I occasionally afford myself the luxury of visiting places without really knowing what to expect…read more This park just wasn't that clear to me in its purpose, but it became more so after arrival, with a visitor center focused on Native American history and identifying this as a Cherokee Nation headquarters. A spread of recreated buildings outside offers opportunities for perusal. The most aesthetically distinctive site is a large spring of the sort that seem more common in Kentucky than Tennessee, which evinces a robust blue color and empties into a clear stream. The spring itself is off-limits, but the stream is open for wading. All of these sites are within sight of the initial entrance, but a trek uphill reveals picnic areas, an amphitheater, and a couple of mile trail through the woods. Between the different elements of the park, it was easy to spend a couple of hours there, and best of all, it's free, though the gift shop warrants examination.

Extremely nice! Not a bad price either You can bring your own food which is nice. A great way to…read morehave a family day

This was definitely a different landscape for us and we loved it. We were happy we had a four wheel…read moredrive because the drive here is not paved at has steep hills. When you get here there is no signage at all. You just drive and look for it. There is really no parking except for parking on the side of the creek. There are areas for people to camp but they are not defined. We drove as high as we could and someone else driving down. They told us to follow them to one of the falls, but there was not much of a fall bc of the lack of rain. We had also parked at the spot they pointed to us for a break from the uphill steep drive. We went down more and parked by the creek and went down to see the water. When we got there, we looked up and saw the fall, but it was a bit of a distance for us to drive back to, plus we would have to walk over rocks to get to it. I didn't get to take a pic but it was pretty. We did like this trip, but I think I wished I could have seen more. The day before we went to the Edge of the World in Dahlonega and enjoyed that more.

Place was beautiful, but it kinda sucked that the upper falls are closed due to some construction…read moreto the trails. It really doesn't tell you anywhere either, you just find out when you get there. Place is so amazing though!

We were in Blue Ridge visiting an exhibit at the Blue Ridge Arts Association and stopped by The…read moreLilly Pad right after. It was our kiddos' first time fishing and they had a great time. It's catch and release we only caught one, but it was still a fun experience and a great memory for the kids. Staff was great, especially Nikki. I love that you pay once and can come back all day!

A little smaller than it appeared online. Our kids enjoyed the gem mining but the medium bucket…read moreonly took 2 kids about 15-20 minutes. A great set up and a good amount of gems but just not much dirt.

Nice ride in and out of falls. Nice and easy walk to the falls. Worth the drive and walk to the…read morefalls.

I had a great time here with the kids. Kid friendly hike. Kids were able to get in the water and…read moreplay.. great time Highly recommended. Short, Easy Hike

An incredible natural wonder. From the moment you enter the park it is idyllic scenery that…read morecaptures your attention. I found myself stopping many times along the path to stare at the magnificence of the stream and listen to the rushing water. The falls were breath taking. All I could think while I stared at the glorious world around me was that "God is good" It is a fairly steep climb but there are plenty of benches for those that need a break in their journey up the mountain.

Be prepared for a 0.4-0.5 mile hike up to the falls. It was an amazing hike but this Florida girl…read moreis definitely not used to climbing hills. There was one point where it was steep but the view at the top made it all worth while.

I recently ran from Woody Gap trailhead to the top of Blood Mountain and back for the first time…read morewhich totaled around 16.5 miles round trip. It is a very beautiful section to hike, run and/ or camp on! Along the route you will pass over Preachers Rock! This is one of the best spots to watch sunrise if you're able to get up there before it begins! It is just over a mile from the parking lot of Woody Gap to the top of Preachers Rock. Along the route to Blood Mountain you will pass several designated camping spots (free to camp, first come first serve). I have yet to camp on this section, but I've picked a couple spots to try out next time! There are 3 water crossings along the route that you can fill up at; just make sure to filter the water before you drink it. I recommend bringing a Sawyer Mini water filter. It fits into the palm of your hands, so it doesn't take up any room in your pack. The trail itself is very easy to follow. I was a little nervous at first that I may get off course or take a wrong turn/ trail, but I can assure you that there is only one main trail that runs from Woody to Blood. There are some side trails that intersect, BUT they either lead to campsites or shelters. As long as you stay on the main trail, it is hard to get lost! I can't wait to go Bach again and run from Woody Gap to Neel Gap which will be around 20 miles round trip.

It was a 30 minute hike and worth it because the view is beautiful! It's a little steep towards the…read moreend but it's doable.

