Now there’s something about a covered bridge that transports some of us to a different time and place. They are highly romanticized. But what is it about them? Is it their age? I ask this because I see a small trend in Modern Covered Bridge Building and wonder if it deserves the same notice as the old ladies that stand guard atop our Georgia Rivers. I tend to lend toward thinking so, and thus the story of the Hurricane Shoals Covered Bridge in Maysville, GA.
To be fair, it wasn’t like the folks of Jackson County just up and decided to build a new modern covered bridge one day. This new bridge is built on the site of the “Old” Hurricane Shoals Covered Bridge (photo here) erected way back in 1882, when the area had need of a bridge for the nearby mills. That 127 foot town lattice style bridge was burned to the ground after 9 decades of service by heartless vandals on Memorial Day of 1972.
After years of effort, funding was made available to rebuild this bridge in 2002. The bridge has the same dimensions and style but is clearly built with modern know-ho. This re-envisioning of the romantic countryside sentry is definitely an interesting object to contemplate for a moment. How many great things of the past can we actually improve on? Or does this modernism diminish its aesthetic purpose? I won’t answer these questions for you, but I do promise to show a few other modern bridges on this site in the future.
This bridge stands as a connector between the two parts of Hurricane Shoals Park in Maysville. On one side you have the tumbling waters of the North Oconee River and the other you have the old building of their pioneer village, which were discussed at length in previous articles.
What you have in the Hurricane Shoals Covered Bridge is a nice modern interpretation of a classic idea. It sits just a pretty as the others, if not a little cleaner, and maybe a little happier. This bridge is a welcome addition to the Georgia Landscape.
I always feel a little guilty when I talk about something not in Georgia, like I’m abandoning my adoptive home state for something I think is better in a new state. It’s not like I’m cheating on my wife or anything. The point of this website is to show really cool places to hike or visit within a reasonable drive of Atlanta, normally 3 hours. This place Google maps puts at 3 hours and 16 minutes from downtown Atlanta, but you know the way we drive, if you can’t make up the 16 minutes on the road, then you’re probably not from Atlanta. And this place is really cool, I am talking about the Waterfall Hike on the Horse Pasture River very near Gorges State Park in Sapphire, NC, North Carolina.
I read about this hike in the Back of the Dillard House Cookbook. It seemed almost too good to be true with 4 waterfalls in such a short distance. But If you are going to spend three hours in the car, you want something kind of special. When we got there, it was just a pleasing as advertised. I must note that you should beware of other information on getting to these falls. North Carolina State Parks closed one path in May of 2009 and set up the new path out of Gorges State Park (the Cookbook’s directions were to the old spot). You drive into the park about two miles, and the parking is clearly marked and as of Oct 2010 free. There are two paths leading out of the parking area, and the way to Horse Pasture River is the one on the right. The path actually takes you out of Gorges State Park and into Pisgah National Forest, so when you see the signs saying you are leaving the State Park, you are going the right way.
The first 1.5 miles of the trail is rather uneventful. At about 1 mile you start seeing the river downstream of the falls. In this area, there is a small falls (about 5 feet) called Hidden Falls. At 1.5 you see the granddaddy waterfall of the trip Rainbow falls, dropping a majestic 150 feet. You can view this fall from just about any angle you want but be careful, as this point is the only point that has any kind of precautionary railings.
About .25 mile up from Rainbow Falls, you come upon Turtleback falls, this is one of those falls just perfect to play in. I’ve seen kids slide down the 20 foot falls and cool off in the waters below. There isn’t the kind of danger here that the 150 foot falls presents. If you continue about .25 miles up from here you will get to the edge of the public land and can view Drift Falls. Remember, Drift Falls in on private property and if you get caught in it, you will be fined. Somewhere downstream from Rainbow Falls is Stairstep Falls, to which I didn’t travel. It is supposed to be about a mile downstream from Rainbow Falls.
So if you, like me, like waterfalls and a good hike and don’t really mind a three hour car ride, Gorges State Park offers tremendous bang for your buck by these criteria. I know a lot of folks have recommended several places for me to visit in NC. If they are half as good as this one, then you know I will be back.
