

We walked for some time as the cove began to close in around us. It was around that time and after trudging through a long muddy stretch that I suspected we might be on the wrong trail or that the directions from a thirty year old book were wrong. I sensed that the person I was with began to question our direction and was hesitant about continuing. I assured him that it was not much further and to keep following the swift moving creek upstream, not that I had any real clue. We were going to find something even if it was a bear and we had earlier heard something crashing through the underbrush and leaves on a ridge above us. Though the thousands of wild black bears in Georgia are mostly afraid of human contact and will run away, I hoped not to test it.

It was the sound of the waterfall in the distance that we heard first and with that, our pace quickened. The boundary of two counties went unseen between our legs as we straddled it.

A place with history under the fallen leaves. Photo by me, October 2024.

The ground leveled out and we were standing in the spot of a former Civilian Conservation Corps camp from the 1930s. From looking around, there were signs that on rare occasion people still used the area to tent camp. Those people too were as lucky as us to know about this almost secret place that on this day we had completely to ourselves.

Some of the old mill ruins from over a hundred years ago. Photo by me, October 2024.

Prior to it becoming a C.C.C. camp almost a hundred years ago, there had been a family mill located just below the falls. A few ruins of the mill were scattered around.

The rooted and rocky trail to the ledge. Photo by me, October 2024.

The waterfall crashed through the foliage and remained hidden from view from the banks of the creek. There were two options to be able to view the falls: wade into the cold October mountain water on slippery rocks or crawl up a rooted, rocky ledge then on hands and knees inch out to the edge. It if had been July or August I would have stripped down and chosen the water route. Since it was almost November and from experience I know how cold mountain streams can be even at the height of summer, I forced my too-old-to-be-doing-this-self up onto the ledge.

Between the mountain laurel the secret waterfall runs. Photo by me, October 2024.

 The view was worth it and was made even more beautiful since we had it to ourselves with no other humans around for miles. There was no line of selfie takers, chatter about lives lived by the glow of a cell phone aimed at the face and no alerts or noise masquerading as music blaring from cheap speakers. This was not an experience to be checked off from a list and forgotten. There was nature as it should be enjoyed with a present mind and a satisfaction of finding its beautiful secrets that has driven me since I was a young boy in the 1970s.

The moon of the mountains nearing Halloween. Photo by me, October 2024.

On the way out of the cove to the gravel road, the weather turned as it does in the mountains like flipping through the pages of an old hiking book. Sunshine became cloudy and would become rain later. Clouds with small cracks between coagulated in the sky with my thoughts, the temperature cooled and the moon signaled from above the limbs that nightfall lurked. Ichabod Crane on a lonely country road entered my thoughts as I looked at the trees leaning over the road. The stories of The Headless Horseman and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow inflamed my imagination as a kid and still I remember the eeriness of that dirt road behind my childhood home as something sinister decades later. Not all of my childhood Halloweens were spent running with untied shoe laces from spooks and birds or hearing my grandmother relay news stories of razor blades hidden in the apples. I suppose there is a little of Washington Irving's characters in me, both Ichabod and Rip Van Winkle, and when in the silent woods on October evenings my imagination taps me on the shoulder.

Photo by me, October 2024.

Where the road meets the trail and forks into our imagination if we are lucky. 

 

Mud Creek Falls, Georgia

Out wandering around the far northeastern tip of Georgia in Rabun County I went to see a waterfall on a late summer day. There was no hiking through a forest or up a mountain, this was a waterfall for a lazy walk. Mud Creek Falls, sometimes referred to as Little Estatoah Falls, was the perfect waterfall for the moment.

X marks the spot.

The waterfall is located in what was Sky Valley Ski Resort, the only snow ski resort in the state. Fifteen years ago it became Sky Valley Resort dropping the snow skiing altogether, apparently a snow ski resort in Georgia was not profitable enough. It was a place I remember hearing about as a kid and seeing on the evening news when the local Atlanta television stations went looking for a "snow in Georgia" type story.

September 2018. Photo by me.

Out of the 57,513 square miles of land that Georgia has, Sky Valley is one of my favorite scenic places in the state.

On the far reaches of the resort on Tahoe Road and behind Spring Lake is where you will find the waterfall. It is open to the general public, there is no fee to visit and there is no entrance gate to hassle you.

After you park on the rather steep and narrow parking area there is Mud Creek. To your left is the 100 foot waterfall, which you will hear before you see it. If you are so inclined and not concerned with your safety, you can climb all over it. I do not recommend climbing on slippery large rocks with water pummeling you from above, but some people will do it anyway.

