Hemlock Falls is a 12-foot waterfall on Moccasin Creek in Rabun County, Georgia, where the creek drops over a single ledge into a pool beneath a wooded canopy. A trail along the creek starts across the road from Moccasin Creek State Park.
The falls
Moccasin Creek falls in one sheer drop into a pool. The World Waterfall Database estimates the drop at about 12 feet from lidar data; older estimates put it at 20 feet. Along the trail the creek runs over a string of small unnamed cascades, some close enough to spray the path.
Getting there
The Hemlock Falls Trail begins at the end of Andersonville Lane off Highway 197, directly opposite the Moccasin Creek State Park entrance. The trail runs 3 miles round trip, which includes the climb past the falls to the top of the cascade; the falls themselves are about a mile in. The Georgia Conservancy counts roughly 500 feet of gain on a rocky, uneven dirt path with several creek crossings on small wooden bridges. Guides rate it anywhere from easy to moderate. Parking inside the state park requires a ParkPass at $10 per vehicle per day or $70 a year.
When to go
Flow is strongest in winter; a January visitor found the creek and its side streams running hard and noted that in summer they can shrink to a trickle. Great laurel and mountain laurel line the creek and bloom in May and June.
On site
The path has benches and a bridge before the falls, and the last stretch is rougher, with rocky footing that can be wet or muddy. The pool at the base is a swimming hole. The trail is open to leashed dogs.
Nearby
Lower Hemlock Falls is about 0.1 mile away, and Upper Moccasin Falls and Moccasin Falls are each about 0.8 mile away. Wildcat Creek Falls is about 1.1 miles away on a neighboring creek.
Distances are straight-line.