Embedded Files
Special events in Cherokee County may be found at: https://business.cherokeecountychamber.com/events
Cullasaja Falls along the roadside to Highlands. Not much parking. More like a pullover area
W a t e r f a l l s
From family members, starting with nearest locations and progressing to some favorites, here is a list of Falls and trails near Murphy, N.C.:
Leatherwood Falls / Fires creek picnic area: In North Carolina: It’s 21
minutes away from the house. If you take Mission Dam Road East to Fires Creek Road you can see the waterfall from the parking lot. Or take the nice hike along the creek or around the waterfall. It’s a medium size waterfall.
Cupid Falls: In Georgia: It’s 29 minutes away from the house. It can be seen from the road driving toward the parking lot. It’s more of a small cascade than a waterfall but very pretty. There is a small playground nearby along with easy hiking trail.
High Shoals Falls: In Georgia: It’s 50 minutes from the house. It’s moderate 2.4 mile hike through the woods featuring two waterfalls as well as swimming holes.
Blue Hole Falls: In Georgia: It’s 51 minutes from the house. Beautiful waterfall with a swimming hole which is very deep. Waterfall is 1 mile from trailhead. The climb is difficult and sometimes steep. Parking lot is small.
Helton Creek Falls: In Georgia. It’s 58 minutes away from the house. You can see part of the waterfall from the parking area. A 5 minute walk takes you to the base of the falls with boardwalk and platform area for viewing. ***Watch out google maps will route you via Hatcher Creek Rd. from the East but unless you are comfortable driving or walking through a shallow rockbed creek to the parking area, it’s better to come in from the West via Hwy 76 through Young Harris to Blairsville, then taking Hwy 19 to Helton Creek Rd.
DeSoto Falls: In Georgia: 1hr and 1 minute away from the house. There are two trails one leading to the upper falls and the other to the lower falls. Two miles out and back. Beautiful hike
Dukes Creek Falls: In Georgia: It’s 1hr & 5 minutes from the house. A moderate hiking trail with Mount Yonah views leads to the waterfall with a viewing platform. Parking fee and limited parking spaces. 3 mile round trip
Quarry Falls: In North Carolina: It’s 1 hour 9minutes away from the house. Can see it from the roadside. Swimming hole, climbing rocks.
Juney Whank Falls: It’s in North Carolina: It’s 1 hour 9 minutes from the house. Scenic falls, reachable by a paved trail and bridge. Short steep hike. Parking fee. There are 3 waterfalls.
Anna Ruby Falls: Near the Unicoi State Park: In Georgia. It’s 1 hr & 12 minutes from the house. The waterfall is accessible via a half mile paved trail from a Public use area with a small admittance charge. It’s a twin falls and a must see in person.
Dry Falls: in North Carolina. It takes 1 hr 16 minutes to get there from the home. One of our favorites! A great one for photo ops and a short hike to it. You can walk behind the waterfall. It is impressive to see this in person. Parking lot fills up quick and you might want to get there earlier? It’s on hwy 64 (Southeast of Franklin): also, on the way you’ll pass Cullasaja Falls, which is a beautiful but has only a 2-3 parking space area.
Hurricane Falls: In Georgia: It’s 1 hr 17 minutes from the house. Steep and strenuous stairs and suspension bridge. 1,000 stairs leading to the suspension bridge
Bridal Veil Falls: In North Carolina: It’s 1 hour 18 minutes. Just East of Dry Falls. Take Hwy 64 East through Franklin and then South of the falls. It’s a 60ft falls that you can actually walk behind for a great photo op!
Mingo Falls: In North Carolina: It’s 1 hour 25 minutes away from the house. 120 ft waterfall on the Cherokee Reservation. Stunning views. Short hike, free parking
Glen Falls: In North Carolina: It’s 1 hr 31 minutes away from the house. Is a short distance West of Highlands on Hwy 106 and involves a 2 mile round trip hike but well worth it. It involves a moderate but challenging trek with switchbacks and elevation change, which is rewarding for the views of the cascades and swimming holes. The trail leads to 3 distinct waterfalls.
Toccoa Falls: In Georgia: 1 hr and 32 minutes away from the house. Easy short walk to the 186 foot high waterfall.
****Note: There are so many waterfalls to explore and too many to list. Some trails or waterfalls may be closed due to hurricane damage etc. Research info. Ahead of time. The "house book" inside our home will give you more information about many Falls and trails.
Sequoyah Falls Dam in Highlands, NC
Will Henry Stevens Covered Bridge in Highlands, N.C.
Quarry Falls along the roadside to Highlands. Not much parking just pullover area.
Dry Falls heading toward Highlands. They have parking lot with bathrooms.
DISTANCES BY ROAD:
Murphy Downtown Center:_ 9.5 miles__
Hayesville:__10 miles____
Fieldstone Cinema:___15 miles_____
Murphy Henn Theatre:__9.5 miles______
Helen, Ga.:___39 miles_______
Chatanooga, TN:___100______
Nantahalah Outdoor Center:___34_______
Maggie Valley:___73________
Asheville, NC:___111______
Blairsville, Ga. __24__
Hiking and biking trails:
There are many trails in the southwestern North Carolina and north Georgia area, but we’ll list a few options here.
Already mentioned above is the Ramsey Bluff Bike Trail system, located in the Hanging Dog Recreation Area, at the campground area.
