Discover 4 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Chattahoochee–Oconee National Forest (United States). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Anna Ruby Falls, Glassy Mountain, and Shallowford Bridge. Also, be sure to include Angel Falls in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Chattahoochee–Oconee National Forest (Georgia).
Table of Contents
Anna Ruby Falls
Waterfall in Georgia. Anna Ruby Falls is located near Unicoi State Park in White County near Helen, Georgia. The waterfall is accessible via a half mile paved trail from a public use area with a small admittance charge. The Anna Ruby Falls Trail is designated a National Recreation Trail in Georgia.
Anna Ruby Falls is actually twin waterfalls created where two separate streams- Curtis Creek and York Creek- join at the base of the falls to form Smith Creek, which flows into Unicoi Lake. Both Curtis and York creeks begin on Tray Mountain, Georgia's sixth-highest peak: Curtis Creek drops 153 feet (47 m) and York Creek drops 50 feet (15 m). The falls are named after Anna Ruby Nichols, the daughter of an early settler.
The Anna Ruby Falls Scenic Area is a 1,600-acre (6 km2) area around Anna Ruby Falls and is part of the Chattahoochee National Forest, though access is only through Unicoi State Park. The U.S. Forest Service leases it to the non-profit Cradle of Forestry. The Cradle of Forestry accepts the "Golden Age" pass allowing seniors in free, with pass. There is an entry fee for the parking area, and a Georgia ParkPass (required for parking at Unicoi) is not honored, as it is on federal land rather than state.
Anna Ruby Falls is one of four popular waterfalls located in the Forest near Helen, Georgia. Two of the other water falls, Dukes Creek Falls and Raven Cliff Falls, are also in White County, while the third waterfall, DeSoto Falls, is in neighboring Lumpkin County[1]
Glassy Mountain
Mountain in Georgia. Glassy Mountain is a mountain in the Chattahoochee National Forest in Rabun County, Georgia, with its USGS GNIS summit at 34°50′44″N 83°30′02″W, which is 3,415 feet AMSL. It is bypassed on its northern flank by a major two-lane highway that carries U.S. Route 76 and Georgia State Route 2 east and west.
It is also the location of NOAA Weather Radio station KXI81, which serves nearby Clayton, Georgia (to the east-northeast), Lake Burton (to the west and southwest), and adjacent areas of northeast Georgia, upstate South Carolina, and western North Carolina. A radio tower and a fire lookout tower are both located atop the mountain.[2]
Shallowford Bridge
Truss bridge in the Fannin County, Georgia. Shallowford Bridge is a steel truss bridge built in 1918 that crosses the Toccoa River in north Georgia, United States. The bridge, located on Aska Road close to the city of Blue Ridge, is 175 feet in length, and 11 feet wide. The bridge is constructed from a steel truss frame with wooden deck to allow traffic to cross. The bridge forms part of the Benton MacKaye Trail.[3]
Angel Falls
Angel Falls is the second of two waterfalls on the Angel Falls Trail in Rabun County, Georgia. The first waterfall on the trail is Panther Falls.[4]