(in the video I mistakenly refer to Hidden Falls as Stairstep Falls)
Trail Essentials
Approximate Time: 2-3 hours
Approximate Distance: 4.5 mi round trip
Features: Waterfalls, Riverside Walk
Overall Rating: A
Scenic Quality: A+
Athleticism: B+
Solitude: B
Value: A
Parking: Free
Hours of Operation: Daylight hours for Parking
Facilities: None (Oct 2010, but there are plans)
Maps: Downloadable on this page
County: Jackson County, NC
Really nice places to Bicycle are hard to find. They can be too short or too easy or too long or too difficult. Especially, when you are talking offroad biking. I’ve seen fellow rider who barely bat an eye at 30 miles on paved surface quit after a couple of miles of singletrack dirt. And this is because Mountain Biking is pretty hard work. One of the better places I have found for the novice to intermediate mountain bicyclist is Harbins Park
near Dacula, GA.
The Park is relatively new being built late in 2009. And it appears to be constructed with the bicyclist as the primary focus, which makes it the first of its kind in Gwinnett County. There are trails marked for Equestrian and Hiking use, but only the 4.5 miles of paved trail are the usages combined, giving the Bicyclist the right of way on his path (Maps downloadable here).
The Bike Paths are a series of loops that are rated intermediate. Because Mountain Biking is difficult, I’m not always looking for the hardest thing I can find. I’m looking for a place I can have a bit of fun and work up a bit of sweat over an hour, or maybe two hour period. Harbins is probably the best I’ve seen fulfilling these requirements.
There’s also a pretty little stream, some form of runoff of the Alcovy River, which makes for a pleasant picture and calming sound of rushing water. It also makes a good place for a break in a pastoral setting. There is also a big hill near the telephone lines, which I’m simply not crazy enough to tackle, but had some fun watching others risk they’re necks. Another nice thing is that the longer paved trail intersects the bike trail in several spots which allows for an easier break of flatter Earth or to back out and quit if the feeling should present itself.
If want a really hard dirt trail, skip this one and go to the nearby Fort Yargo. If want pretty easy, skip this one, and head to the nearby trail at Tribble Mill Park. But, if you are like me, and looking for a medium challenge like me, somewhere in between, Harbins Park in Gwinnett is just right. There’s a nice video by Singletracks on YouTube here.
I read every email I get and respond to all of them—eventually. The subject of this post was first suggested to be by Chris F via email in 2007. It was also listed as a regret in an email to me by Dave K. of urban outdoors back in 2009. So in characteristic Baboon fashion, I made my jaunt to this location in the Spring of 2011. Better late than never someone once said. The best reason I can give for the delay is that it is really a small park, better suited I had thought for a stop by than an excursion on its own. Mason Mill Park in Decatur, Georgia packs a lot of interesting stuff in a small package, just 20 minutes outside of Atlanta.
Probably, the most famous thing about this park is that it houses the old Decatur Waterworks ruins. Built in 1906, this site provided water to Decatur utilizing South and Burnt Fork Creeks until the 1940’s. Since then the structure has fallen into decay and ruin, but I say that in a good way. They are known by locals simply as “The Ruins,” and like many structures off the beaten path they have also fallen prey to vandalism or graffiti, depending on your perspective. I found the graffiti fascinating, something about the entirety of the work or the irony of a man made structure placed in nature, getting overrun by nature’s entropy, being covered with man-made attempts at communication. I digress, let’s leave it as it is a good place for photos.
The second thing is the Park itself, or rather the Park inside the Park. Apparently, when the waterworks were an operating facility, the company had built a little park out of the greenspaces nearby. As the Mason Mill Park expands it is encompassing parts of the old park. The finest feature of this old Mason Mill Park is the stone bridge that crosses Burnt Fork Creek. The creek is quiet, babbles in places, and has some ruins of a dam structure just a little way North of the Bridge.
The final thing is the Hiking and Biking. I’m not going to write this up as a hiking blog, because the trail is strange, short, and undefined. This is more of the type of place you simply explore around for a while, rather than try to accomplish any one thing. I spent about 2 hours there, and may have spent more, if I didn’t have to meet someone for dinner. On the Bicycling side, this area is nearby and easily explored on Mountain Bike. Also, it appears the PATH Foundation is building a paved connector that will eventually link North Druid Hills to Emory University. There are some that oppose this, and I admit that I like a dirt path more than paved personally, but I understand the average bicyclist wants easy paved roads. And the added interest in the area brings preservation.
