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Three Forks
For the sixth and final day of our mountain swimming hole marathon, I dragged Cade to Three Forks in the extreme northeastern corner of Rabun County, Georgia (not to be confused with the better known Three Forks along the Appalachian Trail in north-central Georgia). Three Forks is where three creeks (Big Creek, Overflow Creek, and Holcomb Creek) converge at a single point to form the West Fork Chattooga River. Each of the tributaries has waterfalls, and at least two have swimming holes (in addition to the apparent swimming holes at the confluence). I can’t remember how exactly I came across the info for this one (I think I stumbled across a picture of Lower Big Creek Falls and it took off from there), but it took some researching to find out how to hit all the highlights in one hike. We were originally going to hike in from the west via the Three Forks Trail, but that route involves crossing Holcomb Creek above a waterfall, and crossing the West Fork Chattooga River at the confluence to access the waterfalls on Big and Overflow Creeks. The flash flood watch from yesterday was still in effect, and we weren’t sure how high the river would be, so we opted to approach from the east and follow Big Creek down to Three Forks, which would mean there would be no mandatory water crossings (except at the very beginning of the hike, and at that point it wouldn’t be a big loss to turn back). Most sources gave info for how to approach from the west, but Rich Stevenson of ncwaterfalls.com wrote a blog on how he approached from the east and hit all the highlights, so I used that as a guide. I also saved a screen capture of a Sherpa Guides map in my phone in case we had trouble navigating the network of unmarked trails through the woods. I was not sure how long the hike would be. One posting from the Atlanta Outdoor Club gave a figure of about 9 miles, and they ostensibly used the Big Creek route. I traced our estimated route (hiking down Big Creek to Three Forks, and then up Overflow Creek from Three Forks to Singley’s Falls) on Google Earth, and it looked to be about 2.5 to 3 miles one way, so I estimated it would be about 5-6 miles round trip.When we got there, we parked along GA-28 just north of where Big Creek flows under the road. Right as we left the parking area, we had to cross Talley Mill Creek, a tributary of Big Creek. We were able to find a spot to rock-hop across, and we continued down the muddy logging road. The trail quickly rose high above the creek, and we couldn’t see the creek for the leaves. Not long into the hike, we could hear the creek roaring below us. There was a very faint side path leading down to the creek, but whatever was down there was not on our itinerary, and Rich Stevenson said on his website that he attempted this trail but stopped when he reached a questionable drop-off. The Sherpa Guide map indicates this as Upper Big Creek Falls (marker #10). I later looked at the area on Google Earth, and it indicates a 25-30 foot drop, but that area is in the shadows on the satellite imagery, so it’s hard to see what the falls might look like or if there is a swimming hole.
We continued down the logging road, taking out spider webs with our faces, until we came to a fork. The right fork was the logging road, and the left fork was a narrow but well worn path that veered off downhill toward Big Creek. Rich Stevenson’s directions indicated that the left fork would lead to Lower Big Creek Falls. This was on my list because multiple sources claim that it has a killer swimming hole. I wasn’t expecting it to be safe given the high flow of the creek today, but I still wanted to see it. We followed the path down the hill to the creek. It reached the creek at a small cascade that was only partially visible through the leaves, and it continued downstream along a relatively calm section of the creek. The trail was overgrown and had a lot of deadfall in some places; it was not as maintained as the logging road. I’m not sure if it was even an official trail; it is not shown on the Sherpa Guides map, although Lower Big Creek Falls is still marked (#14). It was not long until we reached the top of the falls. The falls was a series of three drops. The first two were probably 10 feet or less, and the last one was 10-15 feet. The upper drops roared through a rocky chute, and the trail along this area was steep and slippery. The water was so ferocious through the chute that anyone who fell into it might come out in pieces.
When we got downstream of the final drop, a steep scramble trail led to the base. The pool looked too rough for swimming, and there were more rapids downstream, so if we swam here, we ran the risk of being swept out of the pool. I have seen pictures of this place at lower water levels (see Rich Stevenson's photos), and it looks like a great swimming hole. Today it looked kind of scary.
We got back onto the trail and continued downstream. We saw some cool fungi growing out of a tree as we were leaving Lower Big Creek Falls.
Big Creek roared from this point on, but it was hard to tell if there were significant cascades, or if the current water level was making smaller rapids sound larger than they really were. The leaves blocked the view in most places, but there was one spot where I could look through and see a potentially 10-15 foot waterfall, possibly with a plunge pool, but the rhododendrons were so thick that it didn’t seem worth it to bushwhack for a closer look. At one point during this part of the hike, I stepped on a nest of yellow jackets at the base of a fallen log without realizing it. I heard Cade say something, and I paused, and then he said “Yellow jackets!” He was on my heels by this time, and we bolted about 50 feet down the trail. He got stung once, right on the side of the knee. He also mentioned that his other knee had been bothering him because of the way he slept on it, so now both knees were bothering him. He said he wasn’t allergic, so we continued on.
