Ever wonder why being near water is so calming and peaceful?
Science explains it as a charge disparity, a process called “the Lenard Effect”, where moving water charges the air with negative ions. Because of this process, mountains, forests, and moving water - like rain, waterfalls, waves, and rivers - calm our nervous systems, increase serotonin levels, and improve cognitive performance.
Society calls it ‘nature therapy’.
So when springtime rolls around and the flora and fauna bloom, it's easy to see why we're drawn outside, especially to water.
North Georgia offers plenty of these escapes, from adventurous waterfall hikes to relaxing reveries by lakes and rivers. One of the beauties of Blue Ridge is its location: you can plan your day around one water escape or make a loop to visit multiple.
In search of all these things, my husband and I planned a weekend around seven waterfalls, two lakes, and one river, which resulted in resetting our nervous systems, getting our steps in, and finishing my current read.

After a week of heavy rain, I knew the local waterfalls would be spectacular, and we used the “Backroads Less Traveled: Northeast Georgia” map to plan our routes. We started Saturday afternoon with three waterfalls that fell in line together along Highway 129, beginning at Vogel State Park south of Blairsville.
Vogel State Park is a great weekend getaway for groups and families, full of water-based activities with cabins, campsites, and recreation areas around Lake Trahlyta. Overlooking the Blood Mountain Wilderness in the Chattahoochee National Forest, it is an invaluable state park.
From the lake, Wolf Creek Falls (also known as Trahlyta Falls) is a short, easy hike to a wooden platform where the height of the falls can be easily admired. If you’re driving in from Blue Ridge, you can see it from the road as you enter the park.
You can always tell when someone’s spotted wildlife when they’re transfixed on something other than the main attraction. Along with another couple, we watched a (non-venomous) mother water snake and her two babies slither up along the slick, moss-covered rocks from the waterfall platform.
Following Highway 129 south is Helton Creek Falls, located on the left through a picturesque neighborhood and down a Forest Service Road. Helton Creek Falls is an easy hike to two waterfalls among towering hardwoods and rhododendrons, the trail well-marked and maintained with wooden steps.

The last water escape of the day was DeSoto Falls; across the stream from the DeSoto Recreation Area, you can choose between two trails, either to the lower falls or the upper. Legend has it that a piece of armor from an explorer of the mid-1500s named Hernando de Soto was found here. I didn’t find any armor, but the huge mossy boulders and layered waterfalls were my kind of treasures.
We ended the day at Blue Ridge Lake, specifically at the marina's ‘Boat Dock Bar & Grill’. Lake Blue Ridge has long been one of our favorites for paddle boarding because the water is so clear and the view of the mountains so serene across the lake. With the marina, restaurant, and beach access at Morganton Point Recreation Area, Lake Blue Ridge is a summer staple.
Sunday was packed with four waterfalls in a loop: Sea Creek Falls, Long Creek Falls, Noontootla Falls, and Fall Branch Falls.
From Blue Ridge, we drove down scenic Highway 60 to Sea Creek Falls, one of my favorites. Turning left onto Copper Creek Rd (after grabbing snacks and drinks at the Cooper Creek Store), we kept driving until we saw a sign for the falls. The flowers and ferns along the trail were soaking up the sunshine, and the falls flowed down boulders into a flat pool and Sea Creek. It’s a great spot for picnics, relaxing with a book, or cooling off after a day of hiking.

We took backroads to Long Creek Falls, crossing over and even running parallel to the Appalachian and Benton MacKaye Trails on Forest Service Road 58. I highly recommend it for a vehicle capable of going off-road! Just when I thought we were good and lost, we saw signs for the Benton MacKaye and Appalachian Trails; Long Creek Falls was a mile hike in, my first time on either trail.
I thought, “Only a mile? That’s a piece of cake!”
Not so. I gained a whole new appreciation for anyone - day hikers and thru-hikers alike - who tackles these trails because they pack a punch in just one mile, let alone over 2,190!
But the mist of the clouds among the hemlock and pine, the flowers and moss along the trail, and the peacefulness felt almost otherworldly, secluded and mysterious enough for Big Foot.

The trail is peppered with rocks, roots, and dips, but well worth the trek; the Appalachian Trail is marked, or ‘blazed’, with white rectangles, and the Benton MacKaye Trail with white diamonds. The Blue Blaze marks the trail for Long Creek Falls, a welcomed cool-down among the rhododendrons. There are also two more waterfalls downstream from the ‘main’ waterfall.
With daylight teetering on evening, it was convenient that Noontootlah Falls is visible from the road: on the right side of the gravel road (FS 58) and over 80 feet tall, Noontootlah Falls flows from the top of the ridge we had just hiked to Noontootlah Creek below. A glorious sight and surprise, no need to leave your vehicle!
We squeezed in the final waterfall just before six o’clock. Hopping back onto the Benton MacKaye Trail, we reached the falls after a mile hike on the twisty trail lined with rhododendron and mountain laurel. From the platform, you can watch the water cascading down the smooth, slick rocks in the shade of the forest.

My next two water escapes were all about relaxing by rivers.
For entertainment and history, the Ocoee Whitewater Center is the spot. Trails, walking paths, picnic tables and pavilions, and even blue holes make this picturesque park the place to be.
It’s important to know ‘when the river is running’ (when TVA lets water out) for planning your visit. When the river is running, people love to sit on the big boulders along the river paths to watch the kayakers and rafters navigate the 1,640-foot section where the Whitewater Canoe & Kayak Slalom events were held for the 1996 Summer Olympics.
When the river isn’t running, blue holes and sunbathing on the wide river rocks make for a relaxing afternoon. Regardless of the river schedule, I pulled out my camping chair and sat by the river with my book, entertained by the butterflies fluttering around the pools between the rocks.
A slower speed but just as wonderful is Horseshoe Bend Park along the Toccoa River.

The Toccoa and the Ocoee are the same river, ‘separated’ by Georgia and Tennessee, respectively. Horseshoe Bend Park is perfect for fishing, tubing, and relaxing, which is what I did. Watching the geese and the fly fishermen to the sound of the water flowing over the rocks is enough to calm any mind.
Whether you’re seeking adventure, like paddling, fishing, tubing, hiking, or rafting, or planning a picnic for an afternoon of swimming, Blue Ridge is home to so many beautiful water escapes, both popular and secluded alike.
And while it’s easy to get caught up in to-do lists and the stresses of life, it’s important, now more than ever, to embrace the poor cell signal and escape to the water. The only negative thing you’ll find are the ions that will help you do just that.