This is a beautiful trail that leads to two stunning waterfalls. The trail can be challenging in…read moresome areas due to rocky terrain and roots on the path. However, overall it's a pleasant trail with several creek crossings and rhododendron tunnels. The first falls, Panther Falls, is a sight to behold and you can even walk in the pool at the base of the falls. As you proceed from Panther Falls, the trail becomes harder as you go up the side of the falls, and there are handrails due to steep drop-offs. The trail is an in and out and takes you through lush rhododendron forests, alongside a scenic Creek. The effort is well worth it, though, as the falls themselves are magnificent, with cascading waters that make for an incredible photo opportunity. Angel Falls at the end of the trail can be harder to see due to plants growing over it partially. The Angel Fall Trailhead is located in Loop 2, area 2 of the Rabun Beach Campground. This is mostly an easy trail with a couple of short, steep runs. The payoff is reaching the observation deck where you can enjoy Angel Falls. Here you will see dogs on leash, kid-friendly, forests, rivers, and hiking. Great, short, easy "Moderate" hike. Parking is enough for a few cars only, but nearby there is a campground with a lot of parking. The hike itself is pretty easy. The peaceful surroundings and the sound of rushing water create a serene atmosphere, making it a must-visit for nature enthusiasts.

Angel Falls was tough to find with Google providing the wrong location, but the trailhead is off…read moreRabun Rd. about 4 miles down from where Google says it is! Happy we continued the beautiful drive around the lake to find it. The parking area is small, but we also were the only car there for our visit. It's a short, easy walk (just watch out for the roots!) to the falls, but it was a little more advanced after the bridge at the falls. We had lots of rain so the mud was slippery. Must-do hike if you're near!

Worth every step! Follow the trail, listen for the water, and let the mountains do the rest…read more Minnehaha Falls is the kind of beauty you have to slow down to truly see.

Minnehaha falls is a hidden gem!…read more The trail is very short, about half a mile, so very doable and more than friendly for beginners. There are a lot of roots on the unpaved path but it's not a challenging trek. The part I would be most careful about is the end, as it can be slippery on the wet rocks closest to the waterfall. The waterfall itself is very large (larger than what pictures make it seem even) and nice to look at. The parking situation is very minimal - it's really just space off the side of the road for a few cars to park in. The drive there is nice, and you can see many old lake houses alongside the river.

Overall great hike. A few steep sections but nothing too crazy. Beautiful scenery the whole way…read more Would recommend for anyone looking for a solid outdoor experience.

My partner and I recently visited Clarksville for a spontaneous hiking trip. Panther Creek Trail…read morewas at the very top of our list and we were not disappointed. At first we were worried that the trail would be closed due to the storm damage that occurred during the prior year but we drove by and there were multiple parties going in and out of the trail so we figured we would go for it! This trail is long and arduous, so be prepared! Us Floridians definitely overestimated our hiking abilities but we still got it done (thankfully). Bring around 2L per person or more if it's a hot day. We started on a Friday around 2pm and finished by 6:30pm and clocked in a total of 8 miles round trip. If you can go earlier, I highly recommend doing so to have plenty of light. There's two main parts of the trail where the bridges were damaged and removed. In one section, there's several logs that lay across the stream. Find a big stick, and scramble across. In the second section, the water is shallow enough to walk across without the possibility of getting your legs wet. But even if you get wet, both sections are not deeper than your ankle. I don't know if I'd recommend this for children as there are multiple sudden drop offs but more power to you if your family can do this! If you are a hiker, this does not disappoint!

The visitor center is phenomenal! Movie was down for some reason. The gift shop has loads to choose…read morefrom and the rest rooms were clean and there were many stalls available. There is almost a museum quality to the taxidermy animal scene they have in the middle of the room and along the walls. Truly a special visit! The hike to see the inspirational point and the swinging bridge wasn't too strenuous for my 4 or 5 year old for people's reference when considering it. We are an active family who hikes etc. There were a lot of warnings but we found it wasn't as bad as it seemed.

Great hike. The guy with the maps at the front desk should win an oscar for his "it's only two…read moremiles for that loop with the suspension bridge you'll be fine". The stairs up are no joke, especially in the summer. Felt accomplished after completing and had some stunning views!

