Long Creek Falls is the waterfall hike to pick when you want something easy that still feels remote. The walk is short and mostly gentle, and it follows the Appalachian Trail and the Benton MacKaye Trail for most of the way. The harder part is the drive: the last 5 miles to the trailhead are gravel Forest Service road.

The hike at a glance

The Benton MacKaye Trail Association (BMTA) rates the hike easy and puts it at 2 miles round trip. The Fannin County Chamber calls it a leisurely 30-minute walk each way. The way in is mostly uphill and the way back mostly downhill. Dogs on a leash are allowed.

The falls drop about 50 feet in two tiers over a sheer rock face, framed by rhododendron. They are fullest in late winter, in spring and after heavy rain.

The route

  1. Start at the Three Forks trailhead on Forest Service Road 58, where several creeks come together. The trail leaves from the north side of the road (on your left as you drive in).
  2. Follow the combined Appalachian Trail (white blazes) and Benton MacKaye Trail (white diamonds) upstream along Long Creek. The Chamber counts three short climbs.
  3. Where the AT and BMT split and head north on separate routes, look for the blue-blazed side trail to the falls. The Chamber puts it at 1.1 miles.
  4. The falls are a short walk up the side trail. BMTA notes a good picnic spot about 100 yards up the side trail on the left.

Go back the same way.

The first stretch passes many dead and dying hemlocks. The hemlock woolly adelgid, an invasive insect, has killed hemlocks across the Southern Appalachians. Do not stop or sit under standing dead trees, especially on windy days.

Driving to Three Forks

These directions from Blue Ridge come from the Fannin County Chamber:

  1. Take Aska Road south for 13.5 miles to its end.
  2. Turn right on Newport Road and go 4.5 miles to its end.
  3. Turn left on Doublehead Gap Road. After a concrete bridge it turns to gravel. Continue 0.3 mile.
  4. Just past the church and cemetery, turn right on gravel Forest Service Road 58.
  5. Drive 5.3 miles to the Three Forks area, with a sign for hikers crossing. Noontootla Creek runs on your right.

The Chamber’s GPS point for the falls is N 34°39.815’ W 84°11.053’.

Road conditions

FS 58 is a gravel road that runs beside Noontootla Creek. Washouts, downed trees and ice can change conditions quickly, so drive slowly. Before you go:

  • Call the Forest Service’s Blue Ridge Ranger District at (706) 745-6928 for current road conditions, especially after storms and in winter.
  • Expect little or no cell service. Download maps before you leave Blue Ridge or Ellijay.
  • On nice weekends, arrive early or come on a weekday.

Longer hikes from Long Creek Falls

  • To Springer Mountain: The AT runs south from Three Forks toward Springer Mountain, where it begins. Many hikers do Springer as a separate short trip from Forest Service Road 42 instead. See our Springer Mountain guide.
  • To the Toccoa River swinging bridge: BMTA describes an 8.8-mile one-way hike that continues past the falls on the Benton MacKaye Trail to the 260-foot suspension bridge over the Toccoa River. It rates the hike easy to intermediate. You need a car at each end, and the shuttle parking is about a quarter mile past the bridge. Our swinging bridge guide covers the short way to the bridge.

When to go

  • Spring: best water flow, and wildflowers along the creek.
  • Summer: shady and cooler than town, but weekends are busy.
  • Fall: good color along the drive.
  • Winter: after rain the falls are at their fullest, but check the road first, since ice lingers on shaded gravel.

What to bring

  • Water and a snack. There are no facilities at Three Forks.
  • Shoes with grip. Rocks near the falls stay slick all year.
  • A paper map, or the Fannin County Welcome Center’s waterfall map. BMTA notes the Welcome Center in Blue Ridge is open seven days a week.
  • A trash bag. Pack out everything.

Pair it with

From Blue Ridge, Long Creek Falls makes an easy half-day. Spend the rest of the day in town with our Blue Ridge town guide. For a shorter waterfall walk closer to town, try Fall Branch Falls. For bigger waterfalls in the region, see 5 North Georgia waterfalls.

Sources and further reading

Facts in this article were checked against these sources on October 30, 2026. Hours, fees and seasons change, so confirm before you go.