Monday, March 28, 2022
Northeast Georgia and Northwest South Carolina:
Anna Ruby Falls, Black Rock Mountain S.P., Brasstown Falls
Bosco crashed so early after dinner, I was afraid he'd wake me up during the night to go out, but, happily, he slept straight through till morning. He was completely worn out from our big adventures yesterday and didn't stir this a.m. until I did.
Anna Ruby Falls, six miles north of Helen, was our first stop of the day. A short creekside trail leads to drop-dead gorgeous twin waterfalls over 150 feet high. This was one of the busier sights we visited, but it was well worth it! Bosco was very popular on the trail and loved all the extra skritches from strangers. It was a fun, easy 1.2 miles.
Trail along Smith Creek
Anna Ruby Falls
Simply stunning
Always on the lookout for any interesting sight or beautiful view, we made a couple of impromptu bonus stops between Anna Ruby Falls and our next destination.
Curious cabins
Lake Burton
We spent several hours at Black Rock Mountain State Park, outside Clayton, stopping at a number of outstanding overlooks of the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains before embarking on an another nice hike. Straddling the Eastern Continental Divide, Black Rock Mountain is Georgia's highest state park. On this clear day, we could see for miles. And to our delight, we had the park almost to ourselves!
Black Rock Mountain State Park
Blue Ridge Mountains
Gotta see 'em all
Overlooking the overlook
The Tennessee Rock Trail is a fairly steep loop with lots of rocks and roots, but well maintained and clearly blazed. We took the path counterclockwise through the forest to the summit of Black Rock Mountain (3,640 feet) and on to Tennessee Rock Overlook (3,625), so-called because from there you can see all the way to Tennessee! The sign says 2.2 miles, but somehow we hiked 2.6.
Drive to Georgia, look back at Tennessee
Jana's summit selfie
Tennesseein' is Tennebelievin'!
Separating the watersheds of the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico
Lastly in the state park, we'd planned to hike the .85-mile Black Rock Lake Trail, but the trail was blocked off and closed. We bypassed the barrier and walked a couple of hundred yards before turning back.
Ready to go, but the trail was closed
Black Rock Lake
With that hike foiled, we still had a little daylight to burn, so we crossed over the Chattooga River into South Carolina. The movie “Deliverance” was filmed on the Chattooga, and several years ago, Tom and I, along with my brother Brian and his two sons, took an overnight rafting trip here. So this was like deja vu all over again.
Paddle faster – I hear banjo music!
Brasstown Falls is a hidden gem found at the end of a rough gravel road on the southern edge of Sumter National Forest in western South Carolina. There is an obvious trail leading from the small parking area that quickly forks. First, we went left a couple of hundred yards to one of the prettiest waterfalls I've ever seen. It wasn't large, but it was lovely.
Hand-carved sign for Brasstown Falls
Lovely falls reached via the left fork
Returning to the fork in the trail, we then took the longer path to the right, following a creek through Brasstown Valley to a massive three-tiered waterfall. The tiers are named, from top to bottom, Brasstown Cascades, Brasstown Veil, and Brasstown Sluice. The three tiers could not be captured in a single photo. We hiked 1.25 miles in this area (plus extra credit for carrying Bosco down a set of precarious stairs). Best of all, we had the place all to ourselves!
Brasstown Cascades and Brasstown Veil
Brasstown Veil and Brasstown Sluice
Thanks to Google Maps, after leaving Brasstown Falls, we then took a 45-minute detour straight up a mountain on a rough gravel road before coming to a “Road Closed” sign. Great. Talk about listening for banjos! So we made a U-turn, switched to Waze navigation, and eventually made it back to Georgia, where we checked into our hotel for the night in Toccoa.
There seemed to be no dog-friendly restaurants in town, and fast food did not appeal to us, so we heated up some cans of chili in the microwave, after which I took Bosco for a walk around the neighborhood and called it a day. Since in addition to all of our other hikes, Bosco has to have additional bathroom walks to begin and end each day, I'm certainly getting my steps in!
Lodging: Country Hearth Inn & Suites, Toccoa, Georgia. A moderately priced, dog-friendly hotel ($20 extra for Bosco), very comfortable and with an affable staff.
Family-owned and dog-friendly
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