2015 WATERFALLS and HIKING TRAILS in GEORGIA
The following waterfalls and hikes are on this blog:
DASHAROON WATERFALL
MINNEHAHA WATERFALL
PANTHER CREEK WATERFALL
DICKS CREEK WATERFALLS
BLOOD MOUNTAIN CREEK WATERFALLS
TALLULAH FALLS CAMPGROUND
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DASHAROON WATERFALL
Big Canoe, GA
2 May 2015
I'm amazed at God's blessings that He pours over me. While on the phone with a client just yesterday, he told me if I ever wanted to come to Big Canoe, Georgia to let him know and he would put me on his guest list so I could hike to the two waterfalls located on private property. Jeffrey and I didn't have much to do on Saturday, other than laundry and that is so boring to me, but we do it weekly - every Saturday if we are not hiking. Otherwise, it gets done on Tuesday's. Needless to say I sent a text message to Jeffrey and of course he jumped at the chance to get out of town for the day and hike in the wilderness.
The morning drive up was pretty chilly, but it warmed up nicely. I do not like the heat of Georgia at all, but we certainly welcomed the gorgeous day we were blessed with. We plan to take a group of hikers back with us when the leaves begin to change.
Jeffrey and Denver wait for me while I get my pack back on after hiking over the small bridge to get to the primitive cabin located right along the waters edge of Spring Lizard Creek and the jeep trail leading to the lower and upper falls of Disharoon Creek Waterfalls.
There are bridges all along the trail so folks won't get their feet wet. It didn't really feel like hiking to me though since I'm use to wading through creek beds.
The primitive cabin
Inside the primitive cabin that is no longer in use.
Deer really take advantage of this area.
After a short hike, you will reach the sign for the lower falls.
Jeffrey and Denver climbed on top of a huge boulder that sits in front of the lower falls.
Disharoon Lower Falls in Big Canoe, GA
After leaving the lower falls, you can continue up the trail to the upper falls. You can stay along the trail while following the white markers on trees or you can hike along the jeep trail which isn't very interesting or much of a work out.
Upper Disharoon Falls. You can climb to a landing to get right in the center of this waterfall and even taken your boots off to allow the cool water to drift over your tired feet.
I didn't take my boots off this time, but I did manage to take a nap in my hammock that Jeffrey strung up for me. This was a dream come true for me - to be able to sleep beside a waterfall.
Below is the shot of my hammock taken with my cell phone.
If I had sunk into the small pool here, I could have taken a nice shower in this waterfall.
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MINNEHAHA WATERFALL
Rabun County, GA
25 May 2015
Our trek to the Minnehaha Falls Trail was a very short, easy hike right off Lake Rabun in North Georgia to an incredibly beautiful, towering, cascading waterfall, where some folks brought their dogs (roaming freely I might add), and small children (with little or no supervision). The rocks had many feet traipsing up its face and thankfully nobody slipped (while we were there).
Here is the BIG DEAL! I was amazed at how short this hike was. In fact, once we arrived, we had to stand back away from the other folks who were there to soak in the beauty of God's wonder while they climbed the face of this gorgeous lady.
I cannot thank Jeffrey enough for keeping all those sweet doggies off my camera equipment at this breathtaking waterfall yesterday. And, I'm so thrilled he didn't try to climb higher up its face.
Directions: Take HWY 441 toward Clayton. After crossing the Tallulah Falls Bridge, go 1.7 miles and turn left onto Old HWY 441. Proceed 2.5 miles and turn left onto Lake Rabun Road. Travel 5 miles to Rabun Beach Campground.
From the Area 2 campground entrance, continue west on Lake Rabun Road for 1.6 miles. Turn left onto Low Gap Road for 0.2 miles. Make another left onto Bear Gap Road and proceed 1.6 miles to the Minnehaha Trail. Follow the trail 0.3 miles to the falls. Parking near the trailhead is very limited to 3-4 vehicles.
The falls can be reached by a short trail (0.4 miles) from Bear Gap Road called the Minnehaha Trail. The trail is maintained by the U.S. Forest Service.
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PANTHER CREEK WATERFALL
Habersham County
31 October 2015
A hike with the Georgia Sierra Club
This hike was for the Georgia Sierra Club. A special thanks to those who came out to join us for this hike; Jon, Max, Dianne, Cookie and Alice.
The folks on the far left were playing around and jumped in our shot, then tried to leave and I invited them back to have their photo taken with our group. This shot was actually taken after our hike when we were dirty and whipped from this 'hard' hike.
From L-R: Two unknown folks, Jon, Alice, (Alice hiked with me almost the entire time. Thank you so much for your kindness, Alice!), Michelle, Daryl, Dianne, Max, Jeffrey, Valentino and Denver.
The color of the leaves are so pretty this time of year, but North Carolina has Georgia beat by a landslide in the color areas.
The parking lot and the green box to the left of this shot is where folks should place their current $4.00 fee to park.
The porta potty was in service as of a writing of this blog and is located down a trail at the far end of this parking lot.
This area is right at the small bridge inside the area where most folks park.
Some folks do park along the side of the road and there is enough room for several cars to park.
The trailhead leading into the woods is right across the street from the parking lot.
This was a perfect treat. I've completed this hike twice and never hiked down to this area until today. It was quite challenging trying to hike down the roots of the nearby tree, but I made it and this was my reward.
This is a quite a long waterfall. The above shot travels all the way down to the final destination we are headed toward.
