Ruby Falls

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From Ruby Falls

Tucked into the Northwestern Corner of our state is Lookout Mountain. On one side of Lookout Mountain, you have the pretty and pristine park known as Cloudland Canyon. On the other side of the Mountain, you have one of the most well-known tourist attractions in all of the Southeastern United States: a place that has attracted and is still attracting millions of visitors for better than 75 years. To be honest the entrance to this particular place is in Tennessee, just a stone’s throw outside of Chattanooga, and just over two hours away from Atlanta. Considering its reputation, its awesome photographical potential, and the fact it involves a waterfall, it amazes me that I waited until this year to visit Ruby Falls.

There are three tactics I use to beat the miserable heat during the dog days of summer. The most interesting method is to get underground, and it was exactly this motivation that brought my little group to Ruby Falls just a few weeks ago. I had read that the temperature at the Falls is a consistent 60 degrees. There is an Admission Fee of $17.95 ($9.95 children 12 and under) but discount Coupons are not hard to find. What you get is a 200-ft ride down in an elevator, a walk of about .4 mile to the falls, and then a nice view of a 145-ft underground waterfall. It is a very popular destination, so your time with the fall is limit to about 10 minutes to facilitate the number of visitors, but you do get to spend over an hour underground and out of the heat, in spite of the crowds.

This attraction was discovered in 1928 by Leo Lambert. Mr. Lambert had played and explored in the Lookout Mountain Cavern as a Youth, but the cave’s entrance had been closed out of necessity when the Southern Railroad Company built a tunnel nearby in 1905. Mr. Lambert received permission to drill from the top of the mountain into the earth to create and access point to the caverns. After drilling about 250 feet, still 100 feet from the intended cavern below, a gush of air came out. Mr. Lambert went down to investigate, crawling for 17 hours through a crevice 5 feet wide and only 18 inches high, he stumbled on the majestic Ruby Falls. He named the falls after his wife. Originally, the tour included the Lookout Mountain Cavern and the Ruby Falls Cavern, but has since been limited to simply the Falls tour.

The tour is a little strange. It is set up to wow its visitors the way you would expect a tourist attraction would, rather than the manner of a natural wonder. The place is filled with colored artificial light that in some ways enhances the experience, but at times makes you think that it would be pretty in its own right without it. At the end point, where the falls actually sits, it’s a full on roadside spectacular, complete with color-changing lights and majestic classic music to remind us that this is tremendous. In some ways, it creates a marvel to behold, but you still think the falls would be pretty neat on its own, regardless.

The primary criticism of the place is its touristyness. And they would be right. The waterfall is magnificent, but not so much more than others I’ve seen in the area. And the trappings create an aura of goofiness. To their credit, however, the place is well maintained and beautiful. The marketing doesn’t prepare you for just how beautiful the areas surrounding the falls are. I would even say the surrounding cavern, with its gorgeous terrains filled with stalagmites and stalactites, is better than the falls itself. And the fall is very nice on its own merits.

So if you are looking for a neat way to beat the heat, and don’t mind a medium length drive and a mid-range admission fee, Ruby Falls may be the place for you. I would actually go so far as to say, considering the omnipresent nature of the advertising for this place along the Southeastern highways and byways, it is something everyone in the area ought to see at least once in their life.

Gorges State Park NC (Horsepasture River)

One, two, three, four…4 beautiful waterfalls bah ah ah Map

From HorsePasture River Falls

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

Stumphouse Tunnel

Stay Cool like aged Cheese Map

From Stumphouse Tunnel

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.


Trail Essentials
Approximate Time: 1-2 hours
Approximate Distance: 2.5 miles
Features: Mountain View, Tunnels, Ruins, Waterfall

Overall Rating: B+

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

The Silver Comet Trail

THE LONGEST PAVED BIKE PATH IN GEORGIA Map

From Silver Comet Trail

The Granddaddy of all bicycle trails in Georgia is the Silver Comet Trail. Heck, it might be the Granddaddy of all bike trails in the US. It runs almost 64 miles from Smyrna to the Alabama State line, mostly on what was once the railroad track used by Seaboard Railroad’s Atlanta to Birmingham line. If you continue through Alabama on the Chief Ladiga Trail it will take you 96 miles, all the way to Anniston, Alabama. The road is paved, relatively flat (3% overall grade), and is completely off roads used by cars, except for a few crossings, and a very short patch in Western Polk County. So how does one write a good article about this unique attraction just 13 miles outside of Atlanta. Well, you probably have to ride the whole darned thing.

