Sights

Special events in Cherokee County may be found at: https://business.cherokeecountychamber.com/events

Falls

Cupid Falls in Georgia: It's 30 minutes from the house. It can be seen from the road driving toward 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. Next to college campus in the town of Young Harris. You can see photos of these falls on Google Maps so we haven't pasted a lot here.

Leatherwood Falls: It’s in the Fires Creek Wildlife Management area of North Carolina, and only 19 minutes away from house if you take Mission Dam Rd east to Fires Creek Rd. You can see the waterfall from parking lot or take a nice hike along the creek or around the waterfall, which is not that large but the hiking is beautiful, with short and long trails through the Fires Creek public forest land. UPDATE 9-24: water volume was way down and vegetation now hiding much of it from parking lot; when you look at main park map once you exit car, the falls are off to the left across stream. There are still nice bridge and paved trails to right along the river and due to proximity to the house, this is a nice starter.

Dry Falls in North Carolina: One of our favorites! A great one for photo ops, and a short hike. It's 1 hr. 16 min. from the house. You can walk behind the waterfall. It is very impressive to see this in person. Parking lot fills up fast so you might want to get there pretty early. It’s on Hwy 64 (southeast of Franklin); also, on the way you’ll pass Cullasaja Falls, which is beautiful but has only a viewing pullout big enough for 2 or 3 vehicles.

Bridal Veil Falls in North Carolina: Just east of Dry Falls, it's 1 hr. 20 min. away from the house, taking Hwy 64 east through Franklin and then south to the falls. It’s a 60 ft. falls that you can actually walk behind for a great photo op!
You can see smaller falls as you are driving by or you can stop and get out.

Other waterfalls in the Highlands area are Dry Falls; Bust Your Butt (or Quarry) Falls, which is 3 mi. n’west of Dry Falls on Hwy 64; and beautiful Glen Falls, which is a short distance west of Highlands on Hwy 106, and involves a 2 mile round trip hike but well worth it!)

Helton Creek Falls: Another of our favorites. A 1 hour drive to a very pretty waterfall--you can see part of it from the parking area but a 5 minute walk takes you to the base of the falls with boardwalk and platform for viewing or you can be more adventuresome. Watch out--Google 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.

Anna Ruby Falls would be third place but it may be a 1/2 mile hike on good trail. It’s a 1 hr. 10 mins. drive taking Hwy 76 out of Hiawassee, then onto Hwy 75 south. Turn off on park road just north of Helen.

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 below.

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.

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