Those looking for a short waterfall hike will appreciate Becky Branch Falls. It is approximately a…read morehalf mile hike round trip from the Warwoman Dell parking area to the falls via Bartram Trail. It can be easily viewed from a small bridge that crosses directly in front of the 20' waterfall. If you are feeling more adventurous, you can continue along Bartram Trail another 1.8 miles to Martin Creek Falls. It is mostly downhill, so the hike there is easy until you must return along the same path. Still, for the most part the trail is not terribly strenuous in any area. I walked this trail with a father and his 6 year old daughter that I met in the Warwoman Dell parking area. This tiny little lady easily conquered the trail, although I'm not sure how she handled the return trip since they stayed to swim in the pool of water at the base of Martin Creek Falls. The trail passes another waterfall that I don't believe has a name. It is a beautiful 8 foot multitiered waterfall, but it's not the big show! Travel approximately 1/3rd of a mile further past this fall to reach Martin Creek Falls. Believe me, it is worth the extra hike. THE AREA However, if you choose to only visit Becky Branch Falls, then be sure to check out the interactive trail through Warwoman Dell. Lots of informative signs will tell you about the area and the woman for whom it is named, Nancy Ward. Pronounced Nanye-hi, this Chreokee woman (whom belonged to the Wolf Clan) fought against the Creek Indians with her Cherokee husband. He was killed in battle, yet Nanye-hi rallied to lead her fellow Cherokees and defeated the Creeks. She was given the prestigious title of Ghighau (Beloved Woman) by her clan, which in turn gave her a council voice regarding decisions of war and peace. She eventually met and married an English trader by the name of Bryant Ward and spent the rest of her days trying to make peace between the Cherokee Nation and the Settlers. SOURCE: Scenic USA - Georgia The trail is a 1.5 mile loop that highlights the variety of plants such as the vast array of ferns, wildflowers and rhododendrons. This I believe is a nod to John Bartram (considered America's first botanist), Father of William Bartram of whom Bartram Trail is named. The trail is also said to have a beautiful scenic overlook, but I was honestly too tired to fully walk the loop trail to discover the view after my waterfall hike. Also along the trail is evidence of 18th century plans to build a railroad through this area. The bed for the railroad can still be seen in Warwoman Dell. FINAL THOUGHTS Family friendly hike that encompasses a lot of the things I love about being out in nature: Waterfalls, scenic views, beautiful plants and historic sites. I can only imagine what this trail looks like in the Spring when the rhododendrons are in bloom. 2018/53

This was a fun trail! I don't know much about hiking but this seemed like a fairly easy hike with a…read moregreat payoff in the form of a very pretty waterfall. We went in early November and saw a handful of other people. There We did not do the loop, instead continuing up on the Martin Creek Falls trail. I highly recommend, if you're up looking for a 4+ mile hike. If I had to make one criticism, it'd be that the trail doesn't go far from the road so you're hearing traffic for the duration of the hike. Not that it's a heavily trafficked road but you can definitely hear passing cars. There is parking just east of the trailhead at Warwoman Dell. Lastly, I had zero cell service on this trail! I got one tiny pulse of 3G at the trailhead, which enabled me to send a text I'd been trying to send since we parked, but nothing other than that. Lack of service aside, I would gladly hike this trail again!

It was a moderate to difficult hike for us. We took the right side up and down It seemed like it…read morewas straight up the mountain. Very rocky and steep. The top was pretty!

This is an all star five star hike. The views up top from the deck are phenomenal as the second…read morehighest spot in Ga after brass town bald. Parking is limited and near residential area so please car pool and don't block driveways!! There are short and long options to get to rabun bald and this one is shortest and least elevation trail

