Anna Ruby Waterfall
What was my experience at Anna Ruby Waterfall?
Spectacular cascading beauty!
Anna Ruby Waterfalls is located in the Chattahoochee National Forest operated by the US Forest Service. I had to drive through Unicoi State Park, 2-miles north of Helen, Georgia to get to the waterfall.
Park in the parking lot and make your way up to the visitor’s center where the Smith Creek overlook and the Anna Ruby Waterfall trailhead are located. The trail to the waterfall is a 6-foot wide asphalt path that follows the stream, Smith Creek, from the waterfalls. The path is a little steep and very beautiful.
I would normally have been sucking air by the time I got to the waterfall but the scenery provided plenty of opportunities to relax at lovely views. Even the fisherman in you will love this tract. Stop and look in the pools for the native brook trout or see if you can find any stocked brown or rainbow trout.
Fortunately, my wife was with me and she had to look for trout and wildlife occasionally so there was no race to the waterfall. There are plenty of stone benches to rest and “smell the roses”.
While the chance of seeing any serious wildlife along this path is slim because of all of the people, we were fortunate. We saw the famous “fat boy” ground hog. He is the largest, fattest, and cutest round nosed ground hog you ever saw. He is very happy as he has no predators, no competitors, and plenty of vegetation for any ground hog to be totally satisfied.
Restrooms and a fishing overlook are located at the Anna Ruby Waterfall Visitor Center. Here you can look down on the trout in Smith Creek. There are also feeding stations for you to buy some fish food and throw in the creek to feed them. And they do like to be feed. At times there are up to 100 trout.
Visiting this waterfall is relaxing and enjoyable especially during the week when there is less traffic, as it is the most visited fall in Georgia. There are picnic tables and other trails. If you have any questions, call 706-878-2201.
Click here to get information on Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest from USDA Forest Service.