40 must-visit waterfalls in North Georgia

Georgia’s rolling terrain and plentiful waterways create the perfect environment for one of nature’s most beautiful displays: the waterfall. Visit these popular waterfalls, located throughout the northern half of the state, plus two south of the ATL.

Amicalola Falls

Amicalola Falls, Georgia's tallest waterfall, tumbles more than 720 feet through a shady forest.

Amicalola Falls State Park, 280 Amicalola Falls State Park Road, Dawsonville, Ga. 30534 gastateparks.org

Amicalola Falls is the tallest cascading waterfall in the Southeast. 

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Ammons Falls

Ammons Falls spills over rocky boulders and cliffs on the Holcomb Creek Trail in Rabun County. theblueridgehighlander.com/waterfalls_rabun_county_georgia.php

Angel Falls

Angel Falls tumbles in a series of stairstep cascades in a lush forest near Lake Rabun. It’s one of two falls on the Angel Falls Trail. atlantatrails.com

Anna Ruby Falls

Anna Ruby Falls is a tumbling pair of waterfalls that spill in tandem from a tall cliff. It's located just north of Helen in the Chattahoochee National Forest. atlantatrails.com

Becky Branch Falls

Shaded by towering trees, Becky Branch Falls plunges over rocks on the Bartram Trail in Warwoman Dell near Clayton. atlantatrails.com

Blue Hole Falls

High Shoals Creek tumbles over Blue Hole Falls and collects in a deep, crystal-blue pool below the waterfall. It's located north of Helen, upstream from High Shoals Falls. atlantatrails.com

Cascade Falls

Most of the waterfalls in this list are north of Atlanta, this one's south. Cascade Branch tumbles and churns through a series of smaller waterfalls before spilling over Cascade Falls into a deep, cool pool on the Pine Mountain Trail at F.D. Roosevelt State Park. F.D. Roosevelt State Park, 2970 Georgia Highway 190, Pine Mountain, Ga. 31822 gastateparks.org

Cherokee Falls

Cherokee Falls plunges in a sheer drop over the steep canyon walls at Cloudland Canyon State Park. Cloudland Canyon State Park, 122 Cloudland Canyon Park Road, Rising Fawn, Ga. 30738 gastateparks.org

Cochran Mill Falls

Bear Creek tumbles over Cochran Mill Falls before rushing downstream over another smaller waterfall, Henry Mill Falls. chatthillsga.us

DeSoto Falls

Frogtown Creek spills over the upper and lower Desoto Falls near Helen. This duo of waterfalls was named for a plate of armor found near the waterfall, thought to be from the expeditions of explorer Hernando de Soto. atlantatrails.com

Dicks Creek Falls

The impressive Dicks Creek Falls cascades over huge boulders into a deep pool. Numerous other shoals and small waterfalls also tumble nearby on Dicks Creek. dahlonega.org

Dukes Creek Falls

Dukes Creek and Davis Creek meet to create the exceptionally beautiful, multi-tiered Dukes Creek Falls, tumbling more than 150 feet. atlantatrails.com

Emery Creek Falls

The double cascades of Emery Creek Falls plummet over massive granite outcrops and tumble through the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest near Chatsworth. atlantatrails.com

Fall Branch Falls

Fall Branch Creek rambles over Fall Branch Falls through lush North Georgia forest, just off the Benton MacKaye Trail near Blue Ridge. atlantatrails.com

Glen Falls

Glen Falls is made up of several smaller waterfalls that cascade over huge boulders. The waterfall’s volume can vary greatly depending on local rainfall, from a mere trickle to a rushing waterfall. (Dirty secret: Glen Falls is about 1 mile over the border in Tennessee, y’all.) rootsrated.com

Helton Creek Falls

The upper Helton Creek waterfall cascades over rocky boulders and fallen trees before collecting in a calm pool below. Just downstream, the creek slides over the exposed rock face of the lower Helton Creek Falls. atlantatrails.com

Hemlock Falls at Cloudland Canyon

Hemlock Falls tumbles more than 90 feet over a chiseled rock outcrop on the Cloudland Canyon Waterfalls Trail. Cloudland Canyon State Park, 122 Cloudland Canyon Park Road, Rising Fawn, Ga. 30738 gastateparks.org

Hemlock Falls in Rabun County

Hemlock Falls thunders over sheer cliffs and tumbles through a boulder filled river valley on Moccasin Creek near Clayton. atlantatrails.com

High Falls

Another south of Atlanta waterfall. High Falls is an enormous waterfall that spills over large rock outcrops on the Towaliga River. It's located at High Falls State Park near Macon. High Falls State Park, 76 High Falls Park Drive, Jackson, Ga. 30233 gastateparks.org

High Shoals Falls

After falling over Blue Hole Falls, High Shoals Creek continues its torrent downstream, cascading more than 50 feet over moss covered rocks and boulders at High Shoals Falls. atlantatrails.com

