Run to Black Rock Mountain State Park! From the moment we arrived at the visitor center, we enjoyed…read morebreathtaking views. The views throughout the park are epic and the hiking is superb. Jack the gentleman at the entrance was beyond helpful and likely saved us from our own demise. As we were wandering about, he kindly interjected and offered us a map along with some detailed instructions regarding the various trails. We then explored a few trails to include the Ada-Hi Falls Trail and the Tennessee Rock Trail. We enjoyed all the views but would recommend a walking stick. The guide shop at the visitor center has some great merchandise including many items from local businesses. Furthermore, the prices were fair.

What a beautiful campground, especially in October when the leaves are changing…read more Each reserved lot has access to electricity, a picnic table, and a nice fire pit. Dogs are more than welcome. In fact, most of the people there brought one or two dogs. The lots vary in size from canvas tent and car all the way to travel bus. It's great for a weekend trip away from the city noise!

These falls are gorgeous. But they you will need an suv to ford the river on sandy ford road to get…read moreto trailhead. Currently the bridge to dicks creek is out and you have to either walk on stopping stones, walk on a tree log across or get in the water. All options are worth it as you will love seeing these falls and sitting ththere for hours. So plan ahead and u won't be ddisappointed

There are two things about Georgia that make me scratch my head. One would be some of the old laws…read morethat are still on the books here, such as: 1) It is illegal to keep a donkey in a bathtub. 2) No one may carry an ice cream cone in their back pocket on a Sunday. 3) In Atlanta, it is against the law to tie a giraffe to a telephone pole or street lamp. WHAT'S IN A NAME? The other thing that makes me scratch my head is how notorious Georgia is for having several places with the same name. Metro Atlanta has over 200 streets with the name Peachtree. Also, if you are looking at a map leading to THIS waterfall, you will notice a town by the name of Pine Mountain in the upper right corner of the state. However, there is also a town by the same name one hour south of Atlanta. Similarly, there are two Dick's Creek (as if one weren't enough) and both have waterfalls bearing their name. The other is "smaller", located about 55 miles east of these falls and is a gorgeous 20-foot multi-tiered waterfall with a swimming hole at the base of the final drop. It is (in my opinion) one of the best-looking waterfalls in Georgia and no hiking required to reach it. You can practically park on the upper tier and find your way down to the swimming hole below. A small waterfall that proves its how you use it that counts. THE HIKE THIS Dick's Creek Falls (located in Rabun County) is much taller @ 60' and looks like a giant Slip n' Slide. To get to the waterfall you must travel Sandy Ford Road until it intersects with the Bartram Trail. Follow the trail north until you cross Dick's Creek. Turn right after crossing the first foot bridge and when you see a second foot bridge on your right, cross it also and continue to follow the trail straight. There will be a small opening on the right side of the trail that leads you to the top of the falls. The vantage point here will allow you to see upstream of the Chattooga River. Continue a few hundred feet down the trail to find an opening that leads you into the Chattooga River. I did not find a direct trail to the base of the falls, but from this opening expect to get your feet wet! You must get wet IF you want a great photo of the falls. But don't fret, the view downstream and upstream on the river is actually more beautiful than the waterfall itself. The river bends and cascades 100 yards from the base of the falls and creates a very unique photo opportunity. The Chattooga River was not deep or raging the day I visited, so the current was mild. It only came as high as my thigh as I crossed over the weirdly hairy stones and a sandy bottom, which I suppose is where Sandy Ford Road gets its name. Upstream I could see kayakers approaching and on the dry boulders near the rivers bend there were sunbathers. The most attractive thing about Dick's Creek Falls is the area surrounding the falls is simply one of the best looking of any of the waterfalls I've been to in the state. Picturesque is the only world that comes to mind. NOTES: While driving to the trailhead, if you stay on Sandy Ford Road past the trail entrance it will lead to a beach-like area off the Chattooga River. This area is downstream of the falls. Also, there are only three places a vehicle could park comfortably near the trailhead. [ DIRECTIONS ] From US-23 (Hwy 441) in Clayton, Georgia travel east on Rickman Road. In 1/2 a mile it will merge into Warwoman Road. 5.3 miles from here make a slight right onto Sandy Ford Road. Stay right and follow it down to the small concrete bridge over Warwoman Creek. Stay on this road approximately 3.2 miles to the Bartram Trailhead (you will see wooden signs). Follow the trailhead to the left of the road as you drove in. The trail to the right will take you back to Warwoman Dell and NOT towards the falls. Once on the trail, make a sharp right after you cross the first foot bridge then another right when you see a second footbridge and follow the sounds of rushing water. Overall trail is about 1.2 miles round trip and not very steep. FINAL THOUGHTS A beautiful waterfall and a even more beautiful natural area to bring the family on a hike (and play in the water). Just know there is no easy way to get a full and unobstructed photo of the falls without walking out into the Chattooga River. I did see what seemed to be an unsanctioned side trail to the base, but it was steep and didn't at all look safe. Another option would be to bring your own kayak and launch from further upstream. Here also is a link to the OTHER Dick's Creek Falls just in case you have a little more adventure in you after your visit: https://www.yelp.com/biz/dicks-creek-falls-cleveland?osq=Dick%27s+Creek+Falls 2018/56

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!