On Oct 2, 2010, The Urban Baboon and three close friends set out to do just that. The longest I had ever biked in one day up to that point was 32 miles. Our plan was to drive two vehicles out to the Highland Station parking lot in Smyrna, drop the smaller car there, cram the five of us (we needed a driver) and four bikes into the minivan and be dropped at Esom Hill, near the State line, and then have the driver go back to Highland Station and leave the van there for us when we finished. The beauty of this plan was its simplicity. The downside was there was no turning back.

At Esom Hill, there is a small parking lot close to the Alabama border. It is quiet and serene and there are no facilities there. The nearest place for any supplies or amenities is in Cedartown, about 7 miles away. In order to say that you rode the entire trail, you need to head west first about .3 miles to get to the archway that makes up what they call Stateline Gateway Park, not much of a park, but a fitting starting point for a day on two wheels.

The Polk County portion is the least travelled part of the trail. The 7 miles to Cedartown run by farms and fields. It is also the most hilly portion of the trail with a few noticeable inclines and descents. At Cedartown, there is a depot where supplies are available, though you are required to walk you bike in front of the store. The next stretch to is a bit more of the same, about 14 miles to downtown Rockmart. We used this as our first breakpoint. Rockmart has a nice little park and a fair number of businesses very near the trail that could be of use to the Trail Rider. We had originally planned to lunch here, but it was only about 10:30 am, so we took a short break and rescheduled lunch for Dallas. Rockmart is the lowest point on the trail, so the rest of the route is uphill, but fairly gentle, almost unnoticeable.

The next section contains the longest isolated stretch of the whole journey. After the last Polk County Trailhead at Coot’s Lake, you travel 11.5 between trailheads. The tradeoff for the isolation is you get the most scenic stretch of the entire trail. Coot’s lake is a pretty piece of water. About 2.6 miles East you cross through the 800 foot long Brushy Mountain Tunnel. Exiting the tunnel you pass through the Paulding Wildlife Management Area. We actually saw wild turkeys on the path, but other wildlife might be possible. You then cross the Pumpkinvine Creek Trestle , a 750 foot long railroad bridge, just west of the Rambo Trailhead. Both the Tunnel and the Trestle are worth the stop to look around, but we didn’t as we had miles to go, and had been there before. Rambo is a fairly amenity free parking location, but if you continue another two miles to Tara Drummond, there’s accessible restrooms and water.

By the time we reached Dallas, our group of four had significantly separated into two groups of two, so we skipped lunch because we were to far behind. From here to Smyrna the path gets progressively more crowded as you get closer and closer to the city. And this is the area where you see the most road crossings. The trade off for lack of serenity is the comfortable feeling that you are not too far from help, should it be necessary, and after 40 miles under your belt, this is good to know. You cross through Hiram, leave Polk County, and go through Powder Springs and Mableton. Once in Cobb County, there are some nice walking trails off the Comet, near Center Road (Wildhorse Creek) and Concord Road (Heritage Park). The road gets pretty straight and pretty crowded the rest of the way. At the Floyd Road trailhead, there’s a bike shop. When you get to mile marker Zero at Mavell Road you are not actually done, there is still a mile to go principally uphill to reach the Highland Station Parking lot.

For a trip of this magnitude, preparation is far more important than usual. The three chief concerns are water, food, and bike maintenance. Water is crucial. I read a post somewhere where they said that you should also bring a camera, so that when you run out of water you can sell it to get more water. I travelled with a 72 oz. camelback which I filled and drank three times, with only one bathroom break. Food is another important consideration, I calculated on a website that six hours of moderate riding for someone of my size would burn about two days worth of normal meals. I packed a case of Power Bars and ate all but two. Bike maintenance is a lesser worry, because the trail is clean and paved, but you should travel with essential repair tools including a flat tire repair kit, air pump, and bike wrenches, just in case, it would be awful to be stranded a long time in certain areas.

