Even more of the gorgeousness of the Appalachians all the way down in Georgia.
Northeast Georgia lies at the southern part of the Blue Ridge Mountains. An often forgotten part of the Appalachian Mountains, the mountains of Georgia may not be as tall as those further north, but they are full of waterfalls. Who doesn’t love a good waterfall? Of course, the views from the top of the mountains are gorgeous as well. (Check out my first post on Georgia’s Appalachians.)
All places featured below are in the Chattahoochee National Forest, except for one, Black Rock Mountain State Park.
DeSoto Falls
DeSoto Falls is a series of three waterfalls. They are easily reached via a paved road.
Wandering Jana The trail is about 2.5 mi round trip. It’s a decent trail with some great views.
Wandering Jana I got distracted by this cuteness.
Wandering Jana Lower DeSoto Falls (35 ft/11 m drop).
Wandering Jana Middle DeSoto Falls (67 ft/20 m drop) are a bit hard to see.
Wandering Jana I love trails along creeks. The Smokies has a ton of these.
Wandering Jana Upper DeSoto Falls (200 ft/61 m drop).
Brasstown Bald
Brasstown Bald is the highest point in the state of Georgia at 4,784 ft (1,458 m). The prominence (how tall it is compared to the surrounding landscape) is 2,108 ft (643 m). It’s not a giant mountain, but it does have some great views. You can drive most of the way up. From the visitor center you can either hike to the top or take the shuttle for an extra $2. We took the shuttle.
Wandering Jana Pretty decent view for a cloudy day.
Wandering Jana Mountain views are the best.
Wandering Jana That’s the parking lot down there. Shuttle for the win.
Anna Ruby Falls
Located near Helen and Unicoi State Park, Anna Ruby Falls is a must see. It’s a double waterfall. Two different streams meet at the top of the falls and the waters combine to form a new stream at the bottom.
Wandering Jana I love Appalachian creeks.
Wandering Jana Little waterfalls along the way.
Wandering Jana This one is a large enough to be its own destination.
Wandering Jana Reminds me of the Smokies.
Wandering Jana Just stunning.
Wandering Jana Closer up on the big drops. The one on the left is 153 feet (47 m) and the right is 50 feet (15 m). With the vegetation, the top of the left one is hidden.
Horse Trough Falls
This one is a bit trickier to get to. It’s several miles down a dirt road. It is sedan capable, but only if you are used to driving on dirt roads. The trail head is in a campground, that was closed in June 2025. So after walking through the campground, and a short trail, we made it to the falls.
Wandering Jana But first, I got distracted.
Wandering Jana Totally worth the drive.
Dukes Creek Falls Trail
This one is pretty easy to get to via paved roads. A 2.3 round trip hike takes you to the falls.
Wandering Jana Surprise view.
Wandering Jana Duke Creek Falls is a giant waterfall with a few splinter waterfalls coming off its side.
Wandering Jana Even the splinter waterfall is worth the hike alone. This comes off the side of the larger fall.
Wandering Jana Another creek also dumps into the same pool.
Wandering Jana On the way back to the car, I got distracted by this Ring-necked snake. Completely harmless.
Wandering Jana I went to take a picture of the mushroom and, lo and behold, a salamander!
Black Rock Mountain State Park
I had planned to go here back in September 2024 but Hurricane Helene ruined that. So I had a quick visit on my way back to Savannah from the Smokies.
Wandering Jana An obvious season change.
Wandering Jana At the top of the park, there are some good views and some hiking trails.
Wandering Jana I wasn’t feeling all that well. Probably overdid it the previous day at Cades Cove. So, I decided to “hike” around Black Rock Mountain to take some photos.
Wandering Jana Some sort of alder.
Wandering Jana Playing around a bit here.
Wandering Jana I think someone lost their duck.
Wandering Jana A hoverfly (harmless) on a white aster flower.
Wandering Jana Obligatory fall leaf photo.
Panther and Angel Falls
Two waterfalls on one trail easily reached from the Lake Rabun Campground.
Wandering Jana Panther Falls is actually in the campground.
Wandering Jana Playing around with my camera. It’s insanely difficult to get the water effect without using a tripod.
Wandering Jana Angel Falls, a shortish hike from Panther Falls.
I’ve been to the area of Georgia’s Appalachians three times now and still haven’t seen everything. It has everything that other areas of the Appalachians has but a bit more cheaper.
Check out my next post where I share a bunch of random places I have visited in Georgia!
or
Check out my first post on the Appalachians of Georgia!
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