Anna Ruby Falls

Anna Ruby Falls is one of those places that genuinely surprises people. Two separate waterfalls pour down a rock face side by side, fed by two different creeks -- Curtis Creek drops 153 feet on the left, while York Creek plunges 50 feet on the right. They meet at the bottom and form Smith Creek together. It is a rare thing to see in nature, and it is only about four miles from downtown Helen inside the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest. The U.S. Forest Service manages the site with help from the nonprofit FIND Outdoors. You can reach the falls on a paved 0.4-mile trail, visit the Lion's Eye Trail designed for visually impaired visitors, or hike the longer Smith Creek Trail that connects to Unicoi State Park. Admission is $5.00 per person for ages 16 and up, and the site is open daily from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day.

Anna Ruby Falls is a double waterfall where Curtis Creek (153 feet) and York Creek (50 feet) drop side by side and merge into Smith Creek at the base. It sits inside the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest, four miles from Helen. The U.S. Forest Service and FIND Outdoors run the site together, keeping the paved 0.4-mile trail in good shape alongside the accessible Lion's Eye Trail and the more rugged Smith Creek Trail to Unicoi State Park. Admission runs $5.00 per person for anyone 16 or older, and the gates are open daily 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM except on major holidays.

Anna Ruby Falls is the centerpiece of a 1,600-acre scenic area set aside for recreation and nature education. The two waterfalls run side by side down the same rock face, which is an unusual sight anywhere. Curtis Creek, the taller one on the left, drops about 153 feet. York Creek, shorter but steeper, falls 50 feet on the right. Both creeks start high up on Tray Mountain, Georgia's sixth-highest peak, and they join at the base to become Smith Creek, which eventually flows into the Chattahoochee River.

The falls are right next to Unicoi State Park, but they are actually on federal land, not state land. You drive through the state park to get there, which confuses some people. The practical difference is that the entrance fee for the falls is separate from the state park parking fee, and the rules are set by the Forest Service rather than Georgia State Parks.

The falls are named after a real person, and the story behind the name is a sad one. Colonel John H. "Captain" Nichols was a Confederate veteran who had served in the Governor's House Guard and was present at the surrender at Appomattox. He bought the land around the falls in 1869.

The story goes that Colonel Nichols found the falls while riding horseback across his 2,600-acre property. He named them after his only surviving daughter, Anna Ruby Nichols. He and his wife Kate had lost both their sons in infancy, so Anna Ruby meant everything to them. The family lived in a Victorian mansion called "West End," which still stands today as part of the Hardman Farm Historic Site in the Nacoochee Valley.

The Industrial Era: Byrd-Matthews Lumber Company

After the Nichols family, the land around the falls was bought by the Byrd-Matthews Lumber Company in the early 1900s. The loggers changed this place completely. They used mules to drag timber along tarred log slides right up to the edge of the falls. From there, a narrow-gauge railroad carried the lumber down to a sawmill in Helen.

One interesting failure from that era: they built a flume to float logs from Curtis Creek to Smith Creek, but the ground was too steep and rugged for it to work. The flume's failure helped push the lumber company into financial trouble. If you look carefully at the base of the falls, you can still spot some original logs from that period wedged among the rocks.

Federal Acquisition and Conservation

The U.S. government bought the land in 1925 and folded it into the Chattahoochee National Forest. That was the turning point. Over the next several decades, the forest grew back. The scars from the logging years gradually disappeared, and the area returned to the thick, green woodland you walk through today on the trail to the falls.

Physical Address: 3455 Anna Ruby Falls Road, Helen, GA 30545.

Visitor Center Phone: 706-878-1448.

Management Partner (Cradle of Forestry/FIND Outdoors) Phone: 706-878-3574.

GPS Coordinates: Latitude 34.763656, Longitude -83.712167.

Operating Hours

The recreation area keeps the same hours year-round, though it can close unexpectedly for bad weather. Here is the schedule:

Standard Hours: 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, seven days a week.

Last Admission: Ticket sales and entry cease strictly at 4:00 PM.

Holiday Closures: The facility is closed on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day.

Admission Fees and Passes

Unlike Unicoi State Park, which charges by the car, Anna Ruby Falls charges per person because it is federal land run by a concessionaire. Here is what you will pay:

Adults (Ages 16+): $5.00 per person.

Children (Ages 15 and under): Free.

Annual Pass: An Anna Ruby Falls Annual Pass is available for $40.00. A "Friends and Family" pass costs $50.00.

Interagency Passes: The America the Beautiful Interagency Senior Pass and Access Pass are accepted for entry.

Facilities

The Visitor Center is where you pay admission and start the trail. Inside there is a gift shop with local Appalachian crafts, pottery, and paintings. You will also find restrooms, snack and drink machines, and a viewing deck over Smith Creek where you can sometimes see trout holding in the current. Picnic tables and grills are set up along the creek near the parking area if you want to eat lunch before or after your hike.

There are three trails here, and they could not be more different from each other. One is paved and short, one is flat and designed for the visually impaired, and one is a real backcountry hike.