Just 15-20 minute drive east of Raccoon Ridge is the Fires Creek Recreation Area with the 25 mile loop Rim Trail; also there is a fairly easy .7 mile trail at Leatherwood Falls, starting at the picnic area. To get there, take Mission Dam Rd. east to Fires Creek Rd., then turn left onto Fires Creek Wildlife Rd. and go 2 miles to the picnic area at Leatherwood Falls. Optional route is to take Hwy 64 east and turn left onto Fires Creek Rd., go 2.5 miles to Fires Creek Wildlife Rd., then 2 miles to the picnic area.
The Murphy River Walk is located in downtown Murphy, and is about 3 miles of easy walking trails along the Valley River; can be accessed off Valley River Avenue at the Konehete Park, or at the L&N Depot beside the Hiwassee River bridge.
The Piney Knob Trail System is 15 miles of hiking and biking trails located north of Murphy a few miles ( 28 min. drive from the cabin if you take US64 and go through Murphy) Biking trails are built to International Mountain Bike Assoc. standards. Located off of Hwy 74/19/129 ; turn left onto Regal Rd. (opposite the casino parkway) go a short distance and turn onto Piney Knob Hill Rd., and it’s 1.3 miles from there.
For hardcore hikers, the Appalachian Trail can be accessed in two places 40 minutes away from Murphy. One entrance is at the Nantahala Outdoor Center on Hwy 74, and the other is at Winding Stair Gap on Franklin Mtn. off Hwy 64.
Again, this is not a comprehensive list of local trail systems; for more info go to:
https://www.cherokeecountychamber.com/hiking-and-biking/
Across the state line in north Georgia are some nice trails, including the scenic Anna Ruby Falls trail just north of Helen; it’s paved but is moderately steep in places. Heading south on Hwy 75 towards Helen, turn left onto Hwy 356 and follow the signs past Unicoi State Park, turn onto the Anna Ruby Falls Road (travel time is 1 hr 10 mins on this route) The Brasstown Bald trail is about half a mile one way to the summit, paved but a bit steep in places. The “top of the world” mountain view at the observation tower is amazing! Another trail is the Notteley Reservoir trail just west of Ivy Log on Hwy 325.
Also the Blood and Slaughter Mountains area trails system, near Lake Winfield Scott, are beautiful wilderness hikes but not for beginners. The lake is a few miles southwest of Vogel State Park on Hwy 180, a 1 hour drive from Raccoon Ridge. Part of this trail system is on the Appalachian Trail. For more info on these particular trails, go to https://www.atlantatrails.com/hiking-trails/slaughter-mountain-lake-winfield-scott-loop/
Arts and music: The area has a lot of arts, crafts and music talent, and here are just a few of the many opportunities to enjoy it: The Valley River Arts Guild has a downtown (12 Peachtree St.) gallery and shop called the Murphy Arts Center (MAC) , and on the first Friday of each month from May through December they host the Murphy Art Walk, which features arts, crafts, musicians and performance artists. The event is from 5-8pm, and is free. Also there will be local musicians and artists at the downtown Murphy Spring Festival on May 4. There are several shops and galleries in Murphy to buy one-of-a-kind artworks in, as well.
Local musicians’ talent can be enjoyed at the Murphy Farmers Market (at the L&N Depot downtown) on the first Saturday of every month from 9-1pm, from April through October. Also, live music can be heard during the Fain Alley Music Series (in Fain Alley public area downtown) on the last Saturday of every month, April through October, from 5-7pm
There are also multiple opportunities to hear concerts at the Georgia Mountain Fairgrounds throughout the year, as well as several festivals noted elsewhere.
Boating, fishing and water sports:
One of the biggest lakes with multiple boat launches and swim sites is Hiwassee Lake. West of Murphy, follow Hwy 74 to Hwy 294, then right onto Hiwassee Dam Access Rd and in a few miles you’ll find the Hiwassee Dam. It’s 307’ high, the third largest dam in the TVA system. There’s a small park on the other side of the dam, with restrooms and picnic tables, and fishing access. Nearby, Mountain View Marina (on Marina Rd. in the Bear Paw Community) has boat rentals, bait and tackle, food, supplies, and gas and oil. The dam and marina are about 45 mins. from Raccoon Ridge cabin.
Off the Unicoi Turnpike, on the north side of Hiwassee Lake, are three other places with boat ramps: Hanging Dog Recreation Area, with boat ramp, swimming, restrooms and picnic tables; Shooks Marina, which rents out all kinds of boats, from paddle boats to power boats, and kayaks and canoes; and Duke’s Hideaway Marina, which has pontoon rentals, store and a swimming area. Of these three , Shook’s Marina is the furthest from Raccoon Ridge at 36 minutes away. All of the above places showcase beautiful lake mountain scenery.
https://www.cherokeecountychamber.com/2020/09/17/hiwassee-lake-loop/
Lake Chatuge is a large, popular reservoir that straddles the state line between Georgia and North Carolina. Surrounded by a backdrop of mountains, it has a lot of opportunities for boating, fishing and swimming. Travel time for the marinas/parks listed here is from 28 to 32 minutes from the Raccoon Ridge cabin. Most of these are located along Hwy 76 in Hiawassee on the Georgia side; Lake Chatuge Marina and Young Harris Water Sports Marina rent boats out. There is also Boundary Waters Resort and Marina, located just off Hwy 288; on Georgia Hwy 75 is the Serenity Cove Boat Dock, and north of it, on the same road but on the NC side is Marguerita Jack’s Marina and RV.
Marina Station Water Park is a place on Hwy 76 that kids can swim and play in the lake, and on inflatable slides and docks. Swimming is also allowed at the public Lake Chatuge Beach, located on Hwy 76 near the Georgia Mountain Fairgrounds; there is a picnic pavilion there, snack bar and restrooms.
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse