Melissa Watson - Hiking waterfalls in Georgia and South Carolina: a guide to the states best waterfall hikes

Hiking Waterfalls in Georgia and South Carolina

A Guide to the States Best Waterfall Hikes

Melissa Watson

HELP US KEEP THIS GUIDE UP TO DATE

Every effort has been made by the author and editors to make this guide as accurate and useful as possible. However, many things can change after a guide is publishedtrails are rerouted, regulations change, techniques evolve, facilities come under new management, and so on.

We would appreciate hearing from you concerning your experiences with this guide and how you feel it could be improved and kept up to date. While we may not be able to respond to all comments and suggestions, well take them to heart, and well also make certain to share them with the author. Please send your comments and suggestions to the following address:

GPP

Reader Response/Editorial Department

P.O. Box 480

Guilford, CT 06437

Or you may e-mail us at: editorial@GlobePequot.com

Thanks for your input, and happy trails!

For Mom:

You are my best friend, my mentor, and my inspiration.

Your editorial excellence shines through these pages.

Thank you for being you!

Copyright 2011 by Morris Book Publishing, LLC

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted in writing from the publisher. Requests for permission should be addressed to Globe Pequot Press, Attn: Rights and Permissions Department, P.O. Box 480, Guilford, CT 06437.

FalconGuides is an imprint of Globe Pequot Press.

Falcon, FalconGuides, and Outfit Your Mind are registered trademarks of Morris Book Publishing, LLC.

Maps: Trailhead Graphics Inc. Morris Book Publishing, LLC TOPO! Explorer software and SuperQuad source maps courtesy of National Geographic Maps. For information about TOPO! Explorer, TOPO!, and Nat Geo Maps products, go to www.topo.com or www.natgeomaps.com.

Photos: Melissa Watson

Project editor: Julie Marsh

Layout: Sue Murray

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Watson, Melissa.

Hiking waterfalls in Georgia and South Carolina : a guide to the states' best waterfall hikes / Melissa Watson.

p. cm.

ISBN 978-0-7627-9712-7

1. Hiking--Georgia--Guidebooks. 2. Hiking--South Carolina--Guidebooks. 3. Waterfalls--Georgia--Guidebooks. 4. Waterfalls--South Carolina--Guidebooks. 5. Georgia--Guidebooks. 6. South Carolina--Guidebooks. I. Title.

GV199.42.G46W38 2011

917.5--dc23

2011026400

The author and Globe Pequot Press assume no liability for accidents happening to, or injuries sustained by, readers who engage in the activities described in this book.

Contents

Ellijay to Dahlonega Area

Suches to Blue Ridge Area, Cooper Creek

Dahlonega, Cleveland, Blairsville Area

Cleveland, Blairsville, Helen Area

Helen to Hiawassee Area

Hiawassee to Clayton Area, Tate City

Hiawassee to Clayton, Lake Burton to Clarkesville Area

Clarkesville to Clayton, Tallulah Falls, Lake Rabun Area

Toccoa Area

Tallulah Falls to Clayton Area

Clayton to Pine Mountain Area

Clayton to Dillard

Clayton GA to Westminster SC

Walhalla to Mountain Rest

Walhalla to Mountain Rest, Clayton GA to Westminster SC

Walhalla, SC, to Cashiers, NC

Walhalla to Tamassee

Pickens SC to Rosman NC

Caesars Head, Cleveland SC to Brevard, NC

Acknowledgments

Id like to thank my family for their love, patience, and support: Terri Sansonetti; Maria, Frazier, Christina, and Cory Payton; Doug Watson; Sue, Tom, Frank, Amy, Thomas, Joe, Kristen, Rebecca, Nathaniel, Katilee, Mark, Jonathon, and Joshua Strazza; Michelle, Roland, and Lucas Arisolo; Maris Herold; and Rachel Saunders. I love you all!

Many people were helpful in confirming the accuracy of the hikes contained within. Id like the following people to know how thankful I am for their investment of time and their wealth of knowledge: Curtis Phillabaum and Melissa Dolinsky at the Palm Beach Zoo, David Reams at the Chattooga Ranger District of the Chattahoochee National Forest, Traci Bash at Caesars Head State Park, Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area, Anthony Lampros and Tracy English at Black Rock Mountain State Park, Bill Tanner at Amicalola State Park, Randy Gambrell at Vogel State Park, and Toni King at Tallulah Gorge State Park.

Finally Id like to thank the following people for covering my shifts at the firehouse so that I could spend six weeks in the woods, rehiking every trail in this book: Jeff McCord, George Donechie, Donny Brown, Joe Bostic, Travis Thomas, and of course, my crew at Station 51Craig Hatton, Chris Uzzo, Jody Miedema, Jason Alexander, and Mike Osunafor their patience and tolerance while I diligently worked on this project.

Introduction

Waterfalls are magical, mysterious wonders of nature. From small cascades to tall, free-falling water, each has a character and beauty of its own.

I have been entranced by the magic of waterfalls my entire life, and now, after spending the past twenty years seeking out new falls and revisiting old favorites, Im sharing that passion. For months at a time I have hiked and camped and reveled in the waterfalls of Georia and South Carolina. Some of this time was spent in frustration, though, due to inaccurate trail or driving directions. And so I began writing this book with one goal in mindaccuracy. Setting out with my dog Mikey in tow, I hiked and rehiked each trail in this book while documenting the details along the way. I ended up hiking hundreds of miles and driving thousands of miles so that you wouldnt have to.

Once I gathered my field notes together, I began the laborious task of putting them into writing. Ive provided specific trail directions and thorough driving directions. Ive also included GPS coordinates and the appropriate DeLorme: Atlas & Gazetteer map page and coordinates to assist you on your quest to find the falls.

While I was finishing up some of the more entertaining text of this guidebook, I discovered the strangest thingmy muse, which happened to come in the form of champagne and show tunes. I found my fingers tip tapping away on the keyboard to the likes of The Phantom of the Opera and The Sound of Music. I cant tell you how many times I heard Julie Andrews sing Do-Re-Mi as the words flowed onto my computer screen. Pandora radio really is fabulous but repetitive, and I can now say with a smile, that I know every word to The Jungle Book s The Bare Necessities song.

I hope you find this book entertaining as well as accurate. Within these pages you will find mention and description of eighty-two waterfalls for your viewing pleasurefrom roadside beauties to those set deep in the forest. Enjoy this user-friendly guide as it leads you to the most magnificent waterfalls in Georgia and South Carolina, plus a couple just over the border in North Carolina. Don your hiking boots and grab your cameraa world of discovery lies ahead.