The waterfalls of northern Georgia, U.S., are a prominent feature of the geography of that region, as well as a major focus of tourism and outdoor recreation. Many are located in state parks, national forests, wildlife management areas, and other public lands. Many are accessible—with varying degrees of ease or difficulty—via established hiking trails, and some developed areas include boardwalks, observation platforms, picnic areas, and other amenities. The Cherokee called this region "Land of a Thousand Waterfalls". The third-, fourth-, and fifth-highest waterfalls in the eastern United States are located in northern Georgia.
In this discussion, North Georgia refers to the mountainous regions of the extreme northern portion of the state, an area including Banks, Dade, Dawson, Fannin, Gilmer, Habersham, Lumpkin, Murray, Pickens, Rabun, Stephens, Towns, Union, Walker, and White Counties. There are, of course, waterfalls in other sections of the state; however, due to variations in both climate and terrain they are most abundant and most dramatic in the extreme north.
Falls by county
Waterfalls that are located on private property and thus inaccessible to the public are described as such or are marked (NA). It is the visitor's responsibility to respect and honor the rights of private landholders.
Those maps, coordinates, and descriptions presented here are meant only to provide approximate or relative locations. Numerous publications and online resources are available to those wishing to visit these sites, both by foot and by vehicle. As many of these sites remain in a relatively wild state caution must be exercised at all times.
Dade County
Cherokee Falls & Hemlock Falls—located in Cloudland Canyon State Park near Trenton, in a deep gorge on Sitton Gulch Creek. (Trailhead: )
Dawson County
Amicalola Falls—at Amicalola Falls is the highest waterfall in Georgia and the third highest east of the Mississippi River. It is approximately four times the height of Niagara's Horseshoe Falls. It is located on Amicalola Creek in Amicalola Falls State Park and is accessible via several trails, bridges, and parking areas. Visitors may park at either the top or the base of the falls; a well-maintained trail, including over 600 steps, connects those two points. Another trail connects the falls to the terminus of the Appalachian Trail on nearby Springer Mountain. Some sources, including the 2004 Georgia State Parks guide book, claim that Amicaolola Falls are "the tallest east of the Mississippi River," although Crabtree Falls in Virginia (at 1000 feet) and Glassmine Falls in North Carolina (800 feet) are both taller. (The state park website is more specific—and perhaps more accurate—citing Amicalola as "the tallest cascading waterfall". More recent editions of the print version of the guide have corrected the error.) () Bearden Falls—located in the Chattahoochee National Forest on Bearden Creek. () Cochrans Falls—at , is tied with Caledonia Cascade as the second highest waterfall in Georgia. It is on Cochrans Creek near Dawsonville. () Crawford Falls—located on private property and not accessible to the public. "Edge of the World" Rapids—Class IV rapids on the Amicalola River. (Parking area: ) Falls Creek Falls—located in the Dawson Forest, an area containing at least forty three waterfalls. (Upper Falls:; Falls Creek Falls:; Lower Falls:) Lower Falls & Upper Falls—located on Disharoon Creek in the southwest corner of Dawson County, near the gated community of Big Canoe. ()
Fannin County
Jacks River Falls—on Jacks River in the Cohutta Wilderness Area. () Little Rock Creek Falls—in the Chattahoochee National Forest. Long Creek Falls—located near the Appalachian Trail near Three Forks. Noontootla Falls—on a small tributary of Noontootla Creek near Three Forks. () Sea Creek Falls—in the Cooper Creek area in eastern Fannin County, near the Union County line. ()
Gilmer County
Barnes Creek Falls—in the Cohutta Wilderness Area near Murray County line; nearby mountaintop offers commanding view of the valley and Fort Mountain. () Falls on Davis Creek—located on private property but can be viewed from Pleasant Hill Road (State Route 59) near the community of Pleasant Hill. Falls Branch Falls—twin falls, "Lower" and "Upper", on Falls Branch near its confluence with Stanley Creek in northeast Gilmer, near the Fannin County line. () Julie Anna Falls—a fifty-foot falls on Turniptown Creek in the Rich Turniptown Mountain Wilderness Area of the Chattahoochee National Forest. () Tumbling Waters—Tails Creek falls in a series of cascades on its approach to Carters Lake.