Well, there you have it. Mason Mill Park contains the remnants of the Decatur Waterworks, a pretty little creek, and a future bicycle path. That’s packing a lot into a small space. To get to these places within the park, you have to travel to a dirt road at the far end of McConnell Drive past the Tennis Courts, just so you know.
Well, it’s hot. The extreme heat (just like the extreme cold) has a tendency to diminish our desire to head outside for a good time. The Urban Baboon is no exception. Most people head to the water. But what if, like my most frequent travelling companion, you simply don’t know how to swim? It seems odd, but the refreshing cool liquid brings fear to some. Well, I know a neat little place just over two hours from Atlanta that can provide a refreshing alternative. I know it’s in South Carolina, but it’s a great place to visit. This little secret is known as Stumphouse Tunnel Park outside Walhalla, SC.
Prior to the Civil War, the State of South Carolina tried to Build a Tunnel through the Oconee County mountains, so that trains could go from Charleston, SC to Cincinnati, OH. That meant clearing a path through Stumphouse Mountain, with a tunnel stretching longer than 1 mile. After spending more than $1 million on the project, the State of South Carolina stopped the project, leaving a 4,363 foot train sized cave in the mountain’s side, some 1500 feet short of the needed goal. The beauty of the tunnel is that inside it stays a fairly constant temperature of about 50 degrees. The conditions are so naturally mild that the University of Clemson used to age Bleu Cheese in there, but have since moved to better controllable simulated environments closer to campus.
It is the centerpiece of the park, but there’s also a pretty magnificent waterfall there call Issaqueena Falls, purported named for an Indian woman who hurled herself from its rocks. And there’s a Nice Hiking Trail along the mountain running along the proposed historical railroad line, going a bit over two miles one way. The path rises and falls along the side of the mountain. A ¼ mile up, there is what is known as the Middle Tunnel, which can be entered on foot, but beware of wildlife. 1¾ mile further, there’s the remains of Saddle Tunnel, which is mostly covered in water. Then you doubleback. The park is also very near Yellow Branch Falls, maybe ½ mile down the road.
The entry to the park is free, so the only drawback is that it is open only from 10am to 5pm. Admittedly, because of this time constraint, we never made it to the third tunnel. And as we drove out at 4:55 pm, we noticed two cars entering the park. Maybe the locals know something I don’t. Maybe they were just there to pickup up people. I don’t know.
So if you are looking for a place to go for the day, down want to travel to far, and are looking to beat the heat, South Carolina’s Stumphouse Tunnel Park might just be the ticket. You get a little overheated, just spend 20 minutes in the tunnel and cool off. It is important to note that none of these tunnels are lit, so a flashlight, although normally useful, is mandatory on this expedition.
Scenic Quality: A+
Athleticism: B
Solitude: B-
Value: A
Parking: Free
Hours of Operation: 10am – 5pm
Facilities: Uncertain (I don't remember any, but let me know, I will update)
Maps: Map, at bottom right of page
County: Oconee County, SC
Sometimes I want a great walk in the countryside. Sometimes I want a quick stop by that leads to great pictures. I was able to find the latter at the recommendation of a reader, who understood my passion for moving water and old buildings. On this particular instance, my merry band of travellers stopped by Sell’s Mill Park in Hoschton, Georgia, about an hour and 15 minutes Northeast of the city.
Now, if you are looking for a heart pumping hike, this is probably the wrong place. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth the effort. The Jackson County Parks department has been doing a stand up job building the living spaces in the area. The old Sell’s Mill was a rather obvious addition to there collection. The mill is rather beautiful and difficult to photograph poorly. I will say that the restoration of the mill makes it look a bit more modern that I would have liked, but it was attractive nonetheless.
