A Rocky Road to Stonewall Falls

Our Sunday drive was fantastic! Gorgeous skies, very little traffic and the ride always seemed to be heading down hill.  We even found a great little deli on the way. Annie’s at Alley’s is located just off old 441 in Lakemount GA. The people were very friendly and food fresh. Lots of art and antiques to gaze upon while you wait. Everything about the place was very welcoming. We are planning to stop by again during our next adventure. Try it sometime.

Even when we got to the gravel road that lead to the waterfall it didn’t seem bad. Then Carmen saw how narrow the roads were and stress level went up a notch. That wasn’t the only obstacle on this road either. Water wash from recent rains carved ruts in the road. Sudden drops and large rocks posed problematic and tricky maneuvering down this narrow rocky terrain. Eventually we made it to the waterfall, but I suggest driving a 4 wheel drive truck or SUV. Preferably something that is off the ground. You’ll drag the bottom of your car if it isn’t raised up. I’m so glad we took the truck. It had quite a work out that day. When it was all over there was a long silence and Carmen said with a calm voice “I love asphalt.” I looked right at her and we both laughed for several minutes. In my book, that was the tweet of the day from this trip.

This waterfall and camp ground is set up with mountain biking trails also. So if mountain biking is one of your hobbies, then this place is worth a look.  I understand trout fishing is big in these waters too. We spotted lots of polls, but no fish…..just some minnows.

Here are a few images from our little adventure.

 

Waterfall Hike: Isaqueena Falls

Today we headed to South Carolina and had a great cookout with the family to celebrate the 4th. While we were there, we decided to sneak a short hike in and see one of the great waterfalls around Oconee State Park. There are tons of trails in that area and we will be sure to go back and try some of the others out. Today’s hike was Isaqueena Falls.

This is an AWESOME waterfall to go see! We LLLLOOOOOOVVVVVEEEEEDDD  this waterfall!!!!  The trail map lists this trail as 200 yards in to see the falls. Well, 200 yards in leads you to the observation deck with this view.

The view is nice, but you are viewing the waterfall through the trees from about 100 yards away. It’s pretty and those with any serious health issues I wouldn’t advise going any further.  However, if you are part mountain goat or just love impossible climbs, then there is a very STEEP dirt trail that leads straight to the base of the waterfall. The switchbacks are made out of rocks, dirt and roots. You need to be very careful here. Once you get to the waterfall though it’s totally worth it!  Enjoy

minnehaha and bad branch falls

Last weekend my wife and I took a little trek into the north Georgia mountains and went hiking. A past hobby we wish to rediscover this year. We started with a trip to Waffle House. Then we headed to Lake Rabun/ Clarkesville area. We tried to cut some time off our trip and chose to take the back roads parallel to 441 instead of going past Tallulah Gorge and heading toward Lake Rabun.  It’s quicker, but it’s gravel roads. On Bear Gap Road we found a cool bed and breakfast tucked away in the woods, Glen-Ella Springs. The receptionist was very gracious to let us walk the grounds. It been there 135 years. Worth taking a look if you are driving by or need a place to stay.

There are four waterfalls around Lake Rabun. We had time for two this past weekend. The four waterfalls are Minnehaha falls, Bad Branch falls, Panther falls and Angel falls. We visited Minnehaha and Bad Branch falls. The other two falls we will see later.

Minnehaha falls is a beautiful waterfall that sits roughly a half mile into the woods. This is not a far hike at all, but when you’re just starting out it’s great to refresh those legs and lungs. Not a lot of room to move around, unless you don’t mind getting your feet wet. Beautiful waterfall to see in person.

Bad Branch falls was a little harder to find. The directions were vague. We ended up finding it by accident. Just know that there are two falls at Bad Branch. The first one you can see from the road near the turnoff. There is a small path that leads into the woods just right of seeing the first falls from the road. About a quarter mile in the woods is the second falls. The best thing about finding this waterfall, is that we learned our brakes needed changing on our Honda. LOL The main reason we didn’t see Panther and Angel falls.

This first image is shot from the road.  Where this image is shot, the trail started about 10 feet to our right. The rhododendrons were in full bloom as you can see from our images. The water was a little murky due to all the storms we had the night before, but other then that it was a great day.

This last image we shot from on top of a fire place that was built out of stones.

tallulah gorge state park

This past weekend we journeyed  into north Georgia to Tallulah Gorge State Park. We love this park. The hike down and up the stairs feels like death, but it’s worth every step. It’s a good hike to measure your endurance at the start of hiking season. When ever that may be for you. We hiked the rim and down to the suspension bridge with our friends the Scobeys. We had a blast with them! I don’t think there was a single drop in conversation. The ironic part of this day, we are all photographers and we didn’t take a single photo. I think we just want to enjoy the day and the hike. We didn’t want to worry about composition and lighting situations. After a nice winter, it was great to get out and enjoy nature. Maybe next time we’ll take a couple of shots.

A historical note for Tallulah Gorge State Park; two people have walked across the gorge on a tightrope. Professor Leon made it across on July 24th, 1886, and Karl Wallenda repeated the feat on July 18th 1970. Roughly an 800ft drop to the bottom. How would you like to try that as a weekend adventure?? Well you can’t. The tight rope towers are still in the landscape, but pushed over on their sides. I’m sure for safety reasons.

This park is fun and worth the time it takes to get there. Check the link for all the activities you can do at the park. The full moon tour sounds interesting. Check it out some time.

jim