Waterfalls of the Southern Appalachians

Waterfall Walks and Drives in Georgia, Alabama, and Tennessee

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Located along the Appalachian Trail, Long Creek Falls is a great spot to visit any time of year. The drive to the parking area for this trail follows Noontootla Creek into the Blue Ridge Wildlife Management Area and is one of the most scenic forest drives to be found in Georgia. A visit to this area is highly recommended.

Parking for this trail is at Three Forks, the intersection of three major trails, the Appalachian Trail (marked by a white vertical stripe), the Benton MacKaye Trail (marked by a white diamond) and the Duncan Ridge National Recreation Trail (marked by a blue vertical stripe).

The 1.1mile trail to the falls ascends northeast from the parking area along the Appalachian Trail. The trail ascends for 1 mile to the well-marked side trail leading to the falls. We give this tail a moderate rating, but novice hikers may find the constant uphill climb to the side trail to be somewhat strenuous.

Click Map For Large Version with Elevation Profile Map curtesy of TOPO, by Wildflower Productions

Directions:

From Blue Ridge, follow old US 76 to Aska Road and turn south. Follow Aska Road 13.8 miles to its end. Turn right on Newport Road and go 4.3 miles to the end. Turn left, cross over bridge and continue on the (now) gravel road. You will pass a cemetery and come to an intersection 0.6 mi. from the bridge. Turn right onto FS 58. Stay on FS 58 until you come to Three Forks. (Should be 4-6 mi. Sorry but we're not sure of the exact distance here, but Three Forks is easy to spot. Look for a footbridge to your right and the marking for the trails as described above.) Park here and follow the A.T. to the northeast, this will be to your left (do not cross the footbridge over Noontootla Creek).