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Horse Trough Falls

Horsetrough Trail leads to beautiful Horse Trough Falls, high in the watershed of the Chattahoochee River.

Horsetrough Mountain is a peak on the Appalachian Trail. This high eastern ridge of the Blue Ridge Mountains is home to many falls that feed the Chattahoochee River, which forms within a mile of the Horsetrough Falls, about 300 feet below the aptly named Chattahoochee Gap on Coon's Den Ridge. The water that passes over these falls joins Chattahoochee, beginning a nearly 500-mile journey to the Gulf of Mexico.

From a sign in the furthest campground parking lot the trail curves left, quickly coming to a wooden bridge over the Chattahoochee River that is only a few feet wide at this point. Easily climbing through a diverse hardwood forest the trail is completely shaded, normally running 5 to 10 degrees cooler than the campground. The wide, short trail is great for families with young children, but is probably not one for strollers. The trail follows Horsetrough Creek, which runs to the left of the trail. This is the common name for the creek, which does not have a name on the topo maps.

Quickly, the trail ends at a wooden view platform. Like so many north Georgia waterfalls, Horsetrough Falls drops in a series of free-falls and cascades, combining three seperate ledges to create the 55-foot tall waterfall. Since this is a high mountain waterfall (2360 ft), waterflow will be highest 2-3 days after a rain. Photographers will want to get their at mid-to-late morning, when the sun is hitting the falls, but bring a tripod, just in case.

Horsetrough Falls is in the Mark Trail Wilderness, an expansive area containing most of the Upper Chattahoochee River. Among the larger wildlife that flourishes here are bear, wild turkey, and deer. The hike to the falls is from the 34-site Upper Chattahoochee Campground, which is open from March to December. Turn left on the road that runs past the campground as you exit to follow the river for the next seven miles down to the city of Helen.According to the editors of About North Georgia, the Chattahoochee River Road is one of the Great Autumn Drives in the state.

Chattahoochee (chatta = "rock," hoochee = "colored" or "painted," the combined word means "rock of many colors") is the Creek Indian name for the river. The Cherokee, who controlled the area from the late 1400's called the river Chota.

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Horse Trough Falls Trail
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