Holcomb Creek Falls

Holcomb Creek Falls tumbles over large rock outcrops, dropping more than 120 feet along Holcomb Creek in Rabun County. www.n-georgia.com/ammons-holcomb-creek-falls.htm

Horse Trough Falls

Horse Trough Falls, on the headwaters of the Chattahoochee River, tumbles in the Chattahoochee National Forest near Helen. www.wandernorthgeorgia.com/horse-trough-falls

Jacks River Falls

The pristine Jacks River thunders over Jacks River Falls into a crystal-clear pool. It's one of Georgia's most beautiful waterfalls and is located deep in the remote Cohutta Wilderness. atlantatrails.com

Keown Falls

Keown Falls makes a dramatic plummet over a shallow cave, allowing visitors to walk behind the waterfall. Near Resaca. fs.usda.gov

Long Creek Falls

Long Creek tumbles and crashes over this beautiful waterfall in the lush Three Forks valley near Ellijay. atlantatrails.com

Lula Falls

Rock Creek tumbles over upper Lula Falls into Lula Lake, and downstream, cascades in an immense waterfall at lower Lula Falls. It's located in the Lula Land Trust near Lookout Mountain. Lula Lake Land Trust, 5000 Lula Lake Road, Lookout Mountain, Ga. 30750. Check their website to make sure the gate is open. lulalake.org

Martin Creek Falls

Martin Creek Falls tumbles over rocky, tiered cliffs as it crashes through the forest in Rabun County. It's located on the Bartram Trail. www.n-georgia.com/becky-branch-martin-creek-falls.htm

Minnehaha Falls

The towering cascades of Minnehaha Falls tumble in a popular, multi-tiered waterfall near Lake Rabun. atlantatrails.com

Panther Creek Falls

One of Georgia's most popular waterfalls, Panther Creek Falls tumbles in a beautiful, wide cascade. The creek's sandy bank and deep, cool pool below the waterfall make this a popular swimming spot in the summer. Near Tallulah Gorge. atlantatrails.com

Panther Falls

Panther Falls spills over stair-step rocks and through a shady forest. It's located on the Angel Falls Trail near Lake Rabun. atlantatrails.com

Raven Cliff Falls

Raven Cliff Falls plummets more than 40 feet through a fracture in a towering cliff near Helen. Downstream, the creek tumbles through smaller waterfalls on Dodd Creek. atlantatrails.com

Tails Creek Falls

Tails Creek spills in a series of steps and tiers over Tails Creek Falls near Carters Lake. atlantatrails.com

Tallulah Falls: Caledonia Cascade

Caledonia Cascade tumbles in a sheer drop into the canyon of Tallulah Gorge. It's the second tallest waterfall in Georgia, after Amicalola Falls. Tallulah Gorge State Park, 338 Jane Hurt Yarn Drive, Tallulah Falls, Ga. 30573 gastateparks.org

Tallulah Falls: Hurricane Falls

One of Tallulah Gorge State Park's most popular waterfalls, Hurricane Falls thunders over a large boulders, landing in a pool of churning whitewater below. Tallulah Gorge State Park, 338 Jane Hurt Yarn Drive, Tallulah Falls, Ga. 30573 gastateparks.org

Tallulah Falls: L’Eau d’Or Falls

The Tallulah River cascades over L'Eau d'Or Falls, tumbling over rocky boulders on its journey through Tallulah Gorge. Tallulah Gorge State Park, 338 Jane Hurt Yarn Drive, Tallulah Falls, Ga. 30573 gastateparks.org

Tallulah Falls: Oceana Falls

Oceana Falls is a popular destination for experienced kayakers in Tallulah Gorge during high-volume water releases from Tallulah Dam. Tallulah Gorge State Park, 338 Jane Hurt Yarn Drive, Tallulah Falls, Ga. 30573 gastateparks.org

Tallulah Falls: Tempesta Falls

Tempesta Falls is Tallulah Gorge's second tallest waterfall. It cascades more than 70 feet, falling over boulders and sheer rock faces. Tallulah Gorge State Park, 338 Jane Hurt Yarn Drive, Tallulah Falls, Ga. 30573 gastateparks.org

Tallulah Gorge SP trail map (for all five waterfalls above)

Toccoa Falls

Toccoa Falls makes a sheer drop from a towering cliff. It's located on the campus of Toccoa Falls College. cityoftoccoa.com

Trahlyta Falls

Trahlyta Falls tumbles over stair-stepped boulders from the shore of Lake Trahlyta. It's located in Vogel State Park near Blairsville. gastateparks.org

Vickery Creek Falls

A man-made waterfall in the metro Atlanta area, Vickery Creek Falls rushes over a historic dam into a serene pool of water in the Chattahoochee National Recreation Area near Roswell. atlantatrails.com