This gem of a waterfall isn't even listed in the brochure of SC waterfalls that I got at Lake…read moreKeowee last year. Good thing I had it bookmarked on here thankx to Richard R. I would have ventured here on my own with my 3 crazy children, but thankfully a friend met us here with her child. Very thankful indeed. The parking area is very small, allowing a few spots for cars. Had no problem finding space on a Tuesday afternoon. The trail to the waterfall is very short, maybe 3-5 minutes. Not difficult at all so that even older folks and toddlers can manage it. The waterfall is gorgeous! There is a small wading area at the base, so we strapped on our water shoes and explored. It's not quite large enough to swim around comfortably, but does become deeper the closer you go to the falls. I did manage to climb up some of the rocks on the left side, but it was quite slippery so I took my time. Apparently, there is access to climb up to the top on the right side as well, but that looked too dangerous for me. We even saw a not-so-small crayfish in the water with its claws. We had this place to ourselves for a good 25 minutes before a young couple showed up. I'm sure it wasn't the romantic moment they were looking for. I really hope the guy wasn't planning a proposal, because when we finally left another family with floats was already heading that way. Haha. Maybe it's not as secluded as I thought. We ended up heading to another waterfall, but on the way there I saw a strange Wild West style town on Hwy. 76. Can anyone tell me what that is all about?? I tried to Google it, but couldn't find it and I need to know that I'm not going crazy and seeing ghost towns. Thank you in advance! Planning on coming back here very soon with my hubby and boys. Happy yelping!

Great spot too spend a couple hours. Beautiful water views great hiking trails Love the fact it's…read moreusually not crowded

*** WARNING: DO NOT ATTEMPT TO HIKE THIS TRAIL ALONE!!! ***…read more Lately I've been wanting to do some off trail hiking because there are hundreds of waterfalls in Northern Georgia that don't have neat, easy to follow "official trails" with signs & blaze marks. Thusly, these trails are less traveled and are better suited for experienced hikers. Not to mention the Coronavirus has me wanting to avoid people as much as possible. Sarah's Creek Falls has been on my radar for a while because the overall hiking distance is relatively short and it boasts TWO LARGE WATERFALLS (+ a smaller one near the campgrounds). ~~~ [ DIRECTIONS TO TRAILHEAD ] Turn North onto Sarah's Creek Road from Warwoman Road. Follow it approx. 1.9 miles to the campground. PASS THE CAMPGROUND ENTRANCE and stay straight on Sarah's Creek Road. You will cross a small bridge over Sarah's Creek in approx. 500 feet. Not long past the bridge the road will fork. STAY LEFT. About 500 yards past the fork you will come to a dirt road on your left. TURN HERE and follow it to the parking area for Sarah's Creek Falls. ~~~ [ THE EXPERIENCE ] Once parked, we secured the car and walked around the forest service gate onto the grassy old service road. HERE'S WHERE IT GETS TRICKY. There is no sign telling where the trail begins off this old road so pay close attention: The old grassy road curves to the right about 200 feet after the gate. Continue to follow for about 750 feet to the last possible trail on the right. There are several faint trails off to your right side but keep going. In total you should walk about 1,000 feet (or 1/5 of a mile) to the trail. The day we visited, the correct trail had pink ribbons tied to the trees at the entrance point guiding you all the way down to the upper falls. To assure you it is the right trail, it parallels the grass road for the first part of the hike as it makes its descent to the creek below. Most of the other faint trails are perpendicular to the road. Also, if you miss this entrance & keep walking the grassy road you will come to a field, which means you've gone about 120 yards too far. *** WARNING: DO NOT ATTEMPT TO HIKE THIS TRAIL ALONE!!! *** ~~~ UPPER SARAH'S CREEK FALLS If you indeed find the correct trail, about halfway down the trail you will see the upper falls over the ridge on your left. At this point, the pink ribbons lead you left towards the upper falls and orange ribbons lead you down to the lower falls. We tried hiking to the upper falls, but there were a great many obstacles along the way. We didn't make it. The upper falls seem to be in two sections. One long drop where the creek disappears and then re-emerges through a narrow flume-like waterfall. LOWER SARAH'S CREEK FALLS Continue past the split in the trail (it will not be obvious) and follow the ridge on its right side as closely as possible. You will begin to hear the roar of the lower falls and soon see the crest through the trees. You will lose the trail near the point you can see the falls, but continue downhill away from the falls until you find the safest route to the creek. We spotted orange ribbons on two trees leading to the creek. Except for the split from the pink ribbons, this was the only other set of orange ribbons we found. Once you reach the river, you must creekwalk your way left to the falls. I did not find the rocks to be slippery in the creek, however, the yellowish colored slab to the left of the lower falls put me on my butt. That sucker was like oil, so be careful! ~~~ [ THINGS TO KNOW ] Hiking Distance: 1.5 miles (roundtrip) Difficulty: Moderate (I do not recommended for inexperienced hikers) Creek Crossings: YES (directly though Sarah's Creek) Elevation Gain: 412 feet Upper Waterfall Height: Approx 200 feet Lower Waterfall Height: Approx 50 feet Access to top of falls: NO Access to base of falls: YES Pool of water @ base of Falls: YES Sitting areas @ base: YES RESTROOMS: NO PARKING: YES (4+ cars) ~~~ [ FINAL THOUGHTS ] The upper falls are HUGE, but it was nearly impossible to reach with all the downed trees. Lower falls are not as big but still VERY, VERY, VERY IMPRESSIVE. Satellite images show another waterfall about 500 feet downstream from the lower falls. I plan to venture back here to see if I can find it and attempt the upper falls one more time with a machete. Google Earth has increased my adventuresome spirit, because satellite images show me what is out there... it's just a matter of finding my way to it! PLEASE, I can't stress it enough because of the remote off-trail nature of this hike: DO NOT ATTEMPT TO HIKE THIS TRAIL ALONE OR WITH CHILDREN!!! It is not a well-marked trail and has the potential of getting you lost. Plus, if you injure yourself help might not come for days since this trail is not popular! A smart idea might be to bring chalk of you own color choosing to mark trees to help you and a partner find your way back. 2020 / 18