If you know me by now, all you have to say is hike and I don't care about the where, the how long…read moreor how tough. Jacks River Falls is one such hike where you may want to know the where, how long and obviously how tough. Before I talk about the hike, let's get into the road to the hike. It's a lot of gravel road....I mean a LOT of gravel road, which made me and my honda accord a bit squeamish that a tire might get popped. Something a bit more hefty like a truck or a jeep would probably serve you better on the roads, but just your Joe average sedan can navigate to the parking lot also. Once you leave the parking lot across the road from the trail entrance, I have to say it's kinda a poorly marked trail. No official blaze markers, although good samaritans spray painted a few choice areas for people up for taking on this hike. Jacks River Falls, I hate to say it, is not a pretty hike. There are no grand vistas, or post card shots. No, you really are coming here for the hike or the actual waterfall, which IS worth the hike. I went along with Richard R, and we did stumble our way through the trail, taking a wrong turn a time or two, but ultimately getting ourselves back on track. Note that if you come to a fork in the trail and you see a couple of signs, one saying "Horses prohibited beyond this point". Go in the direction of that sign...that will take you to the top of the falls. The actual falls themselves were in fact beautiful. Powerful, loud, clear water, and a size that wasn't insignificant. It's a great place to get a lot of photos, or walk right up to the falls to get the water money shots. Like I eluded to earlier, you come out at the top of the falls and have to climb your way down to get in front of the water. Sadly, what goes in must come out, and so we had to do a bit of bouldering to get ourselves back on the main trail. Yep, there was more trail going away from the falls, but with the time of day, unfamiliarity of the falls and just our energy level, we did the safe thing and went back the way we came. Jacks River falls, in addition to not being the prettiest trail, also isn't very forgiving either. Clocking in officially at 9.1 miles, I'm skeptical of that because both of my pedometers listed over 11 miles. Sure, getting lost and a few steps here and there may increase the mileage, but not by that much. I'm mentioning all of this because while my legs are usually rock solid, my left leg cramped up and there was some concern about getting out before dark. We did make it out, but we both took a breather before we got the car moving down the several miles long gravel road and back to civilization. When I left Jacks River Falls, I was all set to give it 3 stars or less. But thinking back, as well as revisiting my photos and videos helps me focus my review. If we're talking about the actual water fall only, It's easily 5 stars. Combining the trail pulls it down a star. Combining the long drive pulls it down to a 3.5....but i'm rounding it up to 4. Beautiful waterfall, great work out of a hike, and if you're a waterfall hunter, it's definitely worth your time. Check it out!

Love the waterfall, but not the hike or the drive to the trailhead…read more THE SCENE There are several trails that lead to Jack's River Falls. We chose Beech Bottom Trail because it is the driest. All trails had previously been closed due to storm damage that occurred on July 21st, 2018, but Beech Bottom recently reopened on Saturday, September 22nd. It currently is one of the only hiking trails open to the falls. Jack's River Falls is among the best looking Georgia waterfalls in both volume and drama. It is a type of chute waterfall, which is when a large volume of water goes through a very narrow passage creating a very strong and thunderous waterfall current. You can hear the deep baritone voice of this waterfall as it rushes through the rock-like funnel. The roar of the water alone is worth staying here all day! It has been on my hiking bucket list for some time now and I'm so very happy to finally check it off my list. However, the gravel road leading to the trailhead is very long and not well marked. We lost our GPS signal 25 minutes prior to reaching the parking area, causing lots of anxiety and concern for if we were driving the right direction. I highly recommend bringing a map or atlas as backup. --- BEECH BOTTOM TRAIL GUIDE I found the trail to be slightly worrisome due to the lack of traditional trail blazes, but ever so often there was a lime-green paint mark on a tree or rock. Several times we were troubled as the trail either disappeared or split, particularly when it intersects with Jack's River Trail at the river. There were no signs here indicating which direction to turn to find the waterfall, which by the way turn RIGHT. After our hike we ate lunch at a local BBQ joint where the owner said it was one of his favorite places to hike, yet he was surprised we actually found the falls on our first try. NOTE: Beech Bottom Trail was once an old road, but it hasn't been maintained since the 1970's. It is for this reason the Ranger office says it has not been marked with blazes. I requested adding a directional sign at the trail intersection near the river. Hopefully they will see the value in that and do so in the near future. Once you turn right at the river, about a half mile downstream the trail will cross a tributary flowing into the main river. It will then continue along a stone ledge as the river begins to cascade at first, then tumble and rumble over larger drops in elevation before its final plunge over the main fall. You must scramble over several large boulders to continue along the trail. We accessed the base along a steep and jagged side trail that was highly questionable in terms of safety. I doubt it was created by the park authorities because it is quite dangerous and difficult climb down. It is very steep and not at all user friendly! Not sure where there was another trail to the base, so we risked it by staying low and holding on to shrub branches on the way down (just in case we slipped). The main falls are nearly impossible to see from the top of the trail, so if you want to great picture, climbing down is your only option. Jack's River Falls was a glorious sight and it spoke with a thunderous roar. Most of the area within 100 yards of the waterfall is granite, including the riverbed. The clear waters were shallow enough to easily walk to the center for a great head-on pic of the falls. On our visit the water was no deeper than knee high. Not sure how deep the pool is in front of the falls but I'm guessing it's about 8+ feet. The hillside above the falls seemed to be noticeably devoid of trees, which made me wonder if the storm that closed the trail back in July had been a tornado. The few trees still barely standing were completely stripped of their leaves and limbs. Still, it did not take away from the absolute beauty of this magnificent waterfall. I've currently hiked over 30 trails to Georgia waterfalls and historic dam ruins. Jack's River Falls is easily one of my Top 10 favorite waterfalls in the state. OVERALL TRAIL LENGTH - 9.1 miles round trip according to Alltrails (although we calculated 12 miles) OVERALL ELEVATION GAIN - 974 feet AMOUNT OF TIME SPEND ON OUR HIKE - 4.5 hours (2h:10m there + 30 minutes at the falls + 1h:50m back). --- FINAL THOUGHTS Jack's River Falls is worth the hike no matter which trail you take, but be forewarned; If you prefer trails with pretty views or lush underbrush, Beech Bottom Trail is NOT at all scenic. The only view until you reach the river 4 miles away will be of the deeply wooded Cohutta Wilderness! More adventurous hikers that don't mind a longer, wetter hike should explore the more challenging Jack's River Trail. The shortest trail to the falls seems to be the Horseshoe Bend Trail found at the end of Old Hwy 2. ENJOY!!! TIP - Many of the other trails are still closed as of the date of this review. It would be wise to call the Conasauga Ranger District prior to your visit. The number is (706) 695-6736. 2018/57