Rich Stevenson says the side trail down to Three Forks is at a small fire ring. We reached a point where there was a wide area with a couple of burnt logs (but no fire ring), and a side trail going off to the left. We figured this must be the place, so we took the steep path down to the water. We had reached Three Forks a little over two hours from when we started the hike (which included stopping to take pictures at Lower Big Creek Falls).
Big Creek flowed in over a 10-15 foot waterfall from the river-left side:
Overflow Creek nonchalantly flowed in from the middle:
And Holcomb Creek spilled over a small waterfall on the river-right side:
The freshly formed West Fork Chattooga River dropped over rapids about 3-4 feet high into pools, and this continued until the river disappeared around the bend.
Here is a video I put together of all the waterways at the confluence:
The entire area was gorgeous, and all the creeks were lined with giant ferns. It looked like there might be a swimming hole at the base of the Big Creek cascade, but the flow looked too swift. I noticed a copperhead on the rock next to Big Creek while I was taking pictures there (look for it in the video). The river was flowing too hard to wade across (most of the flow was coming from Big Creek), but Overflow Creek appeared calm and shallow enough to wade across just upstream from the confluence of Big Creek. On the other side of Overflow Creek, we found a campsite on an island. Just before joining the river, Holcomb Creek splits around the island, with the upper fork emptying into Overflow Creek upstream of Big Creek, and the lower fork spilling over the small waterfall downstream of Big Creek. We crossed Holcomb Creek to get a look at the cliffs on the left bank of the river. Holcomb Creek was flowing pretty swiftly, and I could see some cascades and potential pools directly upstream of where we were crossing.
We worked our way a few hundred feet downstream on a path beneath a rocky overhang.
We came to a point where the only way to continue downstream was via a dense bushwhack through the woods. Cade saw a large boulder where the river started to round the bend and wanted to go to it, but it looked like it might be on the opposite side of the river. I said I didn’t want to spend too much more time here because I still wanted to check out Singley's Falls (aka Overflow Falls) on Overflow Creek, as it seemed to be the most likely to have a swimming hole that would be safe to get into, given the lower flow on Overflow Creek. Cade seemed to like it at Three Forks, and he didn’t want to do unnecessary hiking due to his knees bothering him. I offered to go to Singley's Falls solo and return when I was finished, but he didn’t want to split up, so he reluctantly came with me. As the crow flies, Singley's Falls is only half a mile upstream from Three Forks, so I figured it couldn't be that bad of a hike.
We climbed back up to the main trail and followed it as it paralleled Overflow Creek. The GPS indicated that we were halfway to the falls after only about five minutes, but then we reached a point where the trail forked. The right fork veered off up the hill, away from the creek. The left fork continued straight and looked like it went downhill toward the creek, but it had a lot of clutter and deadfall. Rich Stevenson said he had taken the left fork, even though he had been instructed by a friend to take the right fork; the left fork had dead ended before reaching the falls, causing him to have to bushwhack through thick rhododendrons on a steep hillside. He recommends taking the right fork, and I wasn’t in the mood for a bushwhack, so we took the right fork. The trail seemed to be going in the opposite direction of the falls, and it continued that way for a long time. The next landmark we were looking for was a frog pond. It seemed to take forever to get there. I had to check the GPS against the Sherpa Guide several times to make sure we were on the right trail. I’m not sure if it actually took that long to get there, or if it just seemed that way because I wasn’t sure if we were going the right way, and because I knew that Cade was probably about ready to murder me at this point. When we finally reached the frog pond, I was wishing I had just done the bushwhack, because this trail had gone WAAAAY out of the way (about a mile, according to a rudimentary trace on Google Earth). We were now at the top of the ridge, several hundred feet above the creek, and we had overshot the waterfall by at least the same distance as between the waterfall and Three Forks; you can see this on the Sherpa Guide (Three Forks is #15 and Singley's Falls is #13), but the map makes the trail look so much shorter than it really is. Cade had absolutely no desire to go to Singley’s Falls at this point, but being the completionist (and inconsiderate douche) that I am, I couldn’t stand the idea of being this close and not getting to see it, so I asked if he would be okay waiting here while I took the trail that forked off to the left to check it out. I said I would turn back if the GPS indicated I was less than halfway there after 10 minutes. He acquiesced, and I said to come looking for me if I didn’t return after 45 minutes. I felt kind of bad about leaving him there that long, although he was getting a little cocky a couple of days ago about how certain people (including myself) “can’t hang” when he is leaping and climbing all over treacherous boulders. I sprinted down the trail. As I neared the creek and heard the roar of the waterfall, I could see a side-trail to the left. I decided to try this first, so I put three sticks in the shape of an arrow next to it in case Cade had to come looking for me. This ended up being the correct trail (it's not on the map), and I reached the top of the falls 13 minutes after leaving the frog pond (although I was basically jogging the whole way).
