Barnes Creek Falls asks almost nothing of a visitor. It is a 15-foot slide of water beside a Forest Service road, at the Barnes Creek Picnic Area on FS 68, and you can see it from where you park. For a family with small children, that is the appeal.
What is there
The falls is a single steep slide about 15 feet high. Below it the creek breaks into a run of larger cascades. A picnic table sits close by, which makes this a lunch stop as much as a waterfall.
The land is Chattahoochee National Forest, inside the Cohutta Wildlife Management Area.
With small children
There is no trail, so there is nothing to talk anyone into. Children can sit on the rocks at the edge, put their feet in, and turn stones in the shallows. Put each stone back the way you found it.
Keep them off the wet rock at the top of the slide, and off the cascades below after rain, when the creek runs fast and cold.
Getting there
From Ellijay, take Highway 52 west for about 9 miles and turn right at the Lake Conasauga sign. Go about 3.5 miles and turn right onto FS 68. The picnic area is on FS 68.
Cell service fades on the way up. Load your map before you leave pavement, or save the coordinates: 34.82594, -84.58207.
Making a day of it
FS 68 continues toward Lake Conasauga, where the Lake Conasauga Loop and Songbird Trail are both flat and short enough for small legs. The road to the lake closes from December 29 until March 1.
The falls sits inside the Cohutta WMA, which runs deer seasons in the fall. On the firearms days in October and December, wear blaze orange if you walk the road.
Where to stay
Sherpa Camp sits on Holly Creek about five minutes from the falls and about 25 minutes from Ellijay. The creek runs past the porch, shallow enough for small children to wade.
Questions
How tall is Barnes Creek Falls?
About 15 feet. It is a single steep slide, with larger cascades just below.
Do you have to hike to Barnes Creek Falls?
No. It is a roadside waterfall at the Barnes Creek Picnic Area on FS 68. You can see it from where you park.
Is Barnes Creek Falls good for kids?
Yes. There is no trail to walk and there is a picnic table beside the creek. Keep children off the wet rock at the top of the slide.
Where is Barnes Creek Falls?
In the Chattahoochee National Forest near Ellijay, at the Barnes Creek Picnic Area on FS 68. The coordinates are 34.82594, -84.58207.
Stay near the trailheads
Sherpa Camp — a cabin at the edge of the wilderness.
The drive in from Atlanta or Chattanooga is long enough that most people are better off sleeping near the gate than starting at 4 a.m. Sherpa Camp is a small cabin on Holly Creek, on the western edge of the Cohutta Wilderness, about 25 minutes from Ellijay. It sleeps five, with a covered porch, a firepit, and a creek. Cell service ends before you get there.
See Sherpa Camp