The 64 mile trek is not normally for the casual rider, like myself. It took me a little over 7 hours to complete with significant and well needed breaks. The faster two riders finished about an hour ahead of us. The beauty of the Silver Comet Trail is that you can bite off as much or as little as you want. Most people use the Cobb portion of the trail, probably due to its proximity. But the best portion is in Polk County. My recommendation for the more casual rider is that you put in at either Hiram, Polk Chamber of Commerce, or Rambo and head West to Rockmart. There you can eat lunch or whatever and then return back to your original spot. This way you get at 32-38 round mile trip hitting most of the highlights of the road, with a nice place to stop to break the work in two.

Bike Trail Essentials
Approximate Time: 6-8 hours (allowing breaks)
Approximate Distance: 64 miles
Trail Surface: Paved
Features: Small Georgia Towns, Rolling Countryside, Bridges, Trestles, Tunnels, Lakes, Rivers, Wildlife

Overall Rating: A

Scenic Quality: A
Athleticism: A+
Solitude: B
Value: A
Parking: Free (Various Locations)
Hours of Operation: Daylight Hours
Facilities: At many trailheads
Maps: Silver Comet Website, Trail Express, Google, and
Path Foundation
County: Polk, Paulding, & Cobb

Pasaquan

EOM on the Range map

From Pasaquan

There are several notable artists that come from or have resided in Georgia. I don’t write about them all, but when one artist describes himself as the “Bodacious Mystic Badass of Buena Vista,” it makes this monkey sit up, take notice, and put a visit to his home on my list of things to do. Now, it has taken me some time to manage the trip, with its 2.5 hours of traveling and pretty restrictive operating hours. But I got there and wanted to tell you about it. If you don’t know what I am talking about, this is about Pasaquan, the residence and artwork of the lovably mad Eddie Owens Martin, near Buena Vista, Georgia.


For a couple of years now, the site has been open to the public on the first Saturday of each month during the summer. They do charge a $5 donation/admission, but it goes to the preservation of the home and is well worth it. As I have said, the hours are short, being only open from 10am to 4pm on that one day a month.


What you get to see is patchwork of geometric patterns married to mystic, Indian, and religious symbols. Driving up the deserted and aptly named Eddie Martin Road, this outlandishly decorated home is woefully out of place in the middle Georgia countryside. But I say this in a good way, a place where you might least expect something this out of the ordinary, it is magnificent to find the extraordinary. The house is decorated on every wall and inside every room with different paints and designs, except his bedroom. He paid special attention to painting faces and patterns.

From Pasaquan

Eddie Owens Martin was born in this home in 1908. Around the age of 14, he left home after an incident where his father killed his dog. He wandered about a bit, starting as a fruit picker in the South, but eventually managed his way up to New York City, a place where those who perceive themselves as different often feel quite at home. He managed to eke out an existence there as a waiter, bartender, and male prostitute. He often made money in gambling or selling marijuana. Over time, he found his best calling as a fortune teller working the streets of the city. In the 1930’s, apparently due to a fever, he had a vision of people from another time and space who called themselves Pasaquoyans. They told him to show the world what life could be like in the future and to go back to Georgia to do something. And to change his name to St. EOM, pronounced like Ohm or the meditative chant.


There he started building this place on the site of his old homestead. He would finance the thing by continuing to tell fortunes. He would wear outlandish costumes: part Indian, part Eastern Mystic, part out of this world. He built a circular sandpit where he would conduct shows and ritual for those who made the journey. He did this for 30 years, until the pains of disease and old age were too much to bear. Using a gun, he killed himself there in 1986; he was 77 years old at the time.