Nice place with lots of room for improvement. The setup is really cool, love the layout, the games,…read morethe bar, the views and access to the park. Service was (shy of one saving grace) meh and food was just meh. The menu had several items listed that really could bring this place up a notch. Hubby ordered the duck Cuban which was really good. I had the chicken quesadillas, nothing to write home about. My girlfriend got the Philly and said it was good. I love the brand of chips they serve and especially the jalapeño queso chips. They were out of wings. This is a miss considering how this was one of if not the last weekends of the season to see the leaves change colors, it's going to be busy and wings aren't hard to stock nor do they go to waste at a restaurant/bar. They should've been prepared. The setup is you order at the bar, take your drink and a number to your table and they bring your food. Cool. They bring our food out and my gf asks for napkins and they tell her she's gotta go back up to the deck to get them. Huh? Why didn't they just bring them with the food? We have fresh food in front of us and now have to leave that food to get napkins? Here comes saving grace because as soon as that server made it back to the deck, a different server comes out to our table with a caddy of napkins. She was really cool, and much appreciated! They have a target audience (people coming and going to and from the park) so I guess they don't have to deliver stellar food and service but to miss on both is disappointing. People are making memories with their families. And it wouldn't take much to tighten up and deliver amazing food and amazing service instead of just being convenient. I chose the place for our party of 8 and I felt bad. Thankfully I think everyone was too tired and cold to complain.

I ordered the Shortline Pizza on a GF crust, Roasted Potatoes and Iced Tea as a take-out…read more That was the biggest GF pizza I have ever seen! I was impressed. The roasted potatoes were not so exciting, but maybe because I was full with the pizza. I ordered, hubby picked up at exactly the time expected, and I enjoyed the meal. Thank you, TA! We'll be back.

It is my honor to introduce Sid's Falls to the yelp community…read more [ THE STORY BEHIND THIS WATERFALL ] It is named after Sidney Holmes Ballenger, Jr., a man who loved waterfalls so much that he literally wrote the pioneering book on finding them in Oconee County, South Carolina. He died @ age 73 and a 1993 petition was sent to the U. S. Department of the Interior in hopes of naming one of the local UNNAMED waterfalls in his honor. By his side on many adventures was his friend Maxie Duke, who actually helped discover and officially name the waterfall currently known as Sid's Falls. While her 1993 petition was denied, the effort didn't end. In late 2014, Renee Hattenstein reapplied to the U.S. Board on Geographic Names to have the falls officially named Sid's Falls and in April of 2016, the name Sid's Falls was accepted by the board. *** I absolutely love chasing waterfalls despite TLC's song warning otherwise, so this story of friendship and determination to honor all he had done for Oconee County touched me deeply. I simply couldn't, as an avid hiker and purveyor of waterfall adventures, pass on the opportunity to visit Sid's. During my research of this waterfall duo I discovered a third member of their hiking team, a man named John Danner. Sadly I found an online obituary stating Maxie Lee Wright Duke passed away in December of 2020. Both her & John have waterfalls unofficially named in their honor in close proximity to Sid's Falls. As a matter of fact, Maxie Duke Falls shares most of the same trail and parking that you would use to visit Sid's Falls. [ THE EXPERIENCE ] I WANT TO GIVE FAIR WARNING right up front that while 95% of this trail is super easy, the final leg of the trail to the base of the falls is NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART or anyone not capable of using BOTH HANDS during the descent. You will absolutely need to posses basic skills in climbing and some upper body and leg strength. The trail to the bottom at minimum fits the CLASS 3 hike rating and the breakoff trail to Maxie Duke is practically CLASS 4 as ropes are available to assist climbers on the steep, steep terrain. PARK at the small area off Damascus Church Road between Damascus Baptist Church and Cool Springs Road (State Route S-37-797). Walk around the gate and enjoy approx. 1.4 miles of easy hiking on a wide old road that passes two open grassy fields along the way. The grade varies, but typically stays within a 5% differential. However, once the trail enters into the woods and narrows, it becomes steeper. You will reach a point where the trail forks right or left. RIGHT is to Sid's Falls and LEFT is to Maxie Duke Falls. Here is where either trail gets noticeable difficult as the grade to Sid's can exceed -34% (according to AllTrails). You will absolutely need both hands and a lower center of gravity to remain balanced, but the payoff is fantastic! Sid's is a beautiful 50+ foot natural wonder. NOTES: Plan on getting your feet wet to attain the best vantage for photos. I walked all the way to the base through the water and did not find the stone ledges to be particularly slippery. Still, proceed with caution and know your own ability. See pics to determine the water level during my hike. [ FINAL THOUGHTS ] When returning, you could also continue your adventure and follow the trial left of the split to Maxie Duke Falls. But again, BE FOREWARNED the trail to Maxie Duke is even steeper than to Sid's and may require the assistance of a preinstalled rope for most of the descent. Here you will also need to wet cross the creek to the right side of the falls in order to achieve the best view. It took us about 2 hours 20 minutes to hike from parking to both falls and back, which included rests and about 25 minutes of picture taking. ~ Round trip length to both: 3.3 miles ~ Elevation Gain: UNKNOWN (but probably 600+ feet) Overall a wonderful hike that will fool you into thinking it's easy for its majority... But this sweet thang goes GUANO LOCO on you the final 500 feet and leave you contemplating the foolishness of your life choices! LOL NOT RECOMMENDED for young children, dogs, anyone with balance issues or solo hikers because it is not a popular trail and injuring yourself would make the return ascent very difficult. 2022 / 72

