Waterfalls in Georgia

Overview of waterfalls in Georgia

Anna Ruby Falls near Helen is a pair of side-by-side falls in the national forest, and Toccoa Falls drops 186 feet on a university campus. Helton Creek Falls near Blairsville is two falls on an easy 0.2-mile Forest Service trail. High Shoals Falls near Hiawassee is one of five falls in the High Shoals Scenic Area, per Explore Georgia. Its free trail is listed at 1.2 miles to observation decks at two falls.

Raven Cliff Falls and Panther Creek Falls are longer national forest hikes. Raven Cliff Falls near Helen is 2.6 miles each way along Dodd Creek, where the creek drops through a split in an 80-foot cliff. A different Raven Cliff Falls is in South Carolina, so check you have the right one.

Panther Creek Falls between Clarkesville and Tallulah Falls is 3.5 miles each way by the Forest Service's figure (Recreation.gov says 3.3). It is partly open. The trail is open to intermediate and advanced hikers only, with washed-out tread, while the parking area, picnic area and bathrooms are closed for Helene repairs.

Each owner charges in its own way: state park, nonprofit, university and Forest Service fees all differ. The section below sorts out which pass or ticket you need.

Which fee applies at each Georgia waterfall (2026)

Each Georgia waterfall on this site has its own fee. Amicalola needs a $10 ParkPass, Anna Ruby charges $6 per person, Toccoa $2 and Raven Cliff $5 per vehicle. Panther Creek is a Recreation.gov day-pass site. Explore Georgia lists Helton Creek Falls at $0 and High Shoals Falls as free.

Amicalola Falls State Park requires a $10 Georgia State Parks ParkPass for every vehicle, per the park lodge site (checked Oct 2026). Georgia State Parks' ParkPass page lists an annual pass at $70.

Anna Ruby Falls is national forest land run by the nonprofit FIND Outdoors. It charges its own fee of $6 per person ages 16 and up, and the ParkPass doesn't apply.

Toccoa Falls is on the University of Toccoa Falls campus and charges $2 at the gift shop.

Raven Cliff Falls starts at a Forest Service trailhead with a $5 per vehicle daily amenity fee. The Forest Service says the only passes accepted there are America the Beautiful Senior and Access passes, plus the older Golden Age and Golden Access passes.

Panther Creek is a Recreation.gov day-pass site that accepts America the Beautiful passes, including the annual pass. Explore Georgia lists $4 per vehicle, but we could not confirm a 2026 price. The ParkPass is not valid at Raven Cliff or Panther Creek, which are Forest Service sites.

High Shoals Falls is in the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest. Explore Georgia lists free admission and free parking, and we found no Forest Service fee for the area.

Waterfalls near Helen

Two of the Georgia falls on this site are near Helen, in the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest in White County. One is a short paved walk, and the other is a longer wilderness hike.

• Anna Ruby Falls: open. A paved trail runs 0.4 mile each way to two observation decks. Admission is $6 per person ages 16 and up, per FIND Outdoors.
• Raven Cliff Falls: open. The trail runs 2.6 miles each way along Dodd Creek in the Raven Cliffs Wilderness, per Recreation.gov. Parking is $5 per vehicle.

Statuses are as of October 28, 2026. Raven Cliff's trailhead is on the Richard Russell Scenic Highway (GA 348), which Recreation.gov says can close for weather.

Raven Cliff Falls is a real hike. It is about 5.2 miles round trip on a wilderness trail that passes three other major waterfalls on Dodd Creek, per Wikipedia.

High Shoals Falls near Hiawassee

High Shoals Falls is in the High Shoals Scenic Area of the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest, near Hiawassee in Towns County. Explore Georgia says five waterfalls are in the 170-acre scenic area, with an estimated total drop of 300 feet. We found no official height for High Shoals Falls alone.

Explore Georgia lists the High Shoals Trail at 1.2 miles, following High Shoals Creek to observation decks at two falls. It does not say whether that is one way or round trip. Admission and parking are free, per Explore Georgia.

Explore Georgia's directions take GA 75 north from Helen, then a right on FS Road 283 (Indian Grave Gap Road) at the High Shoals sign. On November 6, 2026, the Forest Service listed no alert for the trail or FS Road 283.

