A day trip adventure reveals five incredibly beautiful, yet elusive North Georgia waterfalls worthy of your mountain getaway or weekend road trip itinerary.
So my fall break week at Pinebox got off to a BANG!
Literally . . . .
Jim and Ken, my brothers by other mothers, drove up from Atlanta Sunday evening to spend a couple of days like they always do, and we headed out Monday morning for a day of waterfall hikes, again like we always do.
But we didn’t get far . . . .
I started slowly backing out the mountain driveway looking behind with my arm on the passenger seat like I have done for eleven years, when suddenly we were jolted out of our bliss with a crash, sudden stop, and the shattering of glass.
I had backed into a tree, doing considerable damage to the rear driver’s side of my beloved Mountaineer.
Don’t ask me why. It was a fluke. All I can figure is that I had angled the SUV slightly when parking the night before to allow room in the driveway for Jim and Ken to park, and it happened. Actually, it was a blessing the tree was there to halt our momentum, or we would have gone down the mountain.
But it was going to take more than a fender-bender to steal our fun. I called my auto insurance to initiate the claim and pulled my wounded Mountaineer into the cabin garage. We hopped in Jim’s Lincoln and resumed our fall outing.
The damage.
Table of Contents
5 Elusive North Georgia Waterfalls
Our plan for the day was to scout out some of the more elusive North Georgia waterfalls. When I use the term “elusive,” I mean that for some reason, in the many years that the North Georgia mountains have been my second home, these were waterfalls I had never visited and didn’t make it into our 10 Favorite North Georgia Waterfalls post.
One of our Twitter followers, @jhawk455, had recommended Blue Hole Falls located in the Chattahoochee National Forest between Hiawassee and Helen, so we decided to head that direction first.
Blue Hole Falls & High Shoals Falls
Towns County
We turned east on Forestry Service Road 283 approximately 11.5 miles north of Helen. Shortly, thereafter we came upon a bridgeless creek we would have to ford in order to continue. We parked to check the water depth, and then watched while a compact car successfully crossed the gravel-bottomed branch.
We, too, forded the creek with no problem and continued a mile or so more and parked in the High Shoals Scenic Area.
The trail was marked with a small sign pointing the way to the two waterfalls approximately 1.2 miles away.
Take this trail to the falls.
Breathtaking beauty in small things along the trail.
A recently fallen tree blocked the trail. While Jim and I struggled to negotiate the trunk and branches, Ken made a simple detour down the mountain and made it around in seconds.
Show-off!
Ahh, those familiar wide leaf-strewn trails and rhododendron canopies.
Blue Hole Falls has a nice swimming hole.
Ken, the master iPhoneographer, at High Shoals Falls.
Both waterfalls have convenient observation decks for hikers who aren’t as fond of up-close-and-personal views like we are.
The prosaic pose.
Hiking feet.
The downhill hike to the falls was easy, making the return uphill hike more of a challenge, but stopping to view the beauty of nature along the way made it a pleasant walk all the way around.
Fernbank and Mossbank, literally.
The world’s tiniest waterfall.
Horse Trough Falls
Union County
Leaving the High Shoals Scenic Area, we followed F.S. Rd. 283 back to GA 75 and headed south toward Helen. The two brochures we were using for directions to Horse Trough Falls (one commercial and one from the Forestry Service) said we should turn west on F.S. 44 (AKA Wilkes Creek Rd.) just two miles south.
We found a narrow westbound gravel road in the area, but neither the sign by the highway (pictured above) nor the signs on the gravel road (pictured below) mentioned the name of the road nor High Shoal Falls. After a couple of confusing turnarounds to scout the immediate area, we decided to take our chances on the gravel road.
Can you say “elusive?”
Do you see any mention of Horse Trough Falls?
A bonus roadside cascade.
Approximately five miles up the gravel road we came upon a well-developed, yet completely vacant, camping and parking area. A sign marked the way to the impressive Horse Trough Falls. Elusive though it may be, we had found it!