As Richard Mentioned in his review, this probably isn't a trail you want to tackle alone. In fact…read moremore than once we got ourselves turned around and placed on a different trail before we realized our error. Lots of back tracking later and we finally found the trail to Sarah's Creek Falls. Before getting to the falls themselves, how do you get to the trail?? By car you're basically getting on Sarah's creek road. Stay on Sarah's creek road until a natural fork in the road is reached. From here take the left fork and follow a dirt road that comes up on your left. The actual parking area for Sarah's creek is basically a clearing that is blocked off by a Road closed gate. This made me concerned about leaving my car, but ultimately it's where you'll leave yours for this hike. From that above paragraph, let's just be clear that the falls trail is a challenge to find, and can also be a challenge to navigate, even to the trail itself. You'll want to walk past the road closed sign and follow the natural curve around. Here's the issue...you will see many smaller trails that look legit, but actually are not. IGNORE these trails (we did not, which added several minutes and steps to our hike). You're going to be looking for a couple of pink ribbons that denote the entrance to the trail to the right. Descend down the trail and follow these pink ribbons that frame the trail along the way. Some of the ribbons have fallen off the tree (we tied them back on as best we could) but they do an okay of taking you where you need to go. I say okay job because the ribbons become very sparse at the Lower Sarah's creek fall trail. This is concerning because you reach the Upper Sarah's creek fall trail first on the left. This is marked great, but there was also lots of path blockers including downed trees and heavy overgrowth. Am I saying this trail is impassable? With effort it may be, but we decided to back track out of there and continue down to the other trail. Going further down to the Lower creek trail, again, the blaze ribbons become sparse, and you really just have to follow your ears. A final ribbon leads to a flowing but shallow creek. Walk through this towards the left carefully, until you're standing directly in front of the Lower falls, which are gorgeous and have a height of approximately 50 feet, flowing into a pool. Be careful because the rocks are slippery but the trail was worth it going down. Going back up the trail and to those initial pink ribbons that showed the entrance to the trail was tough. It was straight up, and in this 1.5 mile in and out trail, the out part will set your thighs on fire. We made it out, and as a bonus tip, don't just go back to your car at the trail entrance, hang a right and walk towards the Grassy knoll to your left. Hear that sound? You can actually see the top of the Upper falls taking a small trail down from that grassy knoll. that gives you a frame of reference of how big the falls are...or basically it's roughly a 200 foot drop. Too bad the upper falls trail was blocked to us! Again guys, this is not a state park and not a well marked or traveled trail. Don't do the hike alone! Going down is no problem at all but coming up is going to work you, so keep that in mind also. Notice as well that while I mentioned the beauty of the falls, I mentioned nothing about the trail it self. Why? It's not a pretty hike, it's overgrown and you're just looking at branches and dirt road. Beautiful falls, overgrown, isolated trails that aren't pretty and are tough getting out of. Worth it? Oh yea!

