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    Issaqueena Falls

    4.9 (15 reviews)

    Issaqueena Falls Photos

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    Nicki K.

    Short hike, beautiful, tall waterfall. Small parking lot though. No restrooms. The trail ends at an overlook. However, you could go even closer. The trail going down is pretty steep. Coming up, had to use the tree roots to help me. I had a great workout where my thighs were sore for days haha. I only wish I was able to get even closer to the waterfall to take photos. I'm clumsy so I also have to be careful. 37/2020

    Path from the parking lot
    Jamarcus T.

    I really don't know what I was expecting from Issaqueena Falls when we pulled up into their parking lot, but I got more than I expected that's for sure. Such a beautiful waterfall that had some great size to it! Here's the great joy of Issaqueena Falls...it's accessible to practically everyone, considering you can see the falls head on from a viewing area and not even a quarter of a mile away. There is a steep path that gets you right in front of the waterfall. On my first visit to Issaqueena my girlfriend and I didn't take the path down, but on our second visit, I did take the trail down, and it really was worth the experience, considering you get the best views of this pretty large waterfall at its base. I recommend doing it if you think you have the stamina for it, and you're okay with steep trails. Bottom line, be careful going down this path. We paid Issaqueena a visit immediately after it rained, and when we tried to tackle the Yellow trail, a 1.5 mile trail that connects to Issaqueena and is a one way trail (i.e. 3 miles round trip) near the parking lot, we were turned around after a half mile or so due to the mud puddles and us not having the right shoes. Again, yet another reason to pay this lovely place another visit! Very easy to find from the interstate, it's a lovely place to bring family with all the picnic tables, and if you're not really feeling the falls, there is the nearby Stumphouse Tunnel that you can explore. Rounding out this nature spot are bike trails and a camping area that really rounds out this place. FYI, no restrooms here, but there is a port-a-potty, and yep it smells about how you think it might smell, so plan accordingly. I really enjoyed myself here, and like others have said, you can find yourself spending an entire day stumbling across waterfalls along this trail, or just a short drive down the way. Issaqueena Falls is a gem, and if you're ever near Walhalla, you owe it to yourself to pop in and see the falls here.

    Parking area
    Richard R.

    Beautiful waterfall and super short hike! Issaqueena Falls is supposedly named after a Native American girl who betrayed her tribe by warning nearby white settlers that her tribe was planning to attack their encampment. If you visit as many waterfalls as I do and hear the backstories to them, they almost always involve a Native American woman and a similar tale of tragedy. Inadvertently I've started to give many of these stories the side-eye when hearing them. Especially since so many seem to be identical in nature, like a young Indian girl falling in love but her father (usually the Chief) forbids it, so she throws herself off a waterfall or ledge in protest to show her love. I've heard that one several times for a number of waterfalls or cliffs, so please excuse me if I'm skeptical. Not to mention the girl sounds overly dramatic, borderline psychotic and perhaps even a STAGE 5 Clinger! But in any case, Issaqueena is a gorgeous waterfall viewable within a few hundred feet of the parking area, make it a very family, kid and elderly-friendly natural site. Just past the viewing platform you can take a very steep trail to the base of the falls, which I HIGHLY RECOMMEND for the best pics, but not for small children. I'm not sure of its total height, but the main waterfall looks to be about 100' or more with cascades and a second drop adding about 40 additional feet. There are several picnic tables and grills near the parking area as well as a covered bridge over the main stream that feeds the waterfall. Also nearby is Stumphouse Tunnel, a pre-Civil War railroad project that was began in the mid 1850's and never completed. [ FINAL THOUGHTS ] Across the main road (Hwy 28) from Issaqueena is Yellow Branch Recreation Area which features yet another gorgeous waterfall via a 1.5 mile (one way) hiking trail. You could easily spend several hours in the area hiking to some fantastic waterfalls and afterwards having a meal in nearby Walhalla where a restaurant by the name of King Taco will surely satisfy. Enjoy! 2019/13

    Jessica L.

    I hiked this trail with several others Yelpers on my first "Off the Grid" hiking Unofficial Yelp Event. You can hear the waterfall from the parking lot! That's how close it is! There is a fairly decent sized parking lot. You only have to take a few steps and there is a bird's eye view of the falls from a nice sized observation deck. If you would like different view of the falls (i.e. looking up/closer view), the you can hike down the side of the rocks to get closer. I would consider the hike down (& back up) "difficult." It is very steep and you have to use roots and the trees to hold onto. The ground was pretty slippery/mushy when we went, so we had to be careful of that too. I had to use my upper and lower body strength for this hike! Luckily, it is not a long hike down and really rewarding when you get to the bottom, because you can look up and see just how far the observation deck is. This is another great waterfall to get some beautiful pictures.

