high shoals falls trail

The hike is 1.2 miles in. Before you get to the trailhead you must drive through a small creek but it was not a problem for my car. The walk is downhill going in so an uphill climb coming out. It is wooded and beautiful. The last time we were there the ground was covered with snow. It did require extra care because of being slippery but it was beautiful. We take visitors there often.

You must cross a stream to get to this one, but it's about 30 ft wide opening and the crossing is about 20 ft. When I was there in late October 2014, the water was about 4 inches high, flowing slowly and over very flat rocks, my Honda CRV made it over quickly and easily. At the trailhead there were at least a dozen cars that made the crossing too. The unpaved part of this drive is relatively short and easily traveled. The hike is 1.4 miles one way, almost downhill all the way, and the hike back is somewhat strenuous, obviously hiking uphill all the way so take your time. You hit Blue Hole Falls first, about 30 ft high and a nice falls. High Shoals Falls is another .5 miles to a viewing platform. The falls are 125 ft high and quite nice with very few people seen during our hike. I would recommend these falls, but be prepared for the long walk back up.

This was a great hike! The hike is 1.2 miles to the falls, but be warned, a little more than a half of the one way walk is down a hill, which means, you must come back up! The walk is very scenic and completely wooded and the waterfall is so beautiful! You travel at least a mile up a gravel park service road to a parking area at the trailhead. Go early and enjoy the view and the quiet! It was worth it!

We have a second home near High Schoals so we go there often with our visitors. It never disappoints me or guests. We sometimes hike from our house which requires crossing the mountain and going in through Moody Hollow neighborhood. This option is not available to everyone but we appreciate it. Going in by the trail head is always an adventure. The worse part is the 1.5 mile drive on the gravel road. The hike itself is easily done. It is down hill all the way down and up back out....a real huffer but well worth it. Both falls are beautiful and never disappoint. This truly is one of the most rewarding hikes in the area.

I hear it's a beautiful waterfall, but my wife couldn't do the 1.5 mile (one way) hike. Others in my office have said it's one of the best in the area. You should also see Anna Ruby Falls just north of Helen.

We got there relatively early Saturday morning (probably around 9), and when we got there only 3 cars were parked before of us, and this was at the very beginning of "peak" color season, when north GA gets the most crowded, so I imagine during other times of year it would be ever quieter and less popular. When we left, there were probably 10-15 cars parked there, so even when it gets crowded there still aren't too many people, so you get to enjoy nature.We saw a rat snake at the very beginning of the trail as well as some cool bugs throughout, which was a nice plus.Nathan P's review covers some good info with regard to the drive up to the trail and the falls themselves. Definitely have hiking boots or at least tennis shoes on, as any other shoes will easily get dirty and be less than ideal if the path is wet. Driving over the creek is no big deal. I drive a 2000 Honda Accord and we got over it with absolutely no problems, although I could imagine that if there had been a lot of rain recently/flash flood warnings that you might not want to try it. Also saw a Civic make it up to the top with no problem, so small cars can easily handle the creek.They discourage swimming at the falls, but it looks like an ideal swimming hole. Didn't try it ourselves, and I'm sure if they catch you it'll be a hefty fine, so choose wisely.

It is intimidating to some to drive to the trail head but from Highway 75, take Indian Grave Gap Road (FR 283) for about 2 miles to the gravel parking area at the trail head. Indian Grave Gap Road requires you to cross a shallow creek and then scale a moderate grade gravel road. The beginning of the trail is well marked from the road. The trail is approx. 2.6 miles out and back. Several existing fire rings along the trail if you plan on camping in the area, but no camping required for this short trek. Careful to follow the lime green blazes at trail intersections, lots of cut throughs and other trails, but the blazes well mark the correct trail. Their are two water fall observation decks along this trail. The first falls is Blue Hole Falls a thirty foot waterfall. It looks like it would be a nice swimming hole, but the parks are trying to protect the surrounding fragile plant life. Hike a little farther to the High Shoals Falls which is a 100 foot cascading waterfall. The trail is well defined. I wouldn't take young children on this excursion, but preteens can easily tame this trail if they are interested. There are no facilities at this location, pack it in, pack it out.