Winter is the perfect time to revisit some of your favorite Georgia hiking spots. Not only are the trails (and parking lots!) less crowded, but you’ll enjoy an ever-changing array of new sights along the well-trodden trails.
One of our winter (and year-round) favorites is Duke’s Creek Falls near Helen. We love hiking the well-shaded path into the canyon during summer, even if it can be a little crowded at times.
But in winter, we always return for a wide-open view of this tall falls — which is partially obscured in summer by the green leaves of surrounding trees.
For the record, you can get a distant glimpse of the falls just a short walk from the main parking lot. But if you take the 1.1 mile trail down, the payoff is a much closer and better view, year-round.
Following a wide dirt path filled with switchbacks down into the valley, you’ll spot lots of small falls and rapids along the way — again, easier to spot and enjoy during winter months. During warmer months, it’s not unusual to see small groups noisily wading in the cold stream near the short cascades. But in winter, you’ll enjoy the natural serenity without the shouts and yelps.
At trail’s end, Davis Creek cascades more than 150-feet down the mountainside.
And it’s this path-end view that makes this year-round hike. In summer, there’s usually a crowd along the trail and beyond the barriers, frolicking in the stream below the falls. But not in winter, when you’ll often have the scenic vista and natural sounds all to yourself.
With the shielding canopy of summer leaves long gone, you’ll enjoy the full length of the 150-foot cascading falls.
Duke’s Creek Falls is located in the Chattahoochee National Forest near Helen. The access point is off of the Russell-Brasstown Scenic Byway, Georgia State Highway 348.