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    4 years ago

    Beautiful place to take your family hiking there's a light there to see in enjoying nature and go in there since I was a little girl

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    6 years ago

    Easy access and awesome views. Love to bring visitors or just come and sit.

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    Review Highlights - Issaqueena Falls

    Knowing that the Cherokee believed evil spirits lived in the waterfall, she pretended to leap to her death.

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    Bay's Covered Bridge

    Bay's Covered Bridge

    (1 review)

    I began my solo hike from the Smithgall Woods Visitors Center. There I was given a map and a few…read morebrief highlights of points of interest, like the waterfalls and gold mine. I then set off one what turned out to be a 4.5 hour adventure. The trail starts off as a fairly steep incline. Along the way I saw a sign saying "caution - bees". I thought that was a curious warning until I noticed the white honey bee houses in the woods nearby. Next came the wetlands with a one mile looping trail and a boardwalk into the marshes. Here you have a strong possibility of seeing a beaver at work on a dam. I decided to save this area for my return hike and I'm glad I did. My energy on the return leg was running very low and I needed the benches here for a nice long rest. I reached the covered bridge about 37 minutes after leaving the visitors center. It was a real beauty made in the simple Town Lattice style. The memorial plaque at the entrance was titled "Bay's Bridge In loving memory of 'Bay' Elizabeth Smithgall Watts", whom died the year the land for the state park was gifted. It crosses the amazing mountain stream known as Duke's Creek. The creek from here will be a large part of your journey. The trail turns to gravel just past the bridge. Had I returned to the parking area from the bridge it would have only taken me a tad over one hour, but I pressed on. ----- FINAL THOUGHTS In total I hiked approximately 7.5 miles today and Bay's Covered Bridge was one of my favorite highlights! Smithgall Woods State Park is indeed a wonderful place for those who love nature and peaceful hiking venues. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND giving them and this magnificent bridge a visit. 2016/33

    Toccoa Falls - Gift shop at Toccoa Falls

    Toccoa Falls

    (49 reviews)

    Toccoa Falls sits deep within the campus of Toccoa Falls College, a private Christian institution…read morefounded in 1907 and spread across 1,100 acres in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The waterfall drops 186 feet, making it one of the tallest free‑fall waterfalls east of the Mississippi, a height confirmed in the college's own materials and widely cited in public references . On a quiet Sunday morning with off and on rain, we followed the campus road to the visitor parking area and made the short, level walk to the entrance. There is a small admission charge, and while modest, it clearly supports the upkeep of the site, which remains clean, orderly, and well maintained. Inside the gift shop, the two young women (definitely students as they were working on a class paper) working the counter were friendly and quick to point me toward their display of fridge magnets amongst so many other trinkets and mementoes. After paying for admission and the magnet, Mrs. K. and I stepped back outside and followed the path along the creek toward the falls. Even in late winter, with the drizzle coming and going, the setting felt peaceful, the kind of place where the sound of water takes over long before the falls come into view. The waterfall itself is undeniably impressive. The free‑fall drop is higher than American Falls at Niagara, and the roar was loud enough to fill the entire basin even on a rainy morning. We stood for a while, taking in the height, the mist, and the steady power of the water before snapping our pictures and heading back toward the dry Sprinter. As quick stops go, it was exactly right: easy to reach, beautifully maintained, and worth every minute of the detour. [Review 254 of 2026 - 951 in Georgia - 25443 overall]

    Visited the beautiful waterfall today! It was a short 3-5 minute walk through the back of the gift…read moreshop. Price is $2 per person and it was worth it. We arrived at 1:05 and they were setting up for a wedding. It wasn't crowded when we first got there, but after about 30 minutes it started to fill up with tourists/visitors. Saturday hours are only 4 hours from noon to 4:00, so keep that in mind.

    Holcomb Creek Falls & Ammons Falls Trail - This is Holcomb Creek Falls. You receive the payoff first. Now comes the moderately-difficult climb back to your car.

