High Shoals Falls is actually a series of five waterfalls that are part of High Shoals Creek and have a total drop of about 300 feet. The falls, less than 12 miles southwest of Hiawassee on Forest Service Road 283, are accessible by the 1.2-mile High Shoals Trail in the 170-acre High Shoals Scenic Area.
Horse Trough Falls
Horse Trough Falls, approximately 17 miles southwest of Hiawassee off Forest Service Road 44 in the forest’s Mark Trail Wilderness, has three ledges that together form a 55-foot drop along the Upper Chattahoochee River. Horse Trough Trail, at four-tenths of a mile long, starts near the Upper Chattahoochee Campground and includes a wooden bridge over the Chattahoochee.
Anna Ruby Falls
The twin waterfalls of Anna Ruby in Chattahoochee National Forest, less than 22 miles south of Hiawassee, cascade down Tray Mountain from the waters of Curtis and York creeks, with Curtis Creek tumbling 153 feet and York dropping 50 feet. The falls are accessible from the forest’s Anna Ruby Falls Recreation Area by taking the paved Anna Ruby Falls Trail, which is four-tenths of a mile long. The area includes a visitor center with a gift shop, benches along the trail and an observation deck at the base of the falls. An entrance fee is charged.
Raven Cliff and Dukes Creek Falls
The trailheads for Raven Cliff and Dukes Creek lie about a mile from each other along the Richard B. Russell Scenic Byway, each less than 25 miles south of Hiawassee. Raven Cliff Falls is accessible via the 2.5-mile Raven Cliff Trail that takes hikers into the heart of the Raven Cliff Wilderness and to the top of the falls. The water tumbles through a gap in the rocks and over several levels into a deep pool and then into Dodd Creek. The scenic Dukes Creek Falls Trail, about a mile in length, winds downhill past several small waterfalls along Davis Creek and through Dukes Creek Gorge before ending at observation platforms that provide expansive views of the 300-foot Dukes Creek Falls.
Helton Creek and Blood Mountain Falls
Helton Creek Falls is a waterfall off Highway 129 near Vogel State Park with a total drop of more than 100 feet on two levels. The falls are accessible via the Helton Creek Falls Trail, which winds from the bottom of the lower falls to the bottom of the upper falls for a third of a mile. The Blood Mountain waterfalls, less than 30 miles southwest of Hiawassee, consist of a trio of smaller cascades — lower, middle and upper — along Blood Mountain Creek near Crow Mountain Creek and Waters Creek Recreation Area.
