Is Georgia on your mind? If you’re traveling to Georgia anytime soon and you love the outdoors, be sure to add these places to your list!
Georgia is full of outdoor adventures and there are so many waterfalls all over Georgia to explore. The ones in this list are in North Georgia and were on the way on my road trip as I traveled from Birmingham, Alabama to Savannah, Georgia! There are plenty of waterfalls in the area to choose from, but these are the seven waterfalls I decided to explore based on internet searches and hiking distance (since I had a limited travel time on my way to Savannah). Let’s take a look at these incredible Georgia waterfalls now!
Amicalola Falls
Amicalola Falls was the first stop on my road trip (however it wasn’t the first on my list as you can tell from the map above. I’ll cover the first stop on my Northern Georgia waterfalls list, James H “Sloppy” Floyd State Park, later on in this post as I didn’t stop at this waterfall). This was the biggest waterfall on my list as well as the best waterfall! If I had to do the trip over, I would definitely have spent more time at this state park.
Amicalola Falls is located in Amicalola Falls State Park and Lodge and there is so much to do there! The entire park was beautiful and even the hike to the waterfall had different trails and I was only able to do one. This park has hours and a fee to get in, so check out their website for more information so you can plan your trip: https://amicalolafallslodge.com/georgia-state-park
Since Amicalola Falls is located inside a state park, so there is plenty of parking, a gift shop, vending machines, water fountains, and bathrooms! So no need to stop for water or to go to the bathroom before you get there. The gift shop has maps and the workers can answer your questions about the park. I was told that there are two trails to the waterfall: there is parking at the top of the falls and you can take a long walk down to the viewing platform, or you can park at the bottom of the falls and there is a short and easy trail to the viewing platform.
I decided to park at the top of the falls because I honestly thought taking the trail from the top of the falls down to the viewing platform would be the best, but it was hard to get good vantage points of the falls from the walking platform – even from the top down it wasn’t what I was hoping it would be. The trail from the top of the waterfall to the viewing platform has so many steps. 425 steps to be exact! So that’s 425 steps down and then 425 steps back up. Amicalola was my first waterfall of the day and this was a hard hike!
If I could do it over I would park at the bottom of falls for the short and easy hike. There is so much to do in the park, and I wish I had planned more time for this (you can even stay on site!) – however I would not recommend what I did: I started the day here and this was the hardest hike, so either go to this waterfall last or make it a one day trip!
Hiking Essentials
Before we move on, check out my favorite hiking essentials below! Best part, you can find all of them on Amazon!
Please note that I am an Amazon affiliate and if you purchase any of these items I will receive a commission at no extra cost to you.
Helton Creek Falls
The next waterfall on my list was Helton Creek Falls. This waterfall was very different from Amicalola Falls! Helton Creek Falls is off of a dirt road and there are no bathrooms or water fountains, so make sure you get water and go to the bathroom before you arrive at this waterfall. I also had no service once I hit the road leading into Helton Creek Falls, so if you aren’t going back the way you came in, go ahead and screenshot some instructions for when you leave so you don’t head the wrong way (it took me almost 6 minutes to get service once I got back to the main road!)
Helton Creek Falls doesn’t have a fee for entry or any hours, it’s completely in nature! There is a small parking lot along the water, but plenty of people were parking along the road once the parking spots filled up. The walk to the upper waterfall is easy and is about a 0.2 mile ‘hike’. There is a small swimming ‘hole’ at the bottom and a middle rock of falls (that the kids were sliding down. There was also a viewing platform to view the waterfall from and plenty of people were wading in the small water pool under the upper falls. There were a lot of people enjoying the water in and around the waterfalls and this seems like a great family spot to spend the day outdoors.
As I was leaving Helton Creek Falls and heading to my next waterfall destination, Anna Ruby Falls, I took Russell Scenic Highway and the views on the road through the GA mountains was gorgeous! There were a few different lookout stops where you could pull over and just admire the scenery!
Anna Ruby Falls
Anna Ruby Falls was the next waterfall on my list. This waterfall is located inside of Anna Ruby Falls Recreation Center, which is another huge park where you can spend the entire day doing various activities. This waterfall is actually two, double dreamy waterfalls and it has by far the best hike to the waterfalls. It almost felt like I was walking through fairyland, it was that serene and beautiful. It’s also dog friendly!
Anna Ruby Falls is a 0.8 hike one way, and it’s relatively easy. There are some inclines on the trek up, but it isn’t too hard. I went on a holiday, so the line to get inside the waterfall area was out past the gate. Like Anna Ruby Falls, there are large park bathrooms, water fountains, vending machines, a gift shop, and a parking area, so you don’t have to stop on the way in if you don’t want to. There is a fee to get in and operating hours, and please note the last entry into Anna Ruby Falls is one hour before it closes! Learn more here: https://wandernorthgeorgia.com/anna-ruby-falls-tumbling-twin-waterfalls/
Anna Ruby Falls Recreation Center is located in Helen, Georgia. If you haven’t been to this cute, German inspired town before, then make sure you take time to explore and enjoy! There’s plenty of good food and shops to enjoy downtown, and in the summer people love tubing! Another small town close by is Dahlonega (both Helen and Dahlonega are known for their Christmas decorations, so this would be a great little trip over the holidays!). Make a day or two out of this trip if you’re planning to see Anna Ruby Falls on a road trip, or just even go for a weekend get away!