Maxie Lee Wright Duke was an avid waterfall hunter and good friend to Sidney Holmes Ballenger, Jr.,…read morea man who loved waterfalls so much that he literally wrote the pioneering book on finding them in Oconee County, South Carolina. When he died @ age 73, Maxie wanted to honor him by petitioning the U. S. Department of the Interior in hopes of naming an UNNAMED local waterfall in his honor. While her 1993 petition was denied, the effort didn't end. In late 2014, Renee Hattenstein reapplied to the U.S. Board on Geographic Names to have the falls officially named Sid's Falls and in April of 2016, the name Sid's Falls was accepted by the board. Sadly I found an online obituary stating Maxie Lee Wright Duke passed away in December of 2020. But Oconee County residence wanted to honor her by unofficially naming a waterfall after her in close proximity to Sid's Falls. As a matter of fact, Maxie Duke Falls shares most of the same trail and parking that you would use to visit Sid's Falls. [ THE EXPERIENCE ] I WANT TO GIVE FAIR WARNING right up front that while 95% of this trail is super easy, the final leg of the trail to the base of the falls is NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART or anyone not capable of using BOTH HANDS during the descent. You will absolutely need to posses basic skills in climbing and some upper body and leg strength. The trail to the bottom at minimum fits the CLASS 3 hike rating and the breakoff trail to Maxie Duke is practically CLASS 4 as ropes are available to assist climbers on the steep, steep terrain. PARK at the small area off Damascus Church Road between Damascus Baptist Church and Cool Springs Road (State Route S-37-797). Walk around the gate and enjoy approx. 1.4 miles of easy hiking on a wide old road that passes two open grassy fields along the way. The grade varies, but typically stays within a 5% differential. However, once the trail enters into the woods and narrows, it becomes steeper. You will reach a point where the trail forks right or left. RIGHT is to Sid's Falls and LEFT is to Maxie Duke Falls. Here is where either trail gets noticeable difficult as the grade to Sid's can exceed -34% (according to AllTrails). Maxie Duke's trail is even steeper and may require the assistance of a preinstalled rope for most of the descent. Once you reach the creek you will need to wet cross over to the right side in order to achieve the best view of the falls. I ducked under a large fallen tree and discovered a dry trail leading to the base of the falls. I walked right out onto the stone ledge of the falls through the water and did not find the stones to be particularly slippery. In fact, I had good grip but I still remained very cautious. [ FINAL THOUGHTS ] When returning, you could also continue your adventure and follow the trail right of the split to Sid's Falls. But again, BE FOREWARNED the trail to Sid's is only slightly less steep, and you will absolutely need both hands and a lower center of gravity to remain balanced! Plan on getting your feet wet @ both falls to attain the best vantage for photos. Proceed with caution, respect the power of nature and know your own ability. It took us about 2 hours 20 minutes to hike from parking to both falls and back, which included rests and about 25 minutes of picture taking. ~ Round trip length to both: 3.3 miles ~ Elevation Gain: UNKNOWN (but probably 600+ feet) OVERALL this is a wonderful hike that will fool you into thinking it's easy for its majority... But do not choose to visit this trail casually! You're gonna get dirty, you're gonna be very tired, but the payoff is well worth the effort to see these two 50 foot beauties! NOT RECOMMENDED for young children, dogs, anyone with balance issues or solo hikers because it is not a popular trail (yet) and injuring yourself would make the return ascent very difficult. 2022 / 73

It is wildly cool that you can still walk/run up this mountain just like the 101st Airborne did in…read morethe 1940s. The trail is gravelled and extremely well maintained since it serves a utility tower on the top of the mountain. The grade of the trail is usually pretty gradual with only a couple portions where it gets really steep, but it is a continual slope for 3 miles so you have to be at least a little physically fit to tackle it. There is a really nice parking area with an informational sign right off the turn to Currahee Mountain Road where you can park. The trail from the parking not is not "original" to the Camp, but it comes around a curve and then joins up with the original trail that comes out of the Camp.

I just moved here, and this has by far been the best spot. We took the jeep to the top and sat and…read moreenjoyed the view for a while. It's pretty cold this time of year so bundle up. SO WORTH IT.

Thank you so much for hosting the SCHS Class of 1993 tonight. First rate experience, friendly…read morestaff, great food, wonderful atmosphere. Much improved from what you might remember!! Bring the whole Family!!!

We had a great time taking our students here. They worked really well with our school and we…read morecouldn't have been happier with the experience. Hosting hundreds of middle schoolers over the course of a few days is no minor task!