Estatoah Falls is a 295-foot tiered horsetail waterfall on Mud Creek near Dillard in Rabun County, Georgia, one of the largest in the state by the World Waterfall Database's account. It sits on private land and is closed to the public, so it is seen only from a distance, from GA 246 between Dillard and Sky Valley.
The falls
Mud Creek leaves Spring Lake and drops over a main tier of 185 feet, followed closely by sliding cascades of about 35 and 50 feet, for a total of 295 feet. Earlier surveys listed 185 feet, the height of the main tier alone; guides give figures of 160 and 200 feet. A separate upper falls lies about 350 feet upstream of the brink.
Getting there
There is no public access. The falls and the land around them are privately owned and posted, and entering without the landowner's permission is trespassing. The view is from public roads: Waterfall Record describes a glimpse across the fields to the south of GA 246 about one mile east of US 23, and a better angle from Kelly's Creek Road. There is no designated pull-off on the highway.
When to go
The falls are partly visible from GA 246 in winter, when the leaves are down; in summer the trees hide much of the drop.
On site
Visitors can only look from the roadside, across fields, and should stay on the public road.
History and name
The name comes from the Cherokee village of Eastertoy, which is thought to have stood near Dillard; Estatoah is an alternate spelling.
Nearby
Mud Creek Falls, also called Little Estatoah Falls, is about 1 mile upstream in Sky Valley, and unlike Estatoah it is open to the public, with no hike and a couple of picnic tables. Middle Middle Creek Falls is about 1.6 miles away across the North Carolina line, and Darnell Falls about 2.3 miles.
Distances are straight-line.