Minnehaha Falls
The next waterfall on my list after Anna Ruby Falls was Minnehaha Falls. This was the best drive I have been on to visit a waterfall. The road is along Lake Raburn and the lake houses and both houses are so cute and quaint and the water is gorgeous. I absolutely loved this drive! There was even a small restaurant I passed from Minnehaha Falls to my next destination, but the parking lot was full (no doubt because of the incredible views) so I didn’t get to stop, maybe you’ll have better luck!
Minnehaha Falls is a typical outdoors waterfall in the woods, so there are no bathrooms or no water fountains, so be sure to make a stop before you get there! There are also no fees to get in and no set hours, it’s a complete nature spot. There is a small gravel parking lot in front of the trail entrance, but you can also park along the lake if you need to. The walk is super short and the waterfall is beautiful! Round trip this is a 0.4 mile ‘hike’.
Brasstown Falls
The last waterfall on my list before I headed to Savannah was Brasstown Falls! This waterfall is actually located in SC, but was so close I decided I had to drive there. First Google directions led me to a private property entrance and I had to redirect about 25ish minutes to the true entrance, so you may want to make sure you clearly look at the directions before you head there.
This is another outdoor waterfall, so that means no bathrooms or water fountains, make a stop before! But this also means that there are no hours and no fees to get in! There is a small parking lot. It’s a short, flat walk to the falls (about 0.8 miles roundtrip). The waterfall was pretty but if I had to skip one waterfall on my list it would be this on.
https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/south-carolina/brasstown-waterfall-series-trail
Other Waterfalls in Northern Georgia
Like I mentioned before, the waterfalls on my list are in a line traveling East to West from Birmingham, AL to Savannah, GA so in order of the way I got to them, not ordered by which one I thought was best. There were several other waterfalls on my list, but these are the top ones I chose to go to because they looked the best to me. I’m also adding a favorite waterfall, Lula Lake, at the end of this post. I visited this waterfall the year before, so it wasn’t on my road trip list, but it is a must see waterfall in Georgia to add to your list! Please note that this is not the fastest way from Birmingham to Savannah (I took the fastest way home, but there aren’t a lot of waterfalls along that route!).
James H “Sloppy” Floyd State Park
This was the first waterfall on my list, but it was raining on my way to my first hotel so I didn’t make the stop. From looking at it online, the waterfall looks small, but looks like a cool hike. This hike was also longer than the short ones on my list, 1.7 miles roundtrip – on Marble Miles Trail. See what you think here: https://www.atlantatrails.com/trails-georgia/marble-mine-trail/
Toccoa Falls
I am so sad that I did not make it to this park! I tried for two days and it was closed to the public. I will definitely make sure I visit at some point. Note that this park has hours of operation and an entry fee. It sounds like it’s a small 0.2 mile hike to the waterfall from the entrance. On my waterfall list, I would have gone to Toccoa Falls in between Minnehaha Falls and Brasstown Falls: https://www.exploregeorgia.org/toccoa/outdoors-nature/natural-attractions/toccoa-falls
Lula Lake
Add Lula Lake Land Trust to your trip as well! This lake is located towards the top Northern border of Georgia. You do have to have a reservation to hike here, so you’ll have to plan your trip in advance. I would say book your trip in the earliest slots, I went midday and had to wait for people to leave in order to be able to park. There are a few places to go to the bathroom, but no water fountains or vending machines, so make sure you’re prepared and have lots of water and snacks, sunscreen, and bug spray as needed.
There is a small waterfall in gorgeous aqua water at the top of the trail, but the main waterfall is 120 feet and is absolutely breathtaking! The easiest hike from the entrance to the falls is a gravel trail that is 4.2 miles and you can also take other nature trails that vary in length and difficulty. However, the hike into the falls and back out of the falls is very steep. So be prepared. Learn more here: https://www.lulalake.org
Things to do in Savannah (besides eating)
Okay, so I’ve covered waterfalls in Georgia, and even though this blog is not about Savannah, I’ve mentioned it enough that I want to briefly share my favorite things I did in Savannah, Georgia (not inducing food or drinks!). River Street Boardwalk is a must and there are plenty of things to see as well as shops to stop into and places to eat/drink along the way! Another must do is a trolley tour (and haunted one at night if you’re into that kind of thing). Savannah is so historic and beautiful.
Since I drove, I took one morning to head out to the Savannah lighthouse, which had amazing views!
I also took a trip to Wormsloe State Historic Park to view the famous Oak Trees and Spanish moss.
That’s a Wrap!
So that was my road trip! Full of Northern Georgia waterfalls and outdoor exploration. If you’re a huge fan of the Georgia outdoors, let me know of any places I need to add on my list, especially any waterfalls!
