Day 2

Early morning hike along the High Shoals Trail passing Blue Hole Falls and ending at Shoals Falls. This 2.4 mile trail was well marked and described at the trail head except for one important point -a bridge over the stream to the falls was out. It was a quick wake-up fording the stream – glad I wasn’t doing it in the spring.

Moving on to Brasstown Bald which is the highest point in the U.S. state of Georgia. Located in northeast Georgia, the mountain is known to the native Cherokee people as Enotah. The bald is 4783 feet above sea level. You could hike from the parking lot to the bald but after doing the High Shoals Trail I opted for the parks shuttle bus — but I did hike down to my car.
 
My next stop was Anna Ruby Falls.  Anna Ruby Falls is a pair of beautiful waterfalls, cascading in tandem through a beautiful slice of North Georgia forest. The twin waterfalls spill from a towering cliff in wispy white tendrils before splashing and pooling over mossy boulders.    
 
The final hike of the day was Dukes Creek Trail  a moderate 2 miles out and back through a beautiful, mountain stream-filled forest in Georgia just north of Helen. The trail descends alongside a shallow, mossy stream, hiking to several large, cascading waterfalls that tumble at the convergence of Davis Creek and Dukes Creek. At trails end the main attraction is a multi-tiered, 150-foot-tall drop of Dukes Creek Falls.  
High Shoals Trail

Brasstown Bald

 

Anna Ruby Falls

 

Dukes Creek Falls

 

Day 3

Awoke to a light rain so I donned rain gear and headed out. First stop was Helton Creek Falls. Helton Creek Falls cascades in a set of two waterfalls, sliding down a beautiful, hemlock-

filled creek valley.  Getting there was half the fun – fording two streams and hoping the Rouge
was going to make it.
The weather went down hills as I headed to Amicalola Falls. Amicalola Falls is a 729-foot waterfall on Amicalola Creek in Dawson County, Georgia. It the highest waterfall in Georgia and is considered to be one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Georgia. The name “Amicalola” is derived from a Cherokee language word meaning “tumbling waters”.
Too bad I didn’t make it — the rains were so heavy I need to pull off the winding mountain roads because the wipe couldn’t clear the windshield. When I arrived at the park the ranger didn’t advise hiking to the falls — so I headed south to Ormond Beach — but is was a fun trip. You can check out Amicalola here:https://www.atlantatrails.com/amicalola-falls
Helton Creek Falls