Horse Trough Falls from a distance.
Horse Trough Falls up close.
On Tuesday, we got a late start scouting additional elusive North Georgia waterfalls because Ken offered to make us delicious ham and cheese omelets for breakfast. Around noon we headed south toward the Cooper’s Creek Recreation Area.
Sea Creek Falls
Fannin County
This way to Sea Creek Falls.
Speaking of elusive, I had attempted to find Sea Creek Falls on two or three occasions and never quite made it there. But today would be different. We followed GA 60 and turned onto Cooper’s Creek Road. This time we came upon a sign pointing toward the falls.
A short distance ahead we came to another bridgeless creek. As before, we scoped out the depth of the water before attempting to cross over, but we were concerned the creek bottom might be too soft for a low car. We spotted a truck parked near a trail leading into the woods, so we decided to follow the path to see where it might lead. After a short hike we found a group of picnickers, and just beyond . . . Sea Creek Falls.
Sign pointing toward the falls.
You do not have to ford this creek to reach the falls.
Instead, park and take this trail to the falls.
Sea Creek Falls
Ken, Jim & me.
Cooper’s Creek Store
Before heading off to scout our next waterfall, we stopped to grab a bite to eat at the Cooper’s Creek Store, located on GA 50 across from the turnoff to Cooper’s Creek Road. Jim treated us to a tasty lunch of BBQ sandwiches and chips, and then we were off to find the last waterfall of the season.
Long Creek Falls
Fannin County
The fall foliage on the drive to Long Creek Falls was incredibly beautiful, and we could not resist stopping for some photo ops. Eventually, our trusty brochure helped us find our way to the point where F.S. Road 58 turned off Doublehead Gap Road.
Autumn pastures.
A sign shortly after the turn-off on F. S. Road 58.
Our brochure said the trailhead was located at the popular Three Forks Recreation Area. When we arrived at a fairly large parking area we found no sign indicating that it was Three Forks, so we continued driving for several miles.
Eventually we realized we had driven too far, so we turned around and headed back to the parking area. Three hikers who were setting up camp pointed us in the right direction, and we also found a trail sign with a hand-drawn arrow pointing to the falls.
Not this way.
Go this way.
The trail to Long Creek Falls is part of the Appalachian Trail.
We hiked what we believed to be the approximate distance to Long Creek Falls, and we could see a waterfall just below the main trail. We eventually found a side trail to the falls, but none of our movements seemed to match the description in the Forestry Service brochure.
It wasn’t until I started doing research for this post that I realized how elusive Long Creek Falls were. So elusive, that I discovered we never made it to the main falls. What we had found was actually a lower, smaller waterfall on the creek.
Not Long Creek Falls, but lovely still.
Autumn’s beauty above the falls.
All in all, we had a fulfilling two days of waterfall hikes, elusive though they were. This experience taught me that when searching for some of the lesser-known North Georgia waterfalls, you might want to compare directions on several web sites, maps, and brochures to weed out the misinformation. On these two days alone I read warnings of a difficult road that was actually smoothly paved and two creek-crossings we did not have to make.
Later in the week, I stopped by the Forestry Service office in Blairsville and talked to the ranger on duty. Before I could complain about the poor directions in the brochures, she happened to mention the lesser-known and hard-to-find waterfalls in the area.
It was then I realized that the misinformation was part of the adventure, and this blessing-in-disguise was one of the reasons why there were still some elusive North Georgia waterfalls not overrun with tourists, and we could find them with just a tiny bit more effort.
The Mountaineer patched up for the drive back to Florida.
10 Favorite North Georgia Waterfalls
If you enjoyed this post, be sure to check out our second-most popular post of all time: 10 Favorite North Georgia Waterfalls.
We Would Love to Hear From You
We welcome your questions and comments, and we would love to hear about elusive waterfalls you have visited in North Georgia, or anywhere for that matter, in the comments section below.
