Raven Cliff and Dukes Creek Falls with a late lunch in Helen

Spring is finally here! The weather is expected to be beautiful this Sunday. Join us for a day of hiking, waterfalls and German fare.

The carpool will leave promptly at 8:30 am.  We should arrive at the Raven Cliff Trailhead by 10:00 am and start the hike at 10:15 am.  

The Raven Cliff Trail is approximately 3 miles and leads you over creek crossings and rock outcrops and past miniature waterfalls to the base of Raven Cliff Falls. The trail follows a beautiful, rushing trout stream through a moss filled forrest.  For those that want an extra challenge, the short, steep climb to Raven Cliff Falls is worth the added effort.  The waterfall consists of three drops, a 60-foot drop, followed by a 20-foot drop into a deep pool, followed by a cascade of 20 feet to Dodd Creek.  We will spend about 30 minutes here to enjoy the falls and take some pictures before heading back along the stream to the cars.  

We will then drive  5 minutes to the Duke's Creek Falls parking lot.   This hike is a little over a mile with a 400 foot descent.  It courses three sharp switchbacks, offering glimpses and ever-growing sounds of the rushing, tumbling waterfall before we get to the base of the falls.   The view of this 150 foot fall is breathtaking and definately will warrant a few pictures.  

We will then head into Helen where we will have a late lunch at Old Heidelberg, offering awesome German food and beer.

Elevation between the two trails will be about 1000 feet with a distance of about 8 miles.  

We should be back at the Mansell Park N Ride around 6:00 pm.

There isn't a park fee at Raven but there is a $4.00 fee at Duke's Creek Falls.  They will accept a National Park Pass or Senior Pass if you have one.  There are vault toilets at both locations but no fresh water.  

From the Mansell Park and Ride to Raven Cliff Falls parking lot:  Take GA 400 North.  To GA 115, toward Cleveland.  Left on Tesnatee Gap Valley Road. Left on GA 129 North. Right on GA 75  Alt. Left on GA 348 which is Richard Russell Hwy. Go about 3 miles to the Raven Cliff Parking lot.