I had initially planned to just snap some pictures and go back up, but the pool looked reasonably safe to enter, and I was so hot that I had sweat literally pouring off my body, so I decided to look for a way down. After not finding one, I backtracked to the hillside and bushwhacked downstream until I saw a reasonably clear area through the underbrush going back toward the creek. I came out right next to the cliff where the waterfall was, but I was able to climb down and get onto the rocks at the river-left side of the pool.
After snapping a few pictures, I quickly threw my shoes and shirt aside and slid into the water. The waterfall dropped into the pool on the river-right side, and the pool was wide enough that there was an eddy on the left side. I walked out just far enough to confirm that the water was over my head, but I could feel a slight current circling back toward the waterfall, so I moved back to where I could touch. I didn’t want to keep Cade waiting too long, so I stayed in only about five minutes and dunked my head underwater repeatedly. I was so hot from jogging down that I never actually got cold, but I cooled off enough to where I felt like I could book it back up the hill without getting overheated. From my current vantage point below the falls, I could see that there actually was a path down from the top that hugged the rocks on the river-left side of the falls, but I had not noticed it from the top because the point where it branches off from the ‘main’ trail had deadfall lying across it.
I turned on my fitness tracker before leaving to measure the distance back to the car. It took me longer than 13 minutes to get back up the trail. I had been gone for about 45 minutes total, and Cade said he was about to come looking for me. I had sprinted up the trail, so I was out of breath and could barely talk at this point. The tracker indicated that it was a mile from Singley’s Falls to the frog pond. It didn’t seem that long going down, but it sure did coming back up. From the frog pond, the Sherpa Guide indicated that the right fork at the next junction would take us back to the logging road that we had started the hike on, meaning that we could loop around rather than having to backtrack the way we came. The left fork looks from the map to be a much shorter hike to another road, but after checking Google Earth, it looks like that route could involve private property. According to Rich Stevenson, the junction is about 3 minutes from the frog pond. We arrived shortly, and there was a rusty aluminum cylinder nailed to a tree at the fork. We took the right fork and eventually came to the side trail that we had taken to get down to Lower Big Creek Falls. The hike back to the car from this point seemed to take much longer than the hike coming in. According to my fitness tracker, the hike from Singley’s Falls back to the car was 3.5 miles. Here is a map of the portion of the hike that I tracked:
This was about half the total hike (if not a little less), so the total hike was probably about 7-8 miles. That ended up being closer to the original figure of 9 miles than my estimate of 5 miles, mainly because of the hike to Singley’s Falls; I was not expecting to hike two miles to a waterfall half a mile away. If I had it to do over, I would take the dead-end trail that starts off toward Singley’s Falls and just bushwhack the rest of the way (although Rich Stevenson did that, and he said he would have taken the official trail). Ah well, you know what they say about the grass being greener. The sun had been in and out of the clouds all day, and it briefly sprinkled on us, but the hike was rain-free other than that. We did not see another person the entire time we were there (granted, it was a Monday).
On the way back to Clayton, we were driving down Warwoman Rd, and I heard wood cracking and saw leaves and pieces of bark falling around the car. I wasn’t sure what was happening, but Cade mashed the gas, and I looked in the side mirror and saw a tree hit the road and bounce just behind us. We turned around to see what had happened, and it looked like a limb had fallen off an oak tree and taken out several other trees.
Some other people who had stopped broke enough branches to clear one lane, and a woman in a pickup truck said that she would call it in, so we left the scene and returned to Clayton.
In conclusion, this would have been a great swimming hole excursion if the creeks had been at less terrifying water levels, and we had gotten started earlier in the day. With three creeks and a river to explore, this could almost be a multi-day camping trip (if I were into camping). It looked like you could spend an entire day exploring each individual creek, so it was a challenge to hit all the highlights in a day hike. Today’s excursion felt a bit rushed, even though it took about six hours. I would definitely consider coming back here.
As much as I like swimming holes, I’m kind of relieved to be going home tomorrow. My entire body is sore after six days of hiking (especially today’s hike), and this has sort of confirmed that you can’t plan mountain swimming hole treks far in advance and expect conditions to be ideal (even though that’s really the only way to experience swimming holes that are too far from home to be done in a day trip).