Raven Cliffs Wilderness 11-11-15

I had Veteran's Day off this past Wednesday and the weather was gorgeous so I took a solo trip to Raven Cliffs in Cleveland. James had to work and I didn't know if I could wrangle both dogs, so it was just me. It had rained here for the ~10 days prior, so I had to take advantage of the sunshine and high of 70 degrees. 

The Raven Cliffs Wilderness is about an hour and a half north of where I live and because most other people were at work, was a quiet drive and hike. It is about 5 miles roundtrip but I spent several hours there, just looking around. It was one of the most beautiful places I have been in Georgia.

The trail is very easy to hike and goes right alongside the water almost the whole way to the falls. It is very peaceful. The water is crystal clear and at the beginning of the trail there is a lovely swimming hole type area, as well as some picnic tables.


There are two smaller falls before you reach the main fall at the end of the trail. All are equally interesting and impressive in their own way. I could have spent hours at each one just watching the water and climbing around.

There were so many spots I thought would be perfect for just sitting and reading a book or relaxing (or, you know, climbing trees which I totally did a few times to get good pictures). 

The entire place feels like something out of a fairy tale, not to mention the whimsical name "Raven Cliffs" to boot. It makes me think of something out of "Game of Thrones. 

At the end of the trail, at the largest waterfall, you can continue to climb up onto a rocky bald face that is opposite the waterfall. This does involve climbing up some rocks, over fallen trees, etc and requires caution. 


Once atop the bald, there is a nice panoramic view of neighboring mountains and the waterfall. The sun was directly over the waterfall when I there so I was not able to get any good pictures of the waterfall from that height. 



I will definitely be returning to Raven Cliffs with James and the dogs. Actually, I'd like to camp overnight (really, I'd like to just live here). There are several campsites along the trail and I think falling asleep alongside the water would be awesome.