And we ALWAYS respond . . . .
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Helpful Links
Comprehensive Listing of North Georgia Waterfalls on Wikipedia
High-Definition North Georgia Waterfall Videos by Mark Williams
Georgia Waterfalls @ GeorgiaTrails.com
Thank you Howard! We just purchased a home in Hiawassee and using your awesome Map It realized that Blue Hole Falls is only 9.5 miles from there. We will definitely be searching out this and the other elusive falls in this article!
Hi Susan! So glad you found this post helpful. At Backroad Planet, we LOVE North Georgia waterfalls! Keep an eye out for a new post we will be publishing in a few weeks about waterfalls you can swim in and other North Georgia swimming holes.
Shall try to explore any of these before the tourist traffic starts.
Just need to find a campground that rents out stay in place RV’s or small cabins . . . .
Hi Lee! So many great waterfalls in North Georgia, elusive and otherwise. I am sorry that I cannot yet recommend RV campgrounds in the area because I always stay at Pinebox, my cabin located between Blue Ridge and Blairsville. I have property manager, and the cabin is available as an Airbnb rental most of the year when I am not there.
Very nice looking waterfalls, here. I was just talking about this part of Georgia with someone the other day. I think they’ll make for some nice scenery when we make it that way. Good to know that we’ll need something to ford those creeks with, as I doubt my Camry would handle them well. Lol. Thanks, Howard!
Thanks, Carl! Hope you get to head down to North Georgia sooner rather than later. Lots of fun waterfall-chasing to be had!
Hi Howard, thanks for your great site. If you revisit Horse Trough Falls & climb to the top on the right hand side & go up the trail about 100’ you’ll come to a wonderful 75’ natural rock water slide that drops you into a little swimming pool! Also if you don’t cross the bridge to go to the big falls, keep straight to a falls with a jacuzzi!
Wow! Thanks for sharing this info, Kirk! I had no idea. This would go perfectly with our new post North Georgia Swimming Holes & Waterfalls You Can Swim In/
I am so glad I came across your adventures, we are like you, we like the back roads. We always went to Gatlinburg, got to crowded . We will be going to Ellijay the first week in November to stay in a Cabin, this will be my 2nd time in the area, fell in love with it, going to some of the falls in your post. Thanks again.
Hi Rita! We are so glad to connect with you on Backroad Planet, as well. I totally understand your need to gravitate to the less-populated areas of the mountains. Ellijay is about 30 minutes away from Pinebox, my North Georgia cabin. Glad to hear you plan to chase some waterfalls on your next visit. Be sure to check out our other N GA waterfall post, if you haven’t seen it already.
How I have enjoyed meandering through the photos of both blogs on Georgia water falls. So beautiful and calming. I can almost feel the coolness of the water splashing on me.. I am so grateful, I will be at my house in the foothills of SC very soon.. I have wanted to go to a special falls on a back road there, that I have never found.. I will be on mission to find it this time.. You have certainly brought the beauty of God’s handy work to the fore front. Thanks for sharing your travels and experiences in such a special way.. By the way, this weekend I will be at Pulhapanzak Falls not too far from my house here.. It is absolutely breathtaking, and majestic.. I have never seen anything like it , exquisite, Google it.. thank you again for bringing scenes and sights to life..
Glad you enjoyed the Georgia waterfalls posts, Lynda! There will be more posts this summer. I plan to specifically scout waterfalls that are also swimming holes, because that is what people search for most often. I also want to do a post on the waterfalls between Highlands and Franklin, NC. I have several family members who live in Greenville, SC, and I love the waterfall they have downtown there.
Thanks for sharing Pulhapanzak Falls with us! I did Google it, and it is incredible. I had no idea such majestic falls were in Honduras. I need to head down there and check it out. You will probably be interested in our coverage of the waterfalls of Iceland coming up later this year. We will be driving the Ring Road the first week of June. Exciting!
