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Kelley LeExplorer

Wilderness therapy field instructor; loving people, nature, and the Creator of it all.

I backpacked this loop over 4th of July weekend. There was a lot of people but we found a nice campsite near Thomas Knob shelter that provided some space from the trail and hikers. The views are beautiful and the wildlife is awesome!!! We had wild ponies walk through our camp munchin' on grass and saying hi! About every single day a small pack of ponies would come by. There were bulls as well along the trail. Plenty of beautiful birds as well. Although it was stormy one night while we were up there, the rest of the time was beautiful weather in the 60s - which is amazing for July compared to Georgia weather. I definitely recommend. I also definitely recommend NOT to feed the wild animals or leave food or food trash to where they could consume it. But overall, definitely recommend. Also recommend going during the fall. The colors are amazing!

Explorer

02/04/18

Hands down one of my favorite sunrise hikes. If you don’t want to wake up incredibly early, you can backpack to one of the campgrounds/shelters and stay overnight and wake up to hike the rest of the way for sunrise the next morning. That’s what I did.

Its beautiful and there are several trails to explore. There are great mountain biking trails as well. After some hiking, trail running, mountain biking, or whatever you do here, you should have some food at Heirloom Market BBQ! It's off of Akers Mill Rd. It's a little hole in the wall connected to a small food store but it's so good. And if you'd like to lounge with some coffee or tea, the Chattahoochee Coffee Company is in the apartment complex right next to Heirloom. It's a coffee shop that's right off the Chattahoochee river.

It doesn't take long at all to get here. It's a nice little spot. If you're going to this waterfall, I recommend exploring other areas of Graveyard Fields.

I hiked up here on a pretty rainy and foggy day so sadly I didn't get to see the amazing views. However, it was still absolutely beautiful with the fog settling everywhere. I'll be going back soon, though, to catch the panoramic views.

These wild guys are easy-going. One of them walked up to me while I was on the trail. Some do get a bit nervous if you walk or stand behind them. They make funny sounds and warn you. While I was there, they spend most of their time grazing, so most of the photos I got were of them eating haha. Speaking of, please refrain from feeding these ponies! Let's keep the wild in these wild ponies and also consider their health.

It's a fairly easy and short hike. It's beautiful along the trail and it's gorgeous at the two pinnacle overlooks. The sunset is best seen at the Little Pinnacle, which is really easy to get to. I love the state park that this trail is in and I'm definitely coming back and catching the sunset here every evening I'm there :)

I wasn't expecting much but I ended up loving this place. It leads you to a field/valley area that connects with several other trails, including the AT. The wild ponies are super friendly, actually. One of them walked right up to me while I was on the trail. It was pretty rad but also questionable, honestly. I also really love exploring and getting lost on side trails. The rhododendron gives it a maze vibe sometimes. I went during the fall so I can't imagine how beautiful this place is in the spring. I'm definitely going back some day.

Some friends and I drove up to Virginia in the middle of the night and stopped here first. We ended up passing out in my car for a few hours and then woke up for sunrise. It was quiet and foggy and so beautiful. I love the single tree on the overlook. We toasted bagels and had tea by the tree for breakfast. Basically a great stop to chill and have food before the next adventure.

Explorer

10/26/17

Like everyone else has stated, it is an uphill hike. It's not long, though. I went early in the morning and it was nice, but as the day went on, it started to get fairly crowded. This hike reminds me a lot of one of the hikes at home in Georgia - Pine Mountain Trails.

I didn't swim here since I visited the area during winter. I'd like to come back and swim, though. Seems like the perfect place to do so. There's also another waterfall on the same trail called Little River Falls! Also, there's a scenic drive along the Little River Canyon. Several overlooks and a large mushroom structure in the middle of the road along the drive haha. Reminded me of the voodoos seen at Goblin Valley in Utah.

I almost forgot that I've been here. I haven't been to the tunnels, just the waterfall. It was recommended by a lady who owned the campgrounds I was staying at the night before visiting this place. It's her favorite. Her campgrounds are awesome, too! But again, my memory is failing me. I don't remember the name of the place, but it was very close to Issaqueena falls.

Explorer

02/17/17

Although it doesn't compare to many other places, it's still a really neat place to explore. I think it's pretty rad that Georgia has something like it, since most of the trails here are forests, mountains, and waterfalls... save the ones on the coast. I definitely don't recommend wearing any new shoes or shoes you don't want to get dirty. The red clay will definitely get on ya, especially while walking on the creek bed. I didn't think about it and wore white shoes. Oh well, they can be cleaned ;) But I think it would be a really cool place to hammock and just explore with your family one day. Maybe even play hide and go seek with kids. You'll be able to see the sunrise over the canyon as well, so that's something else you could do. I'm not sure when the park opens though. I'd check on their website first before driving out there.