There's a big lake…read more There are mountains. There are rocks. There are trees. Most importantly, it's dog-friendly. I highly recommend stopping here if you're passing through Western North Carolina.

Lake Chatuge is a beautiful lake located in Hiawassee, Georgia within the Appalachian Mountains…read more The lake like all lakes in Georgia is a man made and was created in 1942 with the Chatuge Dam. The name comes from the Cherokee village that was once located there. The total lake covers over almost 11 square miles and has a maxium depth of 144 feet. The most common fish here are the spotted bass, channel catfish, black crappies and large and small mouth bass. If you have children a great place to take them is the Towns County Recreational Beach located at 525 US-76. They have a playground there and a beach for the kids to swim and play in. They also have bathrooms, picnic tables, bathrooms and showers at the beach. For those who plan to come to Lake Chatuge beware that during holidays, like Memorial Day weekend the lake is extremely packed, which makes it almost impossible to fish off the shore with the heavy traffic causing too much wake. [Review #542] (22nd Review Of 2018)

Upper Moccasin Creek Falls is a true hidden treasure. If waterfalls were rated on attractiveness,…read morethis one would be a 10!!! ~~~ THE EXPERIENCE You start out on the Hemlock Falls Trail. The trail follows Moccasin Creek closely for its entire length to the falls. The beauty of Moccasin Creek is that nearly all of it is fast flowing water, loaded with endless cascades and multiple waterfalls. You will see at least a dozen waterfalls before you even reach Upper Moccasin Creek Falls. This is due to the river dropping from 2800 feet elevation to 1868 feet elevation on its way to Lake Burton. That's over 932 feet in a 5 mile stretch. There are around 7 falls between 8-12 feet tall and many more that are only 5-8 feet tall, but gorgeous in their own right. My visit was after a 4 day period of rainfall that saturated everything north of Atlanta in Georgia, so the water volume was great. Also, this sort of saturation spawns several other waterfalls that would likely be dry in a less rainy seasons. We found THREE large ribbon-like waterfalls at least 35-50' in height just off the trail looking into the woods. They were not on Moccasin Creek itself, but acted as tributaries [a river or stream flowing into a larger river or body of water]. There is even a small 5 foot waterfall directly on the trail. ~~~ UPPER MOCCASIN CREEK FALLS On my first attempt I was defeated trying to make it to this 2nd waterfall, which is a gorgeous 40' drop upstream. I tried to follow the trail past Hemlock Falls, but did not realize you must cross through Moccasin Creek about 50 yards past the crest of the falls. Once on the other side of the creek you will pick up a faint trail that keeps you above the river most of the 3/4 of a mile journey. I CAN'T STRESS ENOUGH that you MUST CROSS through the creek above Hemlock Falls. On my first attempt a few weeks prior, I did not cross through the creek and went as far as I could before reaching an impenetrable rhododendron patch. To reach Upper Moccasin Creek Falls, the creek must be on your right side, not your left. * * * NOTE - The trail to Upper Moccasin Creek Falls is considerably more difficult than the first half of the trail to Hemlock Falls. The trail is not too hard to follow, but it can be hard to see at times if you aren't familiar with hiking. Also, it can be very dangerous in some areas because sheer drops of 30-50 feet are only one footstep away. You will have to climb over and around lots of downed trees. * * * WEAR SHOES WITH GRIP, otherwise don't bother with this trail on days after recent rainfall. Once you reach the falls, we found the easiest trail down to the base was closest to the top of the falls. I regret not using a small spur trail to visit the top of the falls while heading down to the base. Satellite images on Google Earth show what looks like another smaller waterfall or cascade just above Upper Moccasin Creek Falls. ~~~ [ THINGS TO KNOW ] Hiking Distance: 3.5 miles (roundtrip) Difficulty: Moderate (I do not recommend for children under 12 or elderly) Creek Crossings: YES (1 bridged & 1 directly though Moccasin Creek) Elevation Gain: 752 feet Waterfall Height: Approx 40 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 (12+ cars) ~~~ FINAL THOUGHTS Upper Moccasin Creek Falls is one of the most attractive waterfalls I've seen on one of the most attractive rivers in the state. It is full of cascades and secondary waterfalls to delight the ears and dazzle the eyes. But it is not for the casual walker, it requires a little skill and spirit of adventure. It is not terribly difficult, but it also is not for the faint of heart. ENJOY! 2020 / 17

