Barnes Creek Falls is a 15-foot waterfall on Barnes Creek in Gilmer County, Georgia, in the Blue Ridge region. It lies about 10.7 miles northwest of Ellijay and roughly 41.2 miles southeast of East Chattanooga as the crow flies.
At 15 feet it is one of the lowest falls in the state’s records: of the 80 Georgia waterfalls with a documented height only 3 are shorter, while the typical Georgia waterfall stands around 44.5 feet.
The Blue Ridge is the highest part of the southern Appalachians, a range of forested peaks and coves with oak, hickory, tulip poplar and hemlock and spruce-fir on the summits, in one of the wettest climates in the East. Steep mountain streams drop over granite, gneiss and quartzite ledges, giving the region hundreds of waterfalls.
Gilmer County holds 8 recorded waterfalls, and several are close by. Moreland Branch Falls, is about 1.2 miles away. Waterfall 11 mi N of Ellijay, is about 2.3 miles away. Emery Creek Falls, 75 feet high, is about 2.9 miles away.
Barnes Creek Falls is located at 34.8261° N, 84.5821° W. The listing is based on the World Waterfall Database, one of the sources compiled by the U.S. Geological Survey in its inventory of waterfalls and rapids of the conterminous United States. The creek name is confirmed against the federal Geographic Names Information System. The exact position has not yet been verified on aerial imagery, so treat the map pin as approximate. Details on trails, parking and access have not been documented for this waterfall yet.