Eddie often complained that he was underappreciated as an artist. And from the works, you find in the welcoming area, I think he had a point. Compared to most of the self-taught artists I have seen, his paintings were actually pretty good. Descriptive and well crafted, and not really childlike in appearance. Now, the structure itself is simplistic and crazy, but the paintings were quite better than that. He also did a fair amount of sculpture, hence the maze of walls and totems throughout the property. Many of these are fallen into disrepair, but it must have been a sight when the colors were bright and brilliant. I should also note that it would be difficult to spend an entire day there as the grounds are not vast. Normally on the last day of business for the year in November they have an Artists Day, where Southern Artists set up displays and there’s food and music. You can keep up with them and their events on their blog here. In one of the rooms, they were showing films of the artist while he was still alive.


So, If you are in the area of Buena Vista (about an hour East of Columbus and two hours South of Atlanta) on the first Saturday of the month during the day, you should definitely put this on the list of things to do. If you are into folk art, it is certainly worth the trip by itself. The place reminds me of what midnight movies used to be in the 70’s before corporations figured out a show that late could be really profitable. It’s wildly fascinating.


Here are some interesting video links:
From the Documentary
From PBS
A longer video

And the Ballad of Eddie Owens Martin:
Ballad of Eddie Owens Martin

Rabun Bald

We’re #2 but we try harder Map

From RABUN BALD

I haven’t climbed up a mountain in a while: partly because it’s hard work, but partly because my circle of friends has focused on other interests like biking and waterfalls. But when the year began, I put two mountain peaks on my list of things to do. We visited Currahee
in the spring, but I forced myself to wait for Autumn for my trek to the other place. Well, the wait is over, October is upon us, and last weekend I made my trek up to the summit of Rabun Bald.


Rabun Bald is Georgia’s Second Highest Mountain and its located way up in the Northeasternmost cranny of our state. The peak measures in at 4,696 feet. The best way to get there actually takes you on a quick trip through North Carolina, a few miles North of Dillard, Georgia. While being just about as far away to the Northeast as you can be, Rabun Bald is only just slightly over two hours away from downtown Atlanta, up I985 and US 23. The Hike begins at the end of an unnamed road past a few houses of Hale Ridge Road. The Parking on the Road is free, but be careful you don’t block any driveways or dirt roads. You’ll know the road by the steep incline after your right turn off Hale Ridge Road. My Sherpa Guide says that the road is gravel, but it has clearly been paved since the books printing.


Most documentation on the trail lists it as 4 miles round trip, and it certainly feels about that distance. However, the sign at the beginning of the trailhead reads 1.6 miles up, which cuts the overall distance by 8/10ths of a mile. Either way, it’s a pretty difficult climb with an ascent of 2350 feet over the 1.6-2.0 miles. There is nary a piece of flat stretch along the way. Even what passes for switchbacks have a good incline. That being said, it’s not the hardest I’ve seen and it’s only a 2 miles, don’t let this discourage you. There is a small flat space about .9 miles up for resting. There’s an old logging road just to the side, which I saw on 4WD Pickup truck drive up. We walked down this way for a change of scenery, and it’s a bit longer of a trek, which may make the whole trip add up to 4 miles.


The payoff at the top is without peer. At the top, there is the first fire tower built in the Geogia, way back in 1912. The fire tower was phased out of use in the 70’s and some industrious youth built a viewing platform there. On the top of this platform, it is said that you can see for 100 miles on a clear day in any directions. There is no clearer, unobstructed view within the state. The video at the bottom tries to capture this effect by standing in the middle of the platform and spinning slowly in a circle. I fear the pictures do not do proper justice to this incredible natural vista. And the October setting allows the first hints of turning Fall leaves. There’s an Indian Legend that says that the mountain is inhabited by fire breathing demon people, but they must have moved away some years ago.


So if you are looking for a challenging hike, or a tremendous mountaintop view, or a chance to see the Fall colors, this is just the ticket. I’ve seen a bevy of beautiful places on my journeys, but this might very well be the prettiest. I would love to the see the Sunset from this vantage point, but that would mean climbing down a steep trail in the dark. Rabun Bald, I thank you for an enjoyable Sunday Afternoon.