If I knew that Upper Moccasin Creek Falls was as pretty as it ended up being, I would have visited…read moreit sooner when I paid Hemlock Falls Trail a visit a couple years back! So lets start there. To even reach Upper Moccasin Creek falls, you first need to get yourself to Hemlock falls Trail, which is right across the street from Moccasin Creek State park. Drive on into the Hemlock falls trail, which turns into dirt/gravel road. There'll be a trail parking lot and a noticeable trail that ultimately takes you to Hemlock Falls, which is about a mile to Hemlock falls. If you make it to Hemlock falls, which is a fine waterfall, that's just fine! However, if you want to see a much bigger, larger and "whoa" worthy falls, take the trail to just to the right of the opening that leads you to Hemlock. First things first, and this is a cautionary tale from Richard R. If you want to get to Upper Moccasin Creek falls, you have to cross the flowing water above Hemlock falls so that the creek is on your right. Yep, the water feeding hemlock is what you need to cross. When we did cross it it ended up being for us, just about knee deep (I'm 6'1"). Once you cross over, the trail to Upper Moccasin Creek is easily able to follow, but while easy to follow, understand it's also much more challenging than the trail to Hemlock. While more challenging, it's not overbearing or impossible to do. It is slippery, muddy at times, which sucks because the trail sometimes narrows to some pretty large drops you don't want to be a victim of. Heading to the actual falls requires you going down a steep decline to a large set of rocks that rest right in front of the falls. Stand on this (CAREFULLY) and bask at the glory. The actual waterfall is roughly 40 feet, and it crashes powerfully into a pool just at the bottom of the falls. Can you swim in the pool? I don't see why not but I didn't. You can't take bad photos here and while it was tiresome to get here, I think it was worth it. This is coming from a guy who does NOT like getting wet on hikes. Just over 3 miles is the round trip of this hike, and again while the trail to hemlock is not so bad, Upper Moccasin is a bit more of a challenge. I don't recommend tackling this by yourself. Long story short, the falls here were beautiful, which includes Hemlock falls. If you're in this area and you want to see a really beautiful fall that requires some work to get to it, do yourself a favor and check it out!

A must see when in Macon County. Beautiful twisty drive up and when skies are clear you can see…read moreforever. Short walk to the fire tower.

The fire tower provides a breathtaking 360 degree view, well worth the moderate hike required to…read moreget to the top. The view reminded me of Pike's Peak more than anywhere else, though obviously the elevation is quite a bit lower. Lots of nice peaks in all directions, and the tower provides a perfect vantage point. Access the trail via Otter Creek Road / Tellico Road, which is gravel near the trailhead. There is parking at the trailhead for at least six vehicles, maybe more. There are actually two trails to the top, the Appalachian Trail, (to the left) and a rocky jeep trail on the right that heads directly up the mountain. I strongly recommend you take the AT to the left. The AT route is about 1.5 miles up, and while being in good shape certainly helps, this 42 year old with a slight (moderate) beer belly was able to make continuous progress, arriving at the top in about 45 minutes with a bit of huffing and puffing. I doubt I would ever have gotten to the top on the jeep trail, which is relentlessly steep and very strenuous. Even the aerobically challenged can come back down the jeep trail, assuming they are blessed with good knees and a willingness to descend on loose gravel. I came back down the jeep trail, which probably shaved 15 minutes off the return trip. That said, if I were doing it again I would go both ways on the AT. As it turns out, descending a steep and rocky trail isn't that much fun either. A very nice hike indeed, with amazing scenery at the top. I didn't see any natural water sources, snakes, nor bears, though the last two are possibilities. I would not recommend doing this hike without some water at hand, even on a cool day. The AT is narrow at places, but well marked. You really can't miss the trail, unless you take the jeep path at the trailhead by mistake, which is easily done. Roundtrip hike took me about two hours, with ample time at the top for gawking and picture taking. Recommended!

The place is absolutely wonderful. It's kept impeccable There's all sorts of things to do and it…read morejust seems like everybody's friends here. Highly recommend it.

This campground is a real gem. It is small (about 30 sites). Sites are well maintained and shady…read more Also very level. Bath house is kept clean. Scenery is beautiful. Absolutely a great place to relax and enjoy peace and quite. I can not say enough about the owners. Great people! They really care that you have an enjoyable stay. Louie really is amazing. He can direct anybody how to park on there sites without alot of fuss and bother. Plus he came to our rescue when our hot water heater wouldn't work. Thank you Louie, you are the best!