The hike is fairly short and the waterfall is beautiful! There's a swimming hole, too. It was too cold to get in when I went to this fall. There's also free, primitive camp sites along the gravel road towards this waterfall. That's where I camped the night before hiking to this waterfall.

Not much of a hike and there's usually a lot of foot traffic. But it's a beautiful waterfall to photograph!

I agree this is a great trail if you want to hike further than the Waterfalls trail. It's definitely quiet and less traveled. It's probably one of my favorite leisurely strolls I've been on.

Explorer

12/27/16

This is a pretty short hike. It's super easy to get to and probably great in the summer time since it's so easy to navigate around in the water. The waterfall itself is much larger in scale than I expected so that was neat. I think this would be a nice place for portraits at the right time of day.

One of my favorite experiences in photography thus far is doing night photography here. Definitely be prepared to stay out there for hours. I was out there until 3 AM in order to get clear Milky Way shots without moon interference. But it's so worth it. It's incredibly stunning. In Georgia, where I reside, it's tough to be able to view such a clear sky. So this was certainly a great experience. 10/10 will do again.

I will come back to this place. Probably over and over again. Especially want to try and get out during winter. It would be cool to photograph some of the arches with light snow covering them. 10/10, Arches.

I loved this place. It's definitely in a remote area of Utah but I love it. All the goblins and structures are super neat. There are 3 valleys to explore and I went to all of them. I think the coolest thing I saw was a family with bright colored shirts playing hide-and-go seek around the park for hours. I'll definitely do that with my kids someday. And photographing it was super fun. Especially closer to sunset. The silhouette shots are neat and a lot of the goblin structures looked like other things - like a turtle or a centaur. I haven't camped inside the park but the camping spots there seem pretty awesome. However, if you are strapped on cash, there is plenty of free camping spots on the BLM land right outside of the park. That's where I camped. Definitely primitive but great views. For more info on camping on BLM land, go to BLM.gov

Explorer

05/18/16

I went for the first time this past week. Hiked up before the sun set and got to the top just as it set. It was absolutely stunning. And yes, there can be heavy foot traffic. We stayed until about 2-3 AM and the crowds definitely cleared out by the time it got dark. The sky was super clear so we wanted to wait for the moon to set to take a Milky Way shot. About 10 other photographers were out there with us that night. It was pretty awesome sharing the experience with other photographers. And aside from photographing, just being up there and observing the starry sky and silhouettes of awesome landscapes was unreal. This hike is an absolute must, especially on a clear night. Warning: there are plenty of drop offs so make sure you have a headlamp and shoes with good traction. Also, careful with your gear. I accidentally dropped a lens hood into a dark abyss while I was up there that night. I can get a new one but littering is not my thing.

I went to photograph this waterfall a few days ago during my roadtrip around the Midwest. I agree it was best shot with an overcast sky if you want a long exposure shot. However, my friend and I were able to get some decent shots with the sun by using our Lee filters - the big stopper, super stopper, and some soft ND filters. The waterfall is cool but from the overlook, there's much more to the place. If you go over the hill behind the bathrooms at the parking lot, you get a spectacular view of north clear creek flowing through a valley surrounded by mountain ranges and a great view of Bristol Head. And if you walk towards the waterfall to the end of the overlook area, there's a small trail that goes to the top of the falls. I walked over there and viewed the gully from the top of the falls. It was neat. Also, this waterfall is in the Rio Grande National Forest which is a beautiful place to explore and camp. It includes the San Juan and Sangre De Cristo mountains, beautiful wildlife, and a town called Creede with sweet locals.

Explorer

04/17/16

I went to the state park about a month ago, driving 3 hours from GA. We found out that every single trail leading to any overlook or view of Burgess Falls is sealed off and closed from public use. We spoke to the ranger and he told us that the stairs to the base of the falls and the overlook platforms were super unstable. So there needs to be some serious reconstruction. He said that it will probably take months, maybe even a year. Just wanted to put this here for those of you who plan on going to see this waterfall anytime soon. You won't be able to.

It was an easy and short hike but the river and the falls was pretty neat. When I went, there was a gnarly kayaker paddling back and forth at the base of the falls with a go-pro helmet. Which was pretty cool. Best time to visit is probably spring/summer when there's more vegetation and what not. Especially if you're trying to photograph.