The adventure this time took us to Desoto Falls in the Chattahoochee National Forest near Dahlonega, GA. Desoto Falls has both an Upper and Lower fall. The upper fall is a 3/4 mile hike and the lower is a 1/4 mile, so approximately 2 miles total out and back. We had actually looked for this trail before but our GPS glitched and we stopped looking for the trailhead about 8 miles before we actually reached it. This time we stopped at the Mountain Crossings store located on the AT and after looking through their very cool store loaded with tons of gear and interesting nic-nacs, we asked them for directions.
After arriving at the trailhead parking lot, we crossed the bridge over the creek and we decided to do the upper trail first. The trail followed the creek and the sound of water was relaxing. This hike was very enjoyable with some exertion needed to ascend to the falls, but the trail was beautiful with the vibrant green landscape, some large open areas with tall tree cover, and a pleasant breeze.
Once we reached the upper falls, there was a wooden deck that stretched over the creek so that you were positioned directly in front of the falls. The falls are narrow, but absolutely beautiful with their cascading shower plummeting from a small cliff at the top of fall and then rolling down two other sections of slick rock face before meeting more boulders that separate it down to several tiny falls as it trickled down the mountainside. We sat on the wooden benches that are part of the wooden deck and just watched and listened to the fall, letting it calm us and take the stresses of life away.
After our break, we headed back down the trail and onto the lower falls trail. Don’t let the name lower falls fool you, it too is an ascent, but again mild and well worth the energy exerted. We passed mushroom laced fallen trees and dried leaves leftover from last fall. The trails are both well marked and simple to follow. There were some stair steps made of boulders, others made of wood, and trees from past storms cut in two to clear the walking path. There was one small tree you could either walk over or around.
The lower falls also had a deck to the right of the falls. These falls are smaller in comparison to the upper. This said, it was equally as beautiful with the water seemingly coming from the green canopy of foliage above. To the left of the fall, I spotted what looked like a tiny water slide carved out over time by the mountain water. We sat again taking this in.
We then started back, stopping to look at the interesting trees and plants growing along the trail. We passed other hikers on occasion, all giving their friendly greeting in passing as it seems all hikers do. As we came to the end of the trail, we met the creek waters we had begun at and crossed back over that bridge, pausing first midway to take in the view from both sides. Another gorgeous day in the mountains and two explorers extremely happy with their trek.
