Hemlock Falls is a trail and waterfall located near Lake Burton in northeast Georgia. It is on Moccasin Creek in the Chattahoochee National Forest. I dropped by to break up the drive from Greenville, SC, to Nashville, TN. The trail is a little over a mile from the parking lot to the falls, making it less than 2½ miles out and back. The cascade isn’t very high at a mere 15 feet, but the scene is picturesque nonetheless.
There is nothing difficult about the trail. It features a pretty steady but small incline to the falls, meaning you’ll be walking slightly downhill the whole way back to the car. The only obstacles are consistent roots and rocks. This isn’t an issue for everyone, but I have flat feet. Walking over roots and rocks might as well be hot coals for me. My feet actually went numb from cramping on this trail and didn’t regain feeling until I was miles down the road in the car.
The road to the trailhead is gravel and hilly. It’s navigable by low-clearance cars, but you might have to angle over some bumps. There is limited parking on packed earth. The trail follows Moccasin Creek the whole way. There are biting insects in the warmer months, so bring some bug spray. The canopy is dense, making this a shaded hike for much of the year.
This is an excellent trail to bring the whole family for a little exercise. Bring a bathing suit to splash around in the pool at the base of the falls if you’re into that.
I should add that there is a campground on the other side of the highway that was well attended when I drove by. If you want to spend a weekend on a lake on the cheap, there are worse places than this to visit.
Leave a Reply