I've never had such difficulty following a trail to the point I felt like giving up, but I almost…read moredid today. - - - I've come to face some hard facts in the last few weeks that has put me in a sort of funk. A) I'm getting older B) my body isn't responding the way it used to C) I've gained more weight in the last year than the past 5 years combined D) I'm tired all the time E) Aches & pains have become full time occurrences F) I am slowly losing my will to hike (which I love) or to work out (which I hate) In an effort to lose 60 lbs before the end of the year, I have embarked on a campaign to hike off my weight. This will also include biking when I get down a few more pounds and running once I've shed 40. Why mention that? So you would know my determination to complete this trail was unwavering, although I got lost and bruised trying to follow the nearly impossible to read faded map at the parking entrance. I spent nearly an hour trying to forage my way through the woods once I missed my turn. I lost the trail as I followed the wrong path along Holly Creek and I wasn't the only one! I met two couples also lost that were coming back from where I was headed. It was treacherous, and I lost my footing several times, nearly broke my camera. I should have known the trail shouldn't be this hard, but I kept searching anyway. Scraped, battered and bruised I returned to my car feeling defeated and frustrated. "You're smarted than this Richard! Don't let this trail defeat you" I said to myself. It was then I decided to take one more look at that map, and that's when I noticed a faint white line outlining the trail, which was different that the dark dotted line I was trying to follow before. After I learned the correct path, the trail was much easier to follow. So, here's what you need to know in a nutshell: - - - FOLLOW THE CORRECT TRAIL * From the parking area, follow the trail uphill. Downhill just leads to the river. * You will come to a point in about half a mile where the creek clearly splits. As the path takes you towards the creek, look for a green blaze marker on a tree near the shore. This is where you MUST cross through the creek. * Emery Creek Trail is unlike any other trail I've been on. THERE ARE NO FOOTBRIDGES to cross water. YOU MUST go directly through the creek, which means you might want to wear shorts & water shoes with grip. Most of the crossings will bring the water just a few inches above your ankle, but there was one crossing that was practically thigh high. * The stones in the creek bed are SLIPPERY!!! BE CAREFUL!!! You can easily lose your balance. * You will cross the river again 8 times, not counting a few low volume streams. The trail is clearly visible once you know how to follow it. JUST REMEMBER that each time the trail seems to end at the river, look to the other side and you will see the trail picks up again. Sometimes you will also see a green blaze attached to the tree, but sometimes you will not. * Once you see the old abandoned truck shell, you are about 1 mile from the falls. On the last creek crossing, there will be a sign on the other side directing you to turn left for the falls or keep straight towards the overlook. * Overall it is approximately 2.5 miles one way to the lower falls and 3.1 to the upper falls. I was exhausted and running out of daylight, so I didn't spend the extra energy to see the upper falls. 6.2 miles (round trip) - - - FINAL THOUGHTS What a BEAUTIFUL waterfall. The only truly way to get a good pic will require walking through the pool at the base, but this shouldn't be a problem since you'll already be soaking wet anyway. Although there were several teens lounging near the beginning of the trail, I walked to the falls and back without ever seeing another soul. I must admit that when I got to the final crossing (which I didn't know was the final) I felt defeated. I thought maybe I'd gone too far & missed the falls. I sat on a stone contemplating turning around. I listened for the fall, but could not hear or see it. I decided to cross the creek but had made up my mind I was definitely turning around in 100 yards if I didn't see or hear anything. No sooner than I crossed the creek did I see a hidden sign directing me left to the falls. Within 200 feet of that sign the falls came into view and I could finally hear that familiar waterfall sound. I thought to myself, how many times in my life have I battled to accomplish something, only to feel defeated & turn away because I couldn't see the finish... which was closer than I thought! I love nature because it brings clarity. So, if you are reading this & you are fighting a hard battle that has you feeling defeated... take heart. Our life map can sometimes be hard to read and we make wrong turns that leave us bruised. Even on the right trail we still encounter obstacles that must be overcome. It's a long walk but don't give up. You are closer to reaching your goal than you think! 2018/30

We loved this trail! Like the other reviews say, be prepared for a moderate intensity and to most…read morelikely get your feet wet. We crossed the river several times by managing to jump the rocks to the other side and several times by just breaking down, taking our shoes off and walking straight through the creek bed. Also once you get to the falls, we had to do what seemed like some vertical rock climbing to get to the upper levels. It can be steep! Ran into a few other hikers on the trail or camping up by the falls but for the most part it was a peaceful hike. Would only have been better if there were a few more trail markers! We were unsure where to cross at some points and had to double back a few times to find the right path. We wore our FitBits and estimated that the trail was approximately 8 miles round trip. I also brought my 12 pound Long hair Chihuahua Loki because he loves to hike. He did great even with his little legs and jumping over fallen trees. He had to be carried over the streams but otherwise he wanted to lead the way! If he can do it, we all can!

We reached the highest point in the Georgia mountains via Jack's Gap. It was a beautiful hike that…read morewe thoroughly enjoyed. The sense of accomplishment from our sweat and effort was great. At the top, we were able to see three different panoramic views of the mountains. The small museum that explained the area's historical significance was excellent. This is one of the most visited places in Georgia.

$10 a person is a rip off considering you don't even get to go to the top of the tower to lookout…read more Save your money and go somewhere else

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

Another gorgeous summit on the Appalachian Trail. 36.4 miles from Springer Mountain (southern…read moreterminus of the AT) and 3,486 feet in elevation, it's definitely a sight to behold. This was honestly one of my favorite vistas, nothing but wilderness for miles, a steep drop down. I felt... small, as I should. The world laid out before me, no one around, silence save for the wind... let that set in. The easiest and quickest approach is from Teastnatee Gap one mile to the North. The hike up isn't easy by any means unless you're a day hiker packing a water bottle or two. The incline is steep, trail not too forgiving either but, 100% worth it. Once you reach the top, just stand and look over the wild before you, the greens of the trees, blacks and grays of the rock, blues of the sky and whites of the clouds. I could go on but, it's an experience you need to have yourself. If you're feelin adventurous and want a FULL day of pain, amazement and wonder, start your day at Neel Gap, hime the 5 miles to Cowrock and visit the Levelland Mountain and Wolf Laurel Summits in between. And, take your time, stop and appreciate the peace, sights and sounds of it all. It's absolutely gorgeous. Regardless of how you choose to get to the Cowrock Summit, I GUARANTEE it'll be worth the hike.

The Blue Ridge Dam in Blue Ridge, Ga is worth driving to see. It is a short drive out of the town…read moreof Blue Ridge. The dam is 175 feet high and is 1,553 feet across the Taccoa River. It has one generating unit with a capacity for 13 megawatts. It provides electricity and flood control for the area. The dam was constructed between 1925 and 1930 by the Toccoa Electric Power Company near where Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina meet. When it was built, the Blue Ridge Dam was the largest earthen dam in the Southeast. It was accepted by the the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) in 1939 It is an older dam with a beautiful dam building on the river side with information boards detailing the dam's workings and history. The reservoir lake that was formed by the dam is a great place to enjoy, as well. I recommend and will go back to have a picnic or just relax by the lake.

Review is for the last trail of the Appalachian Mountain in GA to NC. Blue Ridge Gap to Bly Gap…read more You could check out the YouTube video to visually see more about the trail https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDavhW82d-I Note - GPS pin is 34.9512103, -83.6261231 but that is not the beginning of the trail. It is for church that is 2 miles down the road. You will need a Four Wheeler or truck to make it to the trail head. Or you could definitely walk there. Lots of boulders on this trail once you are off the main road, it's an incline going up. I was fortunate to adventure on this trail with my job. Collaborating with Vestigo has helped me learn about the Appalachian Trails. This is supposed to be the easiest one on the trail. Believe me, it is not "easy." I would rate it moderate with the inclines, especially in the beginning of the trail. Most of the trail is dirt with not many tree roots. You will see a sign for GA/NC border. Once you get there, it will not be far to reach Bly Gap. You know you are at Bly Gap when you see a big tree. Behind there, the trail continues to take you farther up north, all the way to ME if you would like. There is no parking or accessible way to get to Bly Gap on car. From Blue Ridge Gap to Bly Gap is 3.2 miles so round trip is almost at 6.5 miles. Plan accordingly. 116/2017

Found in the Chattahoochee National Forest is the Cohutta Overlook. We paid this hidden in plain…read moresite overlook a visit while driving into the city of Ellijay from Fort Mountain State Park. Being a shade under 5 miles from Fort Mountain along GA-2/GA-52, i'm hesitant to say you can't miss this area because you can. Only a sign and a road going into a wooded area are all that alerts you. I'd advise you to turn on in. This lone road has parking spots along it, and loops around back out to GA-2/GA-52. Very close to the entrance of this road is a very small dirt trail, marked by a small wooden sign listed as "overlook", that goes up. Yea it can be sketchy looking, but if you head on up the trail, you'll be met with a stone circular clearing that gives you a nice view. On a clear day, it's beautiful, and while I wasn't here at night, I can only imagine that stargazing here at night must be out of this world. The actual trail is barely a quarter of a mile and is more a nature walk than any sort of a hike. There are a few wooden/stone stairs, but practically anyone can make it to the top. Very little foot traffic here, as my girlfriend and I had the place to ourselves for several minutes, which was nice. There is no physical address, but there are coordinates entered (34.785218, -84.626853). Nice little find that you probably weren't looking for. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

April 4, 2014, Tony and I was driving the back roads of Georgia on our way to Helen, GA to visit…read morethe Bavarian Village. We passed Fort Mountain State Park, which we love by the way. We visited there a few weeks back, but this time ON TO HELEN....on down the road towards Elijay, Ga I noticed a sign "COHUTTA OVERLOOK"...I said...BRAKE..side trip.. My husband is used to this..that is why I travel the back roads so I can find interesting sites, old homes and buildings and overlooks...I do this quite regularly...Glad I am the driver. I also Brake for Yard Sales...lol I drove out the side road and parked along the narrow ONE WAY road..and we started to climb up the side of the small mountain via a trail and some stairs...its a nice little HEART POUNDING hike..but once you are at the top...oh WOW !!! the View is AWESOME...STUNNING..the adjectives keep going on, on and on...You have to take the 10-15 minutes out of your schedule to check out this great vista. I loved it. I took several photos ( of course ) And AGAIN..I can't say it enough....FREE FREE FREE !!!!

If I could leave more than 5 stars I would. WOW! This trail was so good. It was a pretty moderate…read moretrail especially the first mile, then it does get more intense and rocky the last mile up. I love intensity, so no complaints. We did see a copperhead on our way down, but he was hanging out in the rocks. The views were to die for! It was so beautiful and green. Would love to do this hike again.

This is a substantial wilderness area. I snagged a parking spot down in the valley, and my…read moretrailhead yielded a walk of over an hour to the prime viewing areas. Here, unlike on my Brasstown Bald hike, the other mountains were actually visible, so it was a worthy, if tiring effort to get up there. The foliage was quite pretty and undisturbed along the way, and failing a few benches and stairs, little evidence of human visitation was present. There were no facilities at the parking area, no water, though a nearby Appalachian Trail center or the state park at the bottom of the valley probably had some services. Compared to Brasstown, this was a much more wild setting, and being nearby is worth checking out on any trip to the mountains.