This is a gnarly root system that you have to try to get down that has obviously been washed away from erosion and foot traffic. If you get to this point, turn around and go the fork in the trail - take the trail to the right to avoid this section.
If you are hiking from the West to the East, keep an eye out for the trail after the overhanging rock which is the left of this shot. You will come across a trail branching to the left with red ribbons on a few tree branches. It is advisable to take that trail and not this trail in the above shot. It was rerouted this way to avoid a section that has washed away. The trail will rejoin the main section and is much shorter.
WARNING:
This hike is rated moderate - strenuous. There is some rock scrambling required in certain areas and there are some steep sections; however, much of the hike is relatively flat, but has 'many' switchbacks. There are bridge crossings and some wire railings along some parts of the steep sections, but not all and as of 10/31/15, some of the railings were just dangling in the air. IF YOU ARE AFRAID OF HEIGHTS, THIS HIKE IS NOT FOR YOU! The rails along parts of the path are attached to boulders near steep embankments/ledges.
Some of the trails along the path to reach waterfalls can be moderate or strenuous. People attempting strenuous hikes should be in good physical condition and be equipped with proper footwear for hiking; tennis shoes may not be appropriate. Jeffrey and I recommend hiking boots for the ankle support. For this hike, we will stay on established trails at all times. Also, be mindful of where you step when you reach the waterfall.
That trail is in a serious state of disrepair. It is highly likely the west side trail will un-passable within the next 10 years without serious rerouting.
A foot bridge leading across the creek bed.
There's Alice. I'm so thankful for her. We had just met on the trail - she was hiking alone and we were all together so to add another person to our group certainly a wonderful treat.
The shot above is extremely out of focus, but the colors are breathtaking!
There's Jon waiting on me to get there. In some areas of the path, you will be hiking along steep cliff such as this. Downed trees were abundant and you must make the decision to go over or under them.
I walked down a short ways to and climbed onto a boulder to get this shot. I'm not very happy with it, but this is what you get when you don't carry a tripod.
Our two exhausted Alaskan Klee Kai are resting on a boulder beside their daddy and looking striking for me to take their photo.
We have work to do with Abby and Sequoia. Sequoia wants to be the lead dog, but she's not strong enough since she's just a tiny dancer girl.
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DICKS CREEK WATERFALL
with the GA Sierra Club
21 November 2015
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BLOOD MOUNTAIN CREEK WATERFALLS
with the GA Sierra Club
21 November 2015
This is the second part of the technical climb to get to the lower and middle falls. This is actually looking down on the hike up to the middle falls.
Lower Falls at Blood Mountain Creek
Middle Falls at Blood Mountain Creek Waterfalls
The upper falls are at the near top of this shot, but to get there, you have to boulder jump in the creek below. I was not up for that arduous challenge and neither was Jeffrey or Alice. We opted to stay behind; however, Greg took off and was about to cross the 9 inch wide boulder crossing with that 30 foot drop and he made it.
Part of the Upper Falls at Blood Mountain Creek Waterfall
Here's Greg as he was doing his boulder jumping/creek crossing; still trying to make it back across.
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TALLULAH RIVER CAMPGROUND AND SURROUNDING AREA
27-29 November 2015
Fee for camping: $14 (as of 2012)
Closest Town: Clayton
At an elevation of 2,080 ft., this campsite is located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Northeast Georgia. Visitors will find this campground complete with restrooms, although there is no running water inside the restroom - you will have to go outside of each small bathroom for drinking water and to wash your hands in "COLD" water that is pumped from a well. There is also a grill pad which overhangs on a ringed fire pit, camping pads and much more. This campground is positioned on the bank of the Tallulah River and offers superb scenery and ambiance; earning it a "favorite" rating by locals.
Whether you are looking for a place to relax or whether you are traveling to the forest to camp, hike, fish or just breathe the clean mountain air, this remote location offers visitors a chance a escape from the hustle and bustle of everyday living and just unwind. Pack up the vehicle and take a trip here to explore the numerous adjacent hiking trails with your four legged family member(s) or your better half.
DIRECTIONS:
Chattahoochee-Oconee NF, Take U.S. 76 west from Clayton for 8 miles; turn right (north) Persimmon Rd. (a paved county road) for 5 miles; turn left (northwest) on Forest Service Road 70 for 1 mile to Tallulah River; (another 3 miles to reach Tate Branch and another 5 miles to Sandy Bottom).
At the Tallulah River Campground, our picnic site may look a fright, but we were in nature and out there in nature, in our humble opinion, all one should care about is enjoying nature and hitting the trials.
Our Alaskan Klee Kai did not like being tied up, but their recall is the pits, so we had no other choice but to keep them leashed and tied to a runner. This was for their protection and our peace of mind.
We listened to sounds of rumbling water all night for 2 nights. You would think I would have slept like a baby, but honestly I had a challenging time resting. All I could think about was the waterfalls in the areas and the hiking trails. I spent a great deal of time praying as well and thanking God for allowing us to live in a country where we have the freedom to be in His nature.
Turning left out to the campground, there are several waterfalls all along the road. This is one of many waterfalls in the area.
The above shot may not look like an arduous climb down an embankment, but add in moisture from the waterfall mist and you get slippery footing, which equals a technical climb down to the below waterfall areas.
Tate Branch Campground is deserted this time of year since it's only open from March-October every year.
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