The
waterfalls of northern
Georgia, U.S., are a prominent feature of the
geography of that region, as well as a major focus of tourism and outdoor recreation. Many are located in state parks, national forests, wildlife management areas, and other public lands. Many are accessible—with varying degrees of ease or difficulty—via established hiking trails, and some developed areas include boardwalks, observation platforms, picnic areas, and other amenities. The
Cherokee called this region "Land of a Thousand Waterfalls".[1] The third-, fourth-, and fifth-
highest waterfalls in the eastern United States are located in northern Georgia.
In this discussion, North Georgia refers to the mountainous regions of the extreme northern portion of the state, an area including
Banks,
Dade,
Dawson,
Fannin,
Gilmer,
Habersham,
Lumpkin,
Murray,
Pickens,
Rabun,
Stephens,
Towns,
Union,
Walker, and
White Counties. There are, of course, waterfalls in other sections of the state; however, due to variations in both climate and terrain they are most abundant and most dramatic in the extreme north.
Falls by county
Waterfalls that are located on private property and thus inaccessible to the public are described as such or are marked (NA). It is the visitor's responsibility to respect and honor the rights of private landholders.
Those maps, coordinates, and descriptions presented here are meant only to provide approximate or relative locations. Numerous publications and online resources are available to those wishing to visit these sites, both by foot and by vehicle. As many of these sites remain in a relatively wild state caution must be exercised at all times.
Amicalola Falls—at 729 feet (222 m) Amicalola Falls is the highest waterfall in Georgia and the third highest east of the
Mississippi River. It is approximately four times the height of
Niagara'sHorseshoe Falls. It is located on Amicalola Creek in
Amicalola Falls State Park and is accessible via several trails, bridges, and parking areas. Visitors may park at either the top or the base of the falls; a well-maintained trail, including over 600 steps, connects those two points. Another trail connects the falls to the terminus of the
Appalachian Trail on nearby
Springer Mountain. Some sources, including the 2004 Georgia State Parks guide book, claim that Amicaolola Falls are "the tallest east of the
Mississippi River," although
Crabtree Falls in
Virginia (at 1000 feet) and
Glassmine Falls in
North Carolina (800 feet) are both taller.[2] (The state park website is more specific—and perhaps more accurate—citing Amicalola as "the tallest cascading waterfall". More recent editions of the print version of the guide have corrected the error.) (34°33.81′N84°14.66′W / 34.56350°N 84.24433°W / 34.56350; -84.24433)
Shoals on
Soque River—located on private property but readily accessible to the public. The Mark of the Potter, a potters' cooperative on Highway 197, occupies an old mill beside the Shoals, which can be viewed from the co-op's balcony. Coin-operated machines dispense food for fish and waterfowl. (34°43.78′N83°35.35′W / 34.72967°N 83.58917°W / 34.72967; -83.58917)
Miner Shoals-located on private property, not accessible to the public. 48-foot (15 m) near vertical drop. "By far the best waterfall on the river" as stated by State Geologist S. W. McCallie in his Water Powers of Georgia, 1908.
Lumpkin County
Black Falls—on the grounds of Camp Frank D. Merrill, a Mountain Ranger camp 11 miles (18 km) north of Dahlonega. Public access may be restricted.
Cane Creek Falls—located on the grounds of Camp Glisson, a camp operated by the
United Methodist Church near
Dahlonega, these falls are often (but not always) open to the public.
Cannon Falls— located on Frogtown Creek, on the grounds of Cannon Falls Lodge, a private fishing preserve, and only accessible with a guide.
Trophy Falls— located on Frogtown Creek, on the grounds of Cannon Falls Lodge, a private fishing preserve, and only accessible with a guide.
Ward Creek Falls—near Justus Gap, northwest of Dahlonega. {34° 39.107'N 84° 04.071'W}
Yahoola Creek Falls—just before the
Yahoola Creek leaves the Chattahoochee National Forest. The remnants of Nineteenth Century gold-mining operations are nearby.
Murray County
Jigger Falls—on Jigger Creek, in the Cohutta Wilderness Area.
Rabun County is not only mountainous (the
Eastern Continental Divide passes through the county, which has a number of peaks whose heights surpass 4,000 feet (1,200 m) above
sea level) but it is also one of the rainiest areas east of the Mississippi River. These factors combine to produce many dramatic falls.
Ammons Creek Falls—the trail to Holcomb Creek Falls is atwo-mile loop that also leads to a viewing deck at Ammons Creek Falls.
Angel Falls (Georgia)—on Joe Branch Creek near
Lake Rabun, surrounded by rhododendron; on the same trail as, and about one half mile beyond Panther Falls.
Caledonia Cascade—also known as Cascade Falls, at 600 feet (180 m) in height it is tied (with
Cochrans Falls) as the second-tallest waterfall in Georgia. It is located on a small stream that joins the Tallulah River near the beginning of the Tallulah Gorge.
Crow Creek Falls—a series of falls, one visible from Crow Creek Road, another approximately 300 yards from the road.
Tallulah Gorge State Park—managed jointly by the Georgia State Parks system and Georgia Power Company, the latter of which operates the
hydroelectric dam above the 600-foot (180 m)-deep
Tallulah Gorge. The
Tallulah River flows over six major falls between the
Tallulah Falls Dam and
Lake Tugalo. Since the dam was built in 1913 only a fraction of the natural volume of water flows through the gorge, but on scheduled "whitewater weekends" in April and November the amount may increase by more than tenfold. Other "aesthetic releases" are sometimes staged. Access to the floor of the gorge is controlled by permit. (Parking area: 34°44.419′N83°23.388′W / 34.740317°N 83.389800°W / 34.740317; -83.389800)
L'Eau d'Or Falls—46-foot falls.
Tempesta Falls—76-foot falls.
Hurricane Falls—96-foot falls.
Oceana Falls—50-foot falls.
Bridal Veil—17-foot falls flows over a smooth "sliding rock" popular with visitors who use it as a natural water slide.
Toccoa Falls—dramatic 186-foot (57 m) falls located on the grounds of
Toccoa Falls College in the city of
Toccoa. The falls may be reached by a short, paved pathway and are accessible to the handicapped. The college charges a nominal fee for admission to the site. In 1977 a
dam break just above the falls devastated the college and caused thirty-nine deaths. The site includes a memorial to those who perished. (34°35.64′N83°21.666′W / 34.59400°N 83.361100°W / 34.59400; -83.361100)
Enota Mountain Retreat & Conference Center—the grounds of this facility in
Hiawassee contain several falls; visitors must obtain permission before accessing the property.
Falls on the Upper Chattahoochee—on the headwaters of the Chattahoochee River, which rushes through a two-foot-wide channel at one point. (Parking area: )
Pocket Branch Falls—Pocket Branch flows out of a canyon on the west side of Pigeon Mountain, in the Pigeon Mountain Wildlife Management Area. The Shirley Miller Wildflower Trail is a boardwalk trail below the falls. (Parking area: 34°42.75′N85°22.80′W / 34.71250°N 85.38000°W / 34.71250; -85.38000)
White County
Anna Ruby Falls—actually two separate falls, one on Curtis Creek and the other on York Creek, but known together as Anna Ruby Falls. Combined, they form Smith Creek. Located in a grove of
mountain laurel in the Anna Ruby Falls Scenic Area in the Chattahoochee National Forest. There is a visitors center and an interpretive walk from there to the falls. (34°45.83′N83°42.73′W / 34.76383°N 83.71217°W / 34.76383; -83.71217)