Blue Hole and High Shoals Creek Falls

Futzi

Blue Hole and High Shoals Creek Falls

03/12/22

Nice hike even greater swimming hole

4.0

Justin Mangrich

Blue Hole and High Shoals Creek Falls

05/25/18

We didn’t see too many people on this trail. What we did see were some great waterfalls paired with a nice challenging hike. I should state that we live in Dallas, so this was much more hilly than we are used to. It wasn’t difficult though, and in the summer the ice-cold swimming hole at Blue Hole Falls would be a nice reprieve from the heat. Side note: stop in Helen, GA if you’re on your way back to Atlanta. It’s a great place for a post hike beer.

5.0

Katrina Libao

Blue Hole and High Shoals Creek Falls

09/18/17

There is a place where water runs across the road and we drive a Nissan Altima. We pulled up and someone with the same kind of car was debating on going across, so we went first and made it across, then he went and it ended up being an awesome hike getting to know a new person and his awesome doggy 🐶

5.0

Jeff Willett

Blue Hole and High Shoals Creek Falls

07/13/17

Thanks OC for this find! Just spent a week and a half up in N GA (early July) with the family and made a point to check out this waterfall. First - Getting There: If you are coming in southbound off of 17, look for the sign that says High Shoals, set back of the road a little, as your GPS might tell you turn left at the private drive - the gravel trail head road is actually right past this. Next, preferably you have a higher clearance vehicle as there is a stream crossing with hard (read rock) bottom and moderate entry/exit angle and the road up can be a little rutted as well. But I understand there is another approach where you do not have to cross the stream, however it is much longer. Park at the trailhead or along the road just past the trailhead. There is room for maybe 4 or 5 vehicles at the actual trailhead parking area. Second - The Hike Down: Easy to moderate hike down (remember you will have to come back up) on a well worn path, some exposed roots, some man-made wood and rock ledge stair steps. There was a large (30" diameter) tree down over the trail which we had to hop over - no big deal and it looks like the trail is maintained for downed trees as several fallen trees across the trail had obviously been cut to clear the trail in the recent past. The trail levels out as you approach the campground area - some really good open campsites along the stream, some with fire rings already. Keep moving thru the campground and cross a foot bridge over a trickling creek. The trail begins to descend again and you can hear the sound of water moving faster. Not too far past the camping area and foot bridge there will be another spot for camping of the right side of the trail, and shortly after that the first left spur will take you down to Blue Hole Falls and the swimming hole. My suggestion is to keep going to the second left spur for High Shoal Falls, the grander of the two falls, about another 10 minutes down the trail. Here you can relax on the rocks, have some lunch, and soak in the small pool below the falls and just in front of the observation platform. This area is a little more open and depending upon time of day you can take in some sun on the rocks as well. After relaxing here for a while, we then hiked back up the trail to Blue Hole Falls, which definitely is the better choice for a plunge, as the swimming hole is large and deep enough to actually swim in - be warned, it's chilly, and the sun does not really poke thru the trees too much here so you may not warm up quickly. If you are feeling adventurous, someone has tied a rope to a tree above the falls here that you can swing out over the falls and drop in to the pool. There is trail above this spur that goes to a rock "clearing" where the rope swing is. There is an observation platform at this site as well. We did this hike in the morning, took a few snacks with us and were pretty hungry by the time we got back to the car. Good location as Helen is a short drive away where you can grab a bite to eat.

5.0

Kaitlin Hay

Blue Hole and High Shoals Creek Falls

07/21/16

Is there a name for the campsite?

5.0

Micah Farley

Blue Hole and High Shoals Creek Falls

05/18/16

Overall, very fun trip that captures a lot of the beauty of GA. Took a 2 day trip to camp and hike. Wouldn't suggest spending more than 2 days here. The road there crosses a small creek and my Honda Civic barely made it across after it swelled from a short rainfall. I believe there are two roads to get there though if you don't feel like risking crossing the river :) . There are camp grounds near the beginning of the trail, but if I had do to it over again, I would definitely suggest hiking about 20 mns to the camp grounds closer to the falls. The falls: Blue Hole Falls is pretty cool, but High Shoals Falls definitely overshadows the two. Takes about 1 - 2 hours to hike to see both falls. You will hit Blue Hole first and then High Shoals further down. It is a moderate hike and hiking poles helped me a lot! Conclusion: Definitely worth visiting, especially since there relatively unknown and therefore you don't have to contend with a huge crowd. Went on a Thur/Fri and saw only a handful of people. Also, you could totally make this a day-trip if you started off early.

4.0

Tiffany Lachner

Blue Hole and High Shoals Creek Falls

06/22/15

Beautiful area for people who love to hike and love swimming under waterfalls and climbing up them!

5.0