Hike no. 1 in the Nantahala National Forest was at Glen Falls Trail. It's a moderate out-and-back…read morehike that is 2.4 miles. Make sure you stop at all of the lookouts on the way down because the views are amazing and so is the waterfall at the end. It's a must visit.

Beautiful trail but strenuous workout. I thought we were about to the end but when we tracked…read moreelevation on the way back up, it seems we only did half the trail and I was still tired. There are no benches to sit and rest, but there are steps and rocks aplenty. I come from a place where you can get in almost all waterfalls and it's torture being so close to a beautiful one and not being able to reach in and feel the water, but it is a beautiful hike and perfectly shaded from sun. There was GPS reception going in, but we didn't get it until going the mile back out of the dead end street to the main roads again, so check the start of directions back before you go.

We drove to Fall Creek Falls today and hiked from the nature center through the trailhead all the…read moreway to the actual falls. We saw about 3 scenic spots to take pictures and along the trail they had signs for other trails(which weren't that much of a detour). At the end of the trail to get to the twin falls it was breathing, well worth the hike but it was very strenuous.

You will totally miss this hidden gem if you are not paying close attention…read more The trailhead is located along Fall Creek Falls dirt road, but there are no signs indicating the trailhead nor is there an adequate pull-off for cars. Since we saw no indication for a trail, I just parked in the best spot possible as I listened for the falls with my car windows down. Turns out when I got out of the car and walked over to the edge of the road, there was a STEEP trail barely visible through the vegetation. The trail leads straight down to the creek, where you will encounter the upper part of the falls. Look to your right and continue downhill to the base of the upper falls, which is about 25-30 feet tall. This was as far as I explored and I was bummed to find out after getting home that there were TWO more waterfalls just a short distance below what I thought was the main falls. The second one is 35 feet tall, multilayered and quite spectacular based on the online pictures I found. The third is shorter, but still attractive. So if you come here, please note the distance to the falls is VERY short, but it is also VERY STEEP and semi-difficult, especially on the return. Enjoy! 2019/77

Wanna know a secret???…read more There are waterfalls all over this region of the South just waiting to be discovered. Many are known and many more are unknown. While I've been hiking this area for nearly a decade, I only recently heard about this waterfall for the first time last year (2019). A well kept local secret indeed... but y'all dun let the wrong yelper discover this waterfall and the secret is about to be let out! [ THE DRIVE ] There are a shocking amount of natural waterfalls located on private property throughout this area. Thankfully this is not one of them and it can be enjoyed by all. The gravel road to the trailhead is known as Big Creek Road. Since we were coming from the King Creek Waterfall area near Tamassee SC, GPS lead us to the eastern end of Horse Cove Road, which is also known as Bull Pen Road closer to the Chattooga River (where you pass over a cool old iron bridge). I tell you these details because if you happen to follow our driving route on a week after heavy rainfalls, you are likely to see a great number of unnamed waterfalls off in the woods. We counted 5, and only one of them was a named waterfall on Google maps (Scotsman Falls). [ THE EXPERIENCE ] We traveled along Walking Stick Road until it took a sharp right turn towards Big Creek Road. On the day we visited, there was a locked gate blocking the drive onto Big Creek Road, so we parked in a small little niche near the gate and walked about 200 yards to the Secret Falls trailhead (which is marked with a narrow sign). The trail was very muddy, but the descent was slow and steady for the majority of the half mile hike. However, it gets considerably steeper as you approach the portion of the trail leading to the base of the falls. Here you will see poorly maintained wooden timbers actings as steps.They were so poor in fact, that we opted not to use them and walked alongside them. The waterfall was raging from all the recent rain, which limited some of our photo opportunities. It is a gorgeous waterfall with picturesque cascades both above and below it. The cascades below comes as the river takes a sharp left turn just past the pool of water at the base of the falls. Accessing the upper waterfall area is easily done by using a small obvious trail off to the left just before the wooden steps. A downed tree forces you to scramble over it and around large rhododendrons that are bent over from the weight of the fallen tree. Once through the brush, you will be directly on top of the falls, so be careful and exercise good judgement. [ THINGS TO KNOW ] Hiking Distance: 1.3 miles Difficulty: Easy and family friendly (but can be muddy) Creek Crossings: YES (3) Elevation Gain: 255 feet Waterfall Height: Approx 45 feet Access to top of falls: YES Access to base of falls: YES Pool of water @ base of Falls: YES Sitting areas @ base: YES RESTROOMS: NO PARKING: YES if gate is open. [ FINAL THOUGHTS ] THE SECRET IS OUT!!! This is a great waterfall for an easy family adventure. We came in the winter, but seems this would be a great picnic spot where kids could play in the water for hours in the summer. The drive to nearby Highlands, NC is only about 6.5 miles away for plenty of food options and even more waterfall adventures. Near Highlands are a number of GREAT waterfalls with very short hiking distances including Ranger Falls, Bust Yer Butt Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, Cullasaja River Falls and our personal favorites: Glen Falls, Dry Falls, Mud Falls and Estatoah Falls (which is hidden just next to the Sky Valley Scenic Overlook). ENJOY!!! 2020 / 4