If you wish you may also hike to the falls. I would like to return and do that one day. There is a hiking trail that begins on Highway 246. It is roughly a two mile hike one-way that approaches the waterfall from the northwest and parallels Mud Creek. The trailhead is located on the right side of the road just beyond the Sky Valley overlook. There is a small pull off area for parking. The trail may at times have a closed gate, but you can disregard that and walk around it without worry.

September 2018. Photo by me.

The dull name, Mud Creek,  does not do it justice.

 

September 2018. Photo by me.

 

A closer look at the top of the waterfall. It has a nice misty spray for those hot days.

September 2018. Photo by me.

September 2018. Photo by me.

September 2018. Photo by me.

It is a green, cool and shady spot around the waterfall in the summertime. There are ferns growing among the rocks of the waterfall and the creek. This is what I believe to be an eastern hay-scented fern in the second photo above. I am not positive on the identification, but these are common ferns in this type of environment next to a Georgia mountain stream. The UGA Extension service is a wonderful resource for identifying plants and trees in Georgia has a list for identifying ferns here.

High Falls, Alabama

Photo by me, July 2016.

As with most places in Alabama, High Falls waterfall is in the middle of nowhere in the northern part of the state a few miles east of the Tennessee River. Once you turn off the main road you find yourself driving between large fields, chicken farms and down narrow little roads that are more like lanes but at least they are paved. This waterfall is off the beaten path even by Alabama standards and is not all that well known outside of locals but it is worth a visit.

Photo by me, July 2016.

A walk down a path from the parking lot, through a picnic area and you emerge through the tree canopy to find the waterfall from an overlook. Unfortunately, when I came it was the driest time in summer and the water flow was low. So what is probably a beautiful waterfall in more wet weather was little more than a small trickle cascading thirty-five feet over the rocks into a pool below. It was so dry that the view was more of a rocky cliff than a waterfall. I recommend coming after a heavy rain or in the winter if you want to see more water gushing over the cliff.

Photo by me, July 2016.

Photo by me, July 2016.

Photo by me, July 2016.

Still the lack of water did not deter people from enjoying the rocks to jump down into the pool of water below. With the lack of raging water this was actually a great place to go swimming on a hot summer's day.

Photo by me, July 2016.

As you can see the water here in Town Creek is very shallow as it approaches the waterfall and you can easily walk out to the edge without getting swept away when the water is low.

Photo by me, July 2016.

Photo by me, July 2016.

The calm waters were reflecting the sky well on a hot July day.

Photo by me, July 2016.

Photo by me, July 2016.

Photo by me, July 2016.

To have a better view of the landscape there is a pedestrian bridge above the waterfall.

Photo by me, July 2016.

Photo by me, July 2016.

Prior to the current bridge there had been a covered bridge that spanned the shallow creek. As with some many things, especially covered bridges, the bridge was lost to time and burned in the 1950s.

Photo by me, July 2016.

The only remaining portions of the covered bridge are the original stone support pillars from the early 1920s.

For more information and directions to this out of the way place you can go here.

Desoto Falls, Georgia

Photo by me, May 2018.

Last Sunday I was up and out early to make the drive up to Desoto Falls in far northern Lumpkin County in the Blood Mountain Wilderness. Desoto Falls is located just south of the Appalachian Trail crossing on U.S. Highway 19 at Walasi-Yi.

Photo by me, May 2018.

Desoto Falls is named after Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto who is said to have explored this area in the 1540s. Now it is without a doubt that de Soto did explore many parts of Georgia including the North Georgia Mountains in the 1500s. Hernando de Soto is considered to be the first European to explore the interior portions of the southeastern United States. Historians do have a good idea from the expedition records where de Soto's party explored but there is no exact route known where he did travel. So to claim that armor that was found near the waterfalls is from his party does make for an interesting legend but the claim may be dubious. Nonetheless, Desoto Falls is named after him just as the Desoto Falls in Alabama is too.

Never in my time in the woods have I encountered warnings of "people have died" here and other warnings of potential death, that was until I visited Desoto Falls in the mountains of North Georgia.

The sign above in the photo states, "several people on the waterfalls and fallen to their death." Note that it says several.

This is one of those people that have unfortunately died at Desoto Falls by falling to their death. He was a teenage boy from Virginia that was camping with his family at the campground at Desoto in 2013. He disappeared from their campsite at night and was found the next morning at the bottom of the falls dead.

Photo by me, May 2018.

Yet another sign warning visitors that people have died on these waterfalls by being careless. This sign is at the base of the largest waterfall at Desoto. You might notice the cross on the sign with the blue ribbon. The name on the cross is of the person that I mentioned above that died here in 2013.