The Park itself still appears to be under construction, and at current times has a pavilion, a short walking trail along the creek, and the Mill and Dam area. We stopped by a couple of days after some fairly heavy precipitation, which made for some nifty waterworks. The water itself is brackish like the Oconee River. I wish I knew more about the Mill but can’t seem to locate any information except that it was built in 1914.
On the bright side, the renovated Mill, although not rustic looking is available for rental. So it will be guaranteed a longer life and is available to us, should we need that sort of thing. And the water flowing over the dam is reminiscent of the dam at Roswell Mill, just a little smaller, a little cleaner, and a lot more accessible. Sell’s Mill is a fitting addition to the Metro Atlanta Countryside.
Scenic Quality: A
Athleticism: C-
Solitude: B+
Value: B+
Parking: Free
Hours of Operation: Daylight Hours
Facilities: None
Maps: Not Necessary, just along the river and back
County: Jackson
I feel a little funny about this one, but it’s something I said I was going to do earlier in the year but hadn’t yet. Up to this point, all of the posts have been about subjects that remained within my adopted home state of Georgia. But this one’s in South Carolina. However, it does meet within my stated purpose to talk about great day trips launched from Atlanta. This place resides about 26 miles North up I-85 up off exit one on Highway 11 just within the Palmetto State, and it’s an easy 2 hour and 15 minute ride from Atlanta, even closer if you, like me, live a bit up 85 already. The spot is a great little jaunt with a waterfall hike in the Sumter National Forest called Yellow Branch Falls and the Trail of the same name.
This part of the Sumter National Forest sits about six miles North of Walhalla, SC. On the left hand side of the road, you will see a sign for the Yellow Branch Falls Picnic Area. There is a little nature trail located here and primitive, but well maintained restrooms. From here you can read signs that say 1.5 miles to the endpoint and your destination, Yellow Branch Falls.
Yellow Branch Falls are a 50 foot high, and 75 foot wide cascade nestled into a forest cove. The pictures to me don’t truly do this site justice because the water trickles over at dozens of different locations that simply doesn’t give a grand flow of roaring water. But considering the expanse of the waterfall, it is a gorgeous spot that is sure to inspire awe. Also, unlike a lot of waterfalls, there are no guardrails or viewing platforms making your experience here much more intimate and tactile. You can sit right where the water hits the stream below and easily feel like you are a part of the falling water.
The hike itself is a moderate trek, up and down the ridgeline to the falls. You cross back several times, with at least three of them being across water, so you should be prepared to get your feet wet. And at the base of the falls you are assuredly going to want to get closer, which will wet your feet even more. The hike out and back totals 3 miles round trip, and with the elevation gain and loss of about 370 feet makes the journey a fitting physical endeavor.
So if you are looking for a neat place to go, just a little outside of Atlanta, I would suggest the wilderness North of Walhalla as a worthwhile trip outside the borders of Georgia. This hike is also very near two other locations I will comment on later, the Stumphouse Tunnel and Issaqueena Falls (links here), which paired together (and easily done in a single outing), make the two hour ride very much worthwhile.
Scenic Quality: A
Athleticism: A
Solitude: A
Value: A
Parking: Free at Picnic Area
Hours of Operation: Daylight hours
Facilities: Outhouse at Picnic Area
Maps: At Trailhead, here at bottom
County: Oconee County, South Carolina
Heading North to the mountains earlier this year on a hot summers day, a day in which the combination of temperature and demands of life had made us a bit uninspired and lethargic, we decided to make a pit stop to see a waterfall in hopes that the experience might just recharge our internal batteries. We had targeted a site about three miles off Hwy 23 about 2 hours outside of Atlanta on our way to Dillard, Georgia. The place we visited is part of the Warwoman Dell Recreation Area, which has its own small waterfall.
The hike was short, but that’s what we wanted. From parking lot to the falls is an easy walk of about .4 miles. It’s easy but not simple as there is an elevation change of about 300 feet over the course of the trip. We you get to the end, you can’t help by being taken in by the falls, which can best be described as cute. It’s a small 20 foot cascade placed in a little rock nook in the Warwoman Dell Wildnerness. It is a very intimate and pastoral setting. You can literally stand under it in a pool of water not 10 inches deep. The coziness and the tactile possibilities of these falls made this visit very enjoyable.
