Photo: J. Tully
A classic for a reason.
Tucked deep in the Chattahoochee National Forest, Long Creek Falls drops across a series of mossed shelves on the Benton MacKaye Trail. It's a rewarding approach with a big payoff, and a place that stays with you.
Formed over millennia, Long Creek Falls is the kind of place that reminds you how water, rock, and time shape everything. The approach follows an old logging cut and forest trail, crossing the creek and climbing steadily toward the sound of falling water.
At the top, the view opens. Spray in the air, forest in every direction, and the full force of the falls right in front of you.
Some places impress you.
Some places humble you.
This one does both.
Long Creek Falls flows over resistant metasedimentary rock before plunging along a softer band beneath. A harder quartzite cap, a softer layer below, the seam that water exploits.
Some of the species you might encounter along the trail.
Hover over each to learn more.
A note from the editor's last visit.
Flow thin, like the gauge said. Crowd light, weekday afternoon. Sat at the upper deck for an hour and never saw another person. The cold water at the base is the kind that reorganizes your priorities. Worth every mile of gravel.
More waterfalls worth the drive.
1.9 miles round-trip from the Three Forks trailhead, about a mile each way. Most hikers finish in 50 to 90 minutes including time at the falls. Easy to moderate difficulty with roots and rocks underfoot. No scrambling.
You can wade. The pool at the base is shallow and rocky, better for cooling off than for actual swimming. The water is cold most of the year. Rocks at the base are slippery when wet. Never climb above the falls.
Yes, on leash. Dogs are permitted throughout the Chattahoochee National Forest. The shallow pool at the base is fine for dogs to wade in warm weather.
It's the most accessible major waterfall on the Benton MacKaye and Appalachian Trail corridor in north Georgia. The trail starts at Three Forks where the AT, BMT, and Duncan Ridge Trail meet. The fall itself is multi-tiered with both a lower viewpoint and an upper deck most people miss.
No. Access is free, no permit or reservation required. This is one of the few major waterfalls in north Georgia without a parking fee.
No. Cell service drops off along Forest Service Road 58 and is unreliable at Three Forks. Download maps before you leave Doublehead Gap Road and tell someone your plan.
Late February through May for peak flow after winter rains. October for the foliage walk in. Summer flow thins, especially August. Below-freezing winter weekdays are reliably empty.