With all the posted warnings here you might think Desoto Falls would be the most dangerous place in the state, but it is no more dangerous than any other place out there in the woods. As with any time you spend out in the woods you should always exercise cautious judgement and common sense but most of all enjoy yourself. Nature is wild and can be unpredictable so taking unnecessary risks may result in injury or death any time you set foot into the woods. Accidents will happen and never will you be able to safeguard against every hazard, but you can use common sense to help minimize your risks.

That being said, Desoto Falls is no more dangerous than any other waterfall out there. Yes, it is a huge waterfall and people have died there but you can easily fall and kill yourself on a small waterfall too on the slick wet rocks. So do not let the deaths and warning scare you away from visiting Desoto because it is safe if you use common use and stay on the trails.

Photo by me, May 2018.

If the warnings of death by falling were not enough to scare you, there are the bears that might get you. I saw two warnings posted about bears being active in the area. In the North Georgia Mountains this type of warning is not uncommon to see especially in area near campgrounds where there is food. In all my time hiking and camping in these mountains I have yet to encounter a bear, outside of the Smokies, but I know that eventually I am going to see one. Bears generally do not like humans and will often run away if you make enough noise. Yes, it is possible you might see a black bear out there and if you do here is good advice.

After all the warnings and a little history let's get started on the hike.

Frogtown Creek. Photo by me, May 2018.

The trail leaves the parking lot then passes through a picnic area, follows a paved road along the edge of the campground and then you come to your first water crossing via a bridge over Frogtown Creek.

The last bridge before reaching the upper falls. Photo by me, May 2018.

Once across the creek there is a directional sign pointing you to the trail on the left for the lower falls and to the right for the upper falls. The signage also notes that from that spot it is one quarter of a mile to the lower falls and three quarters of a mile to the upper falls.

The trail to the upper falls. Photo by me, May 2018.

The trail to the upper falls. Photo by me, May 2018.

On the way back to the trailhead. Frogtown Creek is on the left with campground adjacent to it. Photo by me, May 2018.

I decided to do the longer hike to the upper falls first because fewer people were going in that direction. This trail has a couple of additional water crossings via bridge but mostly it follows an old logging road on a gradual climb to the falls. Frogtown Creek will be on your right most of the way to the falls.

The serene and dense forest along the trail. Photos by me, May 2018.

The trail is wide on the old road and an easy hike even in hot and humid conditions on the day that I hiked it. If you are in decent shape you will have no issues on this hike. The trail passes through a dense forest that is relatively young with tall slender timber and thickets of rhododendron in the understory. I strongly advise staying on the trail because it would be very easy to get lost if you wandered too far from the trail into the steep terrain of the Blood Mountain Wilderness.

Photo by me, May 2018.

This is the upper falls and middle falls - a multi-tiered waterfall that plunges off the side of Rocky Mountain.

As with most all waterfalls in the Georgia the amount of water flowing is going to be less in the late spring into the early fall. For the best viewing experience in terms of higher amounts of white water the late fall, through winter and into early spring are the best times to view them.

Photo by me, May 2018.

There was a wooden viewing platform at the base of the waterfall but it was destroyed by Hurricane Irma in September 2017. All that remains now are the concrete base supports.

Photo by me, May 2018.

Now if you wish to go further up the side of the waterfall, the trail is open according to the U.S. Forest Service. There was no sign or barrier to prevent you from going further up this narrow trail to the very top of the waterfall. This trail had been closed for many, many years after damage from snowstorms and hurricanes but it is considered open now. I opted not to go to the very top.

Now to get to the lower falls which are on another creek and not Frogtown Creek you have to retrace your hike back to the first bridge where the directional sign is located. The trail to the lower falls is one quarter of a mile long.

This trail caught me off guard as to how steep it is even if it is a short trail. This trail rapidly climbs the side of the mountain through a series of switchbacks and stone stairs. This trail is nothing like the easy trail to the upper falls.

Photo by me, May 2018.

From a set of stone stairs looking down the side of the mountain. There were several large trees that were felled during Hurricane Irma that had to be cut and removed off the trail.

Hurricanes and snowstorms can do a lot of damage to the Georgia mountains. Related to to this, here you can see some landslides that I witnessed just north of Helen last year after Hurricane Irma on Georgia Highway 17.

The lower falls. Photo by me, May 2018.

The lower falls once you arrive are smaller than the other waterfall but it is still impressive in person. The wooden viewing deck is still intact here and there are benches to take in the view and rest.

Desoto Falls is a popular destination so despite the potential dangers it is very much worth visiting. The hikes here are relatively short and easy and you can see two waterfalls in one stop.