I was somewhat surprised that there are not more reviews of this trail/waterfall. I believe that…read morethe real name of this falls is Big Shoals Falls. In his book on NC waterfalls, Kevin Adams referred to it as Secret Falls and the name seems to have stuck. For years, there was no official trail to this waterfall and the one unofficial trail which existed traversed private property. I've been visiting the area for thirty years and this (October 2021) was my first visit to this waterfall. Bottom line: It is awesome. Truly one of the more beautiful waterfalls that I've been to. I have to disagree with the previous reviewer: IMO, this trail is in horrible shape. Granted, reviews like these are entirely subjective. But I would definitely not bring young children or dogs here. When I visited, the trail was really in bad shape. The first part of the hike was fairly easy. But the farther you go, the worse the trail becomes. Erosion had taken a terrible toll. There are many rutted and washed-out areas. Some were so bad that hikers have bypassed the trail completely. The final descent to the base of the falls was the worst. Wooden steps had been constructed. But the erosion was so bad that much of the soil behind the steps had washed out making the steps all but unusable. There are two water crossings on the trail. One was a couple of planks stretched across a small branch. The other was on a split log over a somewhat larger stream. Neither was too difficult. Then again, the faint-of-heart would probably not care for either one. Trekking poles helped me on both. I was not able to find a path to the brink of the falls. I tried one crude path which seemed to be incredibly choked with rhododenron. So I gave up on getting to the top of the falls. There is a much smaller cascade downstream of the main falls. As with the brink, I could not figure out how to get to it. I visited early in the morning and had the place all to myself. The lighting wasn't terrific. I'm not sure what time or sky conditions are ideal for photography. I drove in on Rich Gap and Big Creek Roads off of Hwy 28 south of Highlands. It wasn't too bad of a drive in my 2WD F-150. But I believe that the drive out on Walking Stick Rd to Horse Cove Rd east of town was easier. If you love waterfalls, definitely put this one on your must-see list. But be aware of the fact that the hike is a challenge. Not so much due to elevation change (which is moderate) but, rather, due to the overall condition of the trail.

Beautiful falls but only gave it 4 stars because it's the kind of place that you get to it, take a…read morepicture, and leave. After walking down wooden stairs, you end up on a viewing deck. The waterfall is in the distance. It's a fairly easy hike. Getting there is easy but after you do have to walk back up the stairs but there is a bench at the halfway point to take a rest. We did this along with Silver Run Falls, 9 miles away. Both of these hikes are fairly easy and would be good for small children and/or dogs. I recommend doing both of these falls on same day because you can easily do both within 90 minutes.

The area is a very complicated series of different jurisdictions; this is federal land under the…read moreFish and Wildlife Service. A parking lot has self-pay stations for a small fee (national parks passes can be displayed in your car instead). The walk to a first view is short, but if you can handle a stair workout, the resulting platform is eminently worthwhile. I've done my fair share of waterfall viewings, and you could hardly imagine a better sight than this complex cascade and the fall color show I arrived just in time for. A separate trail ran down into the valley, with signs saying there were no more waterfall views; and thus presumably no way to get to the falls directly.