If You Go
Anna Ruby Falls Scenic Area
Lush natural beauty and a rare pair of twin waterfalls are the main attractions of this 1,600-acre preserve in the heart of North Georgia’s Chattahoochee National Forest. The site is operated under a special use permit by the nonprofit Cradle of Forestry Interpretive Association. A short, paved footpath leads to the falls. Benches are provided along the way. The Lion’s Eye Trail gives people who are blind or have visual impairments the opportunity to experience the environment along Smith Creek. Braille signs interpret various features of the area. Ambitious hikers can take a 4.6-mile trek that leads from the base of Anna Ruby Falls to Unicoi State Park. Picnic tables, drinking water, toilets and interpretive exhibits are available.
Directions: From Helen, take Ga. 75 for one mile. Turn right onto Ga. 356 for 1.5 miles, then left at the sign to Anna Ruby Falls. Follow this paved road for 3.6 miles to the parking area and visitors center. Note that the road first goes through a fee collection gate for Unicoi State Park and then through another fee gate for the scenic area. If you're going only to the scenic area, you can pass free through the state park gate. If you're also going to Unicoi park, you must pay a separate fee.
Hours: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m every day except Christmas. Open an hour longer in summer.
Fees: $3 per person 3 years and older. Anna Ruby Falls annual pass, $20 per person. Interagency Annual Pass, Senior Pass and Access Pass accepted. If you're also visiting Unicoi State Park, a separate $5 parking fee is charged.
For more info: Anna Ruby Falls Visitor Center: 706-878-1448.
Last weekend’s weather was near perfect. So, we decided to revisit what is regarded as one of Georgia’s most beautiful natural places, the 1,600-acre Anna Ruby Falls Scenic Area near Helen in White County.
The spectacular falls, the centerpieces of the scenic area, are actually rare twin waterfalls created when Curtis Creek drops 153 feet and the adjacent York Creek drops 50 feet. The two waterfalls then merge to form Smith Creek, which roars and tumbles through a dense cove forest within a steep, narrow gorge.
The falls are a prime destination for tourists, who can see the cascading waters up close from observation decks reached via a paved, 0.4-mile walk that begins at a visitors center and follows Smith Creek.
Anna Ruby also lures nature lovers. Wildflowers abound here in spring, late summer and early fall. Blooming in sunny spots in the scenic area last weekend were Joe-pye weed, ironweed, tickseed, jewelweed, oxeye daisy, purple coneflower, goldenrods and many others. A picture-perfect sight was American goldfinches eating black-eyed Susan seeds.
The lush cove forest through which Smith Creek runs is typical of many such ecosystems in North Georgia’s Blue Ridge mountains. Cove forests are biologically rich, hosting a wide range of plants and animals because of cool, moist environments, rich soil and other attributes.
Anna Ruby’s cove forest is dominated by huge tulip poplars and hemlocks; also abundant are oaks, hickories, white pines, maples and other trees. Rhododendron and mountain laurel grow thickly beneath the tree canopies.
The tall trees shade Smith Creek’s clean, clear water, cool enough to support three species of trout — brook, brown and rainbow. The fish can be spotted from an observation deck near the visitors center.
Set on Tray Mountain in the heart of the Chattahoochee National Forest, Anna Ruby Falls were named for the daughter of Col. John H. Nichols, who bought the property in 1869. Three decades later, heavy logging and poor land management left the surrounding forest in a state of ruin.
In 1925, the U.S. Forest Service acquired the falls and surrounding land, which was allowed to return to a forest. Its natural beauty also came back, and the Anna Ruby Falls Scenic Area was born.
IN THE SKY: The moon will be new on Monday. On Tuesday evening, Sept. 3, look for a thin crescent moon low in the west just after dark, said David Dundee, Tellus Science Museum astronomer. Venus is low in the west just after dark and sets about two hours later. It will appear near the moon on Wednesday evening, Sept. 4. Mars and Jupiter are low in the east just before dawn. Saturn is high in the west at dusk and sets just after midnight.
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