You can extend the hike by walking the nearby Warwoman Dell Nature Trail that begins on the West side of the parking lot. It takes you in a loop about .4 miles through some pretty trees and has plenty of signs describing and identifying the local flora and fauna. As Warwoman Dell is actually on the Bartram Trail, you could extend your outing by continuing onward to Martin Creek Falls, which lie about .5 miles up the Bartram trail on the West side of the creek. The falls also sit about 12 miles up the trail from the previously posted about Dicks Creek Falls.
Along the Trail, you will walk very close to a Spring house, where it almost seems like your trespassing through their backyard, but rest assured it is the public trail. There is also the beginnings of a railroad that was never finished, which was intended to connect Atlanta to Midwest markets in places like Cincinnati. The work was cut short by the outbreak of the Civil War. What remains are basically rock steps and a flat bed path, which is what I suggest for you walk back from the falls to complete a .8 mile loop. There is also the Indian History of the Warwoman herself, who was said to have lived in the Area. There is some debate over whom the Warwoman is, being either Nancy Hart of Revolutionary war fame or as the signs on the trail suggest some one of Indian Descent, possibly Nancy Ward (Indian Name Nanye-hi). Or some suggest another unknown Cherokee woman of some stature.
I truly enjoyed my half an hour at the falls and hour on the trails. That being said, I would think this spot would be best enjoyed as part of a serious of short outings in the area, as we did that day. My experience is that my time on or near the Bartram Trail is among the most pleasant , beautiful, and serene of all my jaunts. The Warwoman Dell area is certainly no exception.
Scenic Quality: A-
Athleticism: C
Solitude: A
Value: A
Parking: Free
Hours of Operation: Daylight Hours
Facilities: Outhouse at Trailhead
Maps: Green Blazes, In this Google Book
County: Rabun County
If you have been paying attention, you’ll already know the two things about me that inspire this particular post. First, I bought a new bicycle this year. And second, I am a proud resident of Lilburn, Georgia, even though they refuse to acknowledge that fact on matters of trash pickup. Lilburn is a small hamlet of 6.2 miles and at last census was around 11000 in population (2000), which sits just about 4 miles outside the perimeter (30 minutes from downtown Atlanta). Since that census there has been a lot of growth, but it’s still a small town. In April of 2008, amid no fanfare, the Urban Baboon moved its World Headquarters into a tiny, unheated garage in its Southeast Corner. So what do you get when you combine biking and Lilburn? You get the Lilburn Greenway Trail.
Now this isn’t the distance Mecca you can find with PATH or the Silver Comet. It travels from the Lilburn City Park to Rockbridge Road giving you a distance run of about 2.5 miles round trip. And as a short trip, you see a lot of casual walkers, dogs, and bicyclists on its surfaces. But in that short little run it is the closest thing to the holy grail of Atlanta Bicycling: a FLAT clean paved surface. The only hills are really little bridges over small streams. It is the ultimate beginners trail fit for virtual any mobile member of our society.
Also, the Rockbridge endpoint (or entrance from my perspective) sits a scant .75 miles from the majestic Urban Baboon World Headquarters of Lilburn, Georgia. So this means I can Bike out my front door to downtown Lilburn and back in just about 4 miles, which makes for a perfect casual after work activity utilizing about an hour of my life. You can extend the distance by circling the ¼ mile running path, which sits about a quarter of a mile from the City Park and the trail head. If I do it twice, I’m up to 4.5 miles. And since the trail is so pleasant and short, a second run back and forth brings me up to 6 miles.
Along the path, you’ll see friendly Lilburnians, the backyards of neighbors, a few nice bridges, a turtle sculpture, the Rail Line credited with creating the town, and some nice boardwalks to accent the paved surfaces. One important note: although the Northern Entrance to the trail is at Lilburn City park, bicycles are not allowed there. A park without bicycles is like a hot dog without a hot dog bun, sure you can eat it that way, but it will make you feel foolish, but those are the rules. However, at this end of the trail, you can hit the quiet city streets and cruise the old homes of Lilburn, though the town doesn’t have the flat qualities of the standard trail. This is where the parking lot is and parking is ample and free.