I will be looking forward to the future blogs, especially in my neck of the woods.. You will certainly enjoy discovering them. I agree with the falls in downtown Greenville, I love walking and having lunch there.. what a relaxing experience. So glad you enjoyed Pulhapanzak,, It is incredible to see in person.. enjoy your treks and discoveries. I will look for some strangers seeking new backroads and water falls when I am in the states.
Amazing photos!! To many Europeans Georgia is a little good-wine-country in the Caucasus. Good to know, that the US Georgia is beautiful too. Time to visit. Thank you!
Thanks, Nat! If you liked that post, here’s another one I did on 10 Favorite North Georgia Waterfalls. I would love to visit the original Georgia, as well.
Yet another reason I need to visit Georgia! Great shots!!
Thanks, Sky! Georgia has it all . . . .
Breath taken away! Great shots! I am sure the surroundings had a great impact on the group. Beautifully detailed trip.
Thank you so much! I love when I get compliments on my mere iPhone photography. It gives me a shot in the arm to vigorously pursue even better photography with my new Nikon. 🙂
I had to chuckle at the tiniest waterfall in the world! Your adventure reminds me of the time I went to Samos Island in Greece and we hiked for hours looking for what our guide said was the best waterfall on the island. Long story short, we saw some gorgeous nature but our guide kept getting lost. At the end, we did find it, but after all the hype, it ended up looking like your little waterfall to us. Haven’t been to Georgia yet, but will surely keep these elusive waterfalls in mind.
When we studied Ancient Greece in my sixth-grade World History class we learned that Greece has virtually no rivers. So I guess that it only makes sense that you were underwhelmed by their “best” waterfall. 🙂 No matter! Greece has many other amazing features to offer.
Fender Bender aside, you have introduced us to some beautiful landscapes. We call misadventures, serendipity 🙂
So cool that you used that term in your, Paula! We use it all the time. Of course, we are usually talking about positive serendipity, but I think it could apply to the misadventures as well. 🙂
Nice photos, but I think it would be more great if have a truck or an off road car to go there, right ?
A 4X4 would be fine, but really you don’t need it. The compact car in the video handled the creek ford just fine. Thanks for stopping by, Annette!
It’s always amazing how those trees always seem to jump in front of moving vehicles. I really need to spend more time hiking in Georgia but with Great Smokey Mountain National Park nearby it’s hard to justify driving down there.
Jennifer, in this case the tree jumped behind me. Haha! My cabin Pinebox in North Georgia is approximately 25 miles south of the point where Tennessee and North Carolina meet. I love both of those states, but there is something special about NG!:)
Quite the adventure! Loved the world’s tiniest waterfall.
Thanks, Carol! We have had many such adventures in the North Georgia mountains where WATERFALLS abound.
those of us from the UK tend to think the US is New York! Great photos
New York is a great place to visit, Fiona, but I wouldn’t want to live there. The North Georgia mountains, on the other hand, captured my heart so much that I bought my own little postage stamp called Pinebox.
Amazing gallery! Craving a bit of North Georgia here .. 🙂
Thank you, Inma! I am craving it myself. In fact, I am heading there for spring break. 🙂
pictures are beautiful. Those waterfalls well stay pristine as long as they stay hidden and hard to get to
Thanks for the compliment on the photos! They are all iPhone pix, but I just bought a Nikon and I am ready to learn serious photography. Are you saying I should delete the post so no one can find the waterfalls? Haha!
Hi Howard! I lived in Georgia for a year but unfortunately didn’t get out very much and I never got to see any waterfalls. If I’m ever there again I will definitely have to refer back to this post. Looks like you had an awesome time 🙂
Scouting waterfalls is one of my favorite pastimes, Vicky and Buddy. I also have another post of 10 Favorite North Georgia Waterfalls that might interest you. Cheers!