Trail Essentials
Approximate Time: 2-2.5 hours
Approximate Distance: 4 miles
Features: Wilderness, Tremendous Mountain View

Overall Rating: A

Scenic Quality: A+
Athleticism: A+
Solitude: A
Value: A
Parking: Free
Hours of Operation: No Formal listing
Facilities: None
Maps: here
County: Rabun

Yellow Branch Falls

Heaven for the Norse and Waterfalls Enthusiasts map

From Yellow Branch Falls

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.


Trail Essentials
Approximate Time: 1.5 hours
Approximate Distance: 3 miles
Features: Wilderness, Waterfalls, Creeks

Overall Rating: A

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

Dicks Creek Falls

You Don’t Know Dicks Creek Falls map (approximate)

From Dicks Creek Falls

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 with Dukes 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

Andersonville,Civil War Village

Tribute to War Crimes Map

From Andersonville

(Part III of a three part serious on my trip to Andersonville, Part I here, Part II here)

After your stop at the Andersonville National Cemetery, there is one last place one feels compelled to see before departing the area. Across from the gate and the busy highway, stands the gate to the city of Andersonville. A quiet and infamous town, but home to something you won’t find anywhere else. It was here that the chief caretakers of the nefarious prison lived, most notable among them was the Commanding Officer Capt. Henry Wirz.



As you drive into the city, you can’t miss the one-of-a-kind item, I mentioned. It is a stone obelisk rising about 20 feet in the air planted smack dab in the middle of the road in the center of town. And this monument is erected in honor of Captain Wirz, the fabled Demon of Andersonville. Now there are Confederate Monuments scattered all throughout this state and country. And as a real part of our history, I don’t begrudge this fact, provided it is done respectfully and within context. But Captain Wirz was tried, convicted, and hanged for War Crimes. So this memorial is the only monument erected to honor a war criminal placed on American Soil. Some list Captain Wirz as the only man convicted of War Crimes during the Civil War, but there is also historical record of a Tennessee irregular combatant being executed, Champ Ferguson, though his status as a War Criminal is debatable. Another perplexing note, speaking to my feelings about visiting the POW museum, is that Wikipedia’s List of American War Criminals has only 10 entries: one from the 19th century, Henry Wirz; one from the 20th Century, William Calley, architect of the My Lai Massacre (1968); and the other eight entries are from the current century which stands at writing a mere 10 years old.



In addition to the monument, there are the offices of Captain Wirz on the corner. There’s a railroad crossing and a few railcars. There is a diorama exhibit of the prison, but as we arrived late in the day the whole place was closed. It looked pretty much like other small towns in Georgia, but the vacant nature and the area’s history gave it a decidedly eerie feel. Now I don’t buy into any paranormal activity whatsoever, but I can understand why the gullible and so inclined have repeated many Ghost Stories of Andersonville. On the positive side, there is a historical marker to the good Father Peter Whelan who ministered to the prisoners and prison keepers of Andersonville, serving God as if He was neither Blue nor Gray. If you are looking for a hero in this story, Father Whelan may be your best bet.

From Andersonville

Behind the row of buildings on the left side, there is an interesting little city park. A small creek runs through it and they have gathered a number of old wooden shacks to make it quite photogenic. One of the shacks is a jail with a prisoner inside it. There is a kind of cheesy replica mill complete with Christmas lights. But the most fascinating part of the park is a cage containing two beautiful peacocks (well one beautiful peacock and one less glamorous peahen). As they are native to India (and I believe they are of the blue Indian variety), I have never seen any peafowl outside of a zoo or habitat community. To find these striking creatures in the small town of Andersonville’s city park was a perfect, albeit completely out of place, cherry on the top of a grand excursion.



In summary, the prison recalls an awful time in our history. The POW Museum makes us consider our collective humanity. The Prison site makes us shudder at the prospect of how low man can sink. The Cemetery makes us reflect on those who carried our banner. And the city makes us question our views of the past. Our jaunt to Andersonville was something that moved me deeply. I would offer that the historical impact of this area is second only to the Martin Luther King Historic Sites and our Civil Rights Legacy. Now, I’m looking forward to a better meaning of the word, “Civil.”