In addition, they are planning to continue the trail another mile to bring it all the way to Killian Hill across and to the other side of the park, presumably along the rail line. The ground breaking on this addition began earlier this year. This will bring the trail proper to 5 miles round trip, which will be a great addition to the Atlanta Bicycling (or casual walking) landscape. And if you see a middle aged idiot with his trademark Gold Skater helmet (which I have been told by virtually everybody makes me look stupid) flying by you, you just may have met the Urban Baboon.
Scenic Quality: B
Athleticism: C
Solitude: C+
Value: A
Parking: Free
Hours of Operation: Daylight hours
Facilities: At Lilburn City Park
Maps: here
County: Gwinnett
The longest and most popular trail everyone knows about in Georgia is the Appalachian Trail. It’s a great trail and I’m glad we can lay claim to part of it. But there’s another great long trail that Georgia lays claim all to called the Bartram Trail. I like the Bartram Trail in at least one way better than the AT, namely the extra solitude you get on it because of its lesser use. And there are great sites to see on this trail. With this post, I will introduce to you the nicest waterfall I have found on the trail, namely Dicks Creek Falls in Rabun County.
Now don’t confuse this falls withDukes Creek Falls or other falls that flow on Dicks Creek. This one sits at the very terminus of the waterway as it dumps into the Chattooga River. It is a 1.4 trek along the Bartram Trail just at the point where Georgia ends and South Carolina begins. Now don’t let this distance thing fool you, the trail head sits just less than two and a half hours Northeast of Atlanta up Interstate 985, near Clayton, Georgia.
To get there, you turn right on Rickman off 985 (which has become 23), and take a quick right onto Warwoman Dell. After 5.3 miles you turn right onto Sandy Ford Road. You are going to travel this road for about 3.5 miles. There is a right turn you need to take about a quarter mile up to stay on the road. You will cross Dick’s Creek once on a bridge. The second time you cross Dick’s Creek it will be a splash through, which you can cross to get right next to the Bartram Trail head, or you can park in a field just before it which will add about 1/3 of a mile to your journey on foot (one way). You cross the creek and then begin to look for the signs. The trail to the waterfall is opposite the rock marker for the Bartram Trail.
You walk the Bartram Trail until you get to the bridge. On the opposite side of the creek you turn right and walk until you see the top of the falls (a little more than a half mile away). The trail to the point is relatively easy, except that, as we experienced, it is not well maintained. There were several spots where we had to cross in, around, and through felled trees along the way. The most difficult obstacle, however, was the fact that the bridge was out so we had to make our second and more difficult wet foot crossing, so be prepared. The trail brushes right up against the top of the trail but there is not much of a view from there. You will want to climb down to the river at one of three quick side trails. These trails are tight and at a good incline which will add another quarter mile to your trek and elevate the path from easy to moderately difficult, parts of which you will need to use your hands as well as feet. But, it is well worth the effort.
The first walk out takes you to the base of the falls and offers the best view of the falls and the rocks at the base. Dicks Creek tumbles with a pretty steep drop 60 feet into the river below. I would rate this falls up there with anything I have seen before. The side trail furthest away from the top, prior to the trail turning left, takes you to one of the most beautiful spots in all of Georgia. You get this awesome 180 degree view of the Falls and the Chattooga River. The sounds of the rushing river are actually louder than the falls itself. My suggestion is you go to this place first and work your way back toward the falls.
So what you get is quite wonderful: quiet time in a pristine wilderness, a mild adventure try to find the trailhead, good healthy exercise crossing the creek and climbing up and down to the base of the falls, and a gorgeous view of a fantastic waterfall and the incredibly scenic Chatooga River. If in Rabun County or a waterfall lover, or curious about beautiful places in Georgia, Dicks Creek Falls is a must see.
Trail Essentials
Approximate Time: 1.5 hours
Approximate Distance: 1.6 miles
Features: Remote Wilderness, River Views, Waterfall
Overall Rating: A+
Scenic Quality: A+
Athleticism: A
Solitude: A+
Value: A+
Parking: Free, but limited
Hours of Operation: Daylight hours
Facilities: None
Maps: None found, follow directions in Post
County: Rabun