    Holcomb Creek Falls & Ammons Falls Trail

    (2 reviews)

    I have a hard time giving a natural and scenic area less than five stars. As the previous reviewer…read morementioned, this is not an easy hike. Nor is it particularly easy to get to the trailhead. But I've experienced far worse access roads and I've hiked more difficult trails. The USFS road to the trailhead is typical gravel. I took Overflow Creek Rd both ways and I believe that it is easier to traverse than is Hale Ridge Rd. Depending upon when you visit (i.e., the weather during the previous week or so), it could be pretty rough - rutted, muddy, etc. But it isn't horrible. The hike is rather strenuous. Make that...the hike OUT. It is all downhill - and rather steep - going in. Easy-peasy. But you know what that means for the return trip. Yep. It'll get your heart pounding. Personally, I would not bring my dog here. He loves waterfalls. But there are others that are more pet-friendly in terms of ruggedness. In my opinion, it would be easy for Fido to get hurt here. Same with young children. But if you have kids that are experienced in the outdoors, they'd probably do OK. As far as the waterfalls go, they don't get much better. Both are incredible. They're pretty close to one another. So when you get to the first one (Holcomb), the remaining trek to Ammons Creek Falls isn't bad. There are two options for hiking out. Between the two falls is a side trail that takes you back up and brings you out on the road a good distance away (1/4-1/2 mile?) from the parking area. Once you get to the road, it's pretty easy to get back to your car. I did this on a visit many years ago. Too long ago to comment on it. As I recall, it is more challenging than hiking out on the main trail. And the main trail is no cake walk. On my most-recent visit, I opted for the main trail as the spur seemed terribly overgrown. If you're in reasonably good shape, you'll have no problem. Just take your time and enjoy the scenery.

    Holcomb Creek trail a relatively short hike with TWO waterfall payoffs! However, it has a few…read morechallenges, so let me get the negatives out of the way up front! A) The trail to the falls is a steep downhill hike, which is awesome going down, but a beast returning up. B) Parking is EXTREMELY limited and the gravel road to the trailhead is LONG and narrow, so cars coming from the opposite direction feel like a tight and heavily calculated squeeze. One side of the road is a sheer drop to certain doom or at the very least sever car damage! C) Parts of this hike feel like you are walking through a haunted forest. I mean, even on a bright sunny day (like today) there were two areas that were so dense with growth that it seemed to black out the sun. Add to that the gnarly twisted branches of the plants that made it look even creepier. I seriously got spooked since I was the only living human being on this trail! I'm no Scaredy Cat, but I found myself looking around for Orcs and grabbing a random dead tree branch as a staff like I were the gray wizard (or in my case the brown wizard). D) The trail past Holcomb Creek Falls to Ammon Falls is a steep uphill climb for about 1/4 of a mile. But putting those negatives aside, these are two HUGE waterfalls worthy of a scary walk through the woods. Holcomb Creek Falls is said to be 120' tall and Ammon Falls is probably around 65'. Both have spectacular straight-on unobstructed views, but Holcomb is best viewed from the rocks at its base. You can easily access this area by walking over the bridge viewing area and turning left. Climb a few large boulders and voilà, you will be standing at the stone feet of this mammoth. Ammon is best viewed from the observation deck which is in need of some repair. NOTES - Watch the missing deck board and chipped wood railing (unless you enjoy splinters in your hand). The sun is directly at the top of Holcomb Falls around 3:45pm, making picture taking difficult. DIRECTIONS: From Atlanta take I-985 which eventually turns into Hwy 441. Turn right off Hwy 441 onto Warwoman Road in Clayton, GA. Travel for about 10 miles and turn left onto Hales Ridge Road. Here you will see a brown sign indicating turn left for Holcomb Creek and Bartram Trail. Stay on this gravel road for about 7 miles until it dead ends @ Overflow Road. Trail is to the left of the intersection and marked with a large boulder that says Holcomb Creek Trail. Parking is to the right of the intersection. FINAL THOUGHTS Great short hike with excellent payoffs! But remember when hiking, what goes down must come back up! If you hike only this trail, your legs will be fine, but if this is your third trail of the day (like me), your legs will feel like linguini when your done. I'm gonna soak in my tub all night! PS - Other nearby trails to excellent waterfalls include Bartram Trail to Martin's Creek Falls & Becky Branch Falls, Dick's Creek Falls trailhead, Mud Creek Falls in Sky Valley and Glen Falls trail in Highlands, NC. 2018/52

    Issaqueena Falls - localflavor - Updated May 2026

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