A different High Shoals Falls is in South Mountains State Park, North Carolina, so check you have the right one.

Waterfalls you can see without a long hike

Toccoa Falls has the shortest walk of the Georgia falls on this site, and Amicalola has a paved, accessible path. Anna Ruby is a short paved trail with a few steep sections.

• Toccoa Falls: a 100-yard graveled path runs from the gift shop to the base of the falls, per the university.
• Amicalola Falls: a paved, accessible path from the West Ridge access parking leads to overlooks. You can also drive to the top lot and walk down instead of climbing about 604 steps.
• Anna Ruby Falls: 0.4 mile each way on a paved trail. FIND Outdoors says the main trail is not suitable for wheelchairs or scooters. The Forest Service says the paved Lion's Eye Trail is designed for visitors with visual impairments.
• Helton Creek Falls: an easy 0.2-mile Forest Service trail with many abrupt changes in grade. Parking is a small pullout on Helton Creek Road, 2.2 miles from US 19/129, per the Forest Service.

Swimming at north Georgia waterfalls

Recreation.gov calls the pools at Raven Cliff and Panther Creek popular swimming spots, while Anna Ruby bans it.

• Raven Cliff Falls: Recreation.gov calls the area below the falls a popular swimming area and says climbing the rocks is not allowed.
• Panther Creek Falls: Recreation.gov calls the pool at the base a popular swimming spot. The Forest Service limits the trail to intermediate and advanced hikers, and the recreation-area lot is closed for Helene repairs.
• Anna Ruby Falls: no. FIND Outdoors does not allow swimming or fishing and asks visitors to stay out of the creek.
• Amicalola, Toccoa, High Shoals and Helton Creek Falls: we found no swimming rule for any of them. The Forest Service warns that serious injuries and fatalities occur at Georgia waterfalls each year.

Stay off the rocks at the top of any falls, and see our waterfall safety guide before you go.

Hurricane Helene and current conditions (fall 2026)

Panther Creek is the one north Georgia waterfall on this site still affected by Hurricane Helene. As of October 2026, we found no report of Helene damage at Anna Ruby Falls.

• Panther Creek Falls: partly open. The Forest Service closed the recreation area in April 2025. As of October 2026, it lists the parking area, picnic area and bathrooms as closed for Helene repairs. The trail is open to intermediate and advanced hikers only.
• Amicalola Falls: partly open. The park is open, but the park lodge site says the East Ridge Trail is closed for maintenance (checked October 27, 2026). The West Ridge path is open.
• Raven Cliff Falls: open, as far as we can tell. A Forest Service page updated May 20, 2026 lists the trailhead as open year-round.
• Toccoa Falls: open on its posted schedule. It may close on or around holidays and university breaks, and events can change hours.
• High Shoals Falls: open, as far as we can tell. On November 6, 2026, the Forest Service listed no alert for the High Shoals trail or FS Road 283.
• Helton Creek Falls: open, as far as we can tell. On Nov 3, 2026, the Forest Service page showed the site open, with a "CAUTION Waterfall Dangers" alert.

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy reported in December 2024 that the Forest Service had closed sections of the A.T. in the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest after the storm. Check current A.T. status before you go.

Hours and parking at waterfalls in Georgia

Toccoa Falls and Anna Ruby Falls keep set hours, Raven Cliff's lot holds 30 vehicles, and Panther Creek's recreation-area lot is closed, per each site's manager.

• Toccoa Falls keeps set hours. The university lists Monday to Friday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and weekends noon to 4 p.m. It may close around Fall Break in October, the last two weeks of December and Spring Break in March.
• Raven Cliff parking is limited. The trailhead lot on GA 348 holds 30 vehicles, first come, first served, with no reservations.
• As of October 2026, Panther Creek has no official lot. The Forest Service lists the recreation-area parking as closed, and we found no official alternate lot.
• Anna Ruby closes on three holidays. FIND Outdoors lists hours of 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., with the last ticket at 5 p.m. It is closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
• High Shoals Falls is open year-round, per Explore Georgia, with free parking at the trailhead off FS Road 283.

Georgia waterfalls FAQ