Some people get cold feet before going on stage.
Some people get them before their wedding.
Then there are some of us who get them from wading in creeks in late January. This was me this past week. I decided to cross a waterfall off my bucket list in the Upper Chattahoochee Wildlife Management Area. This area is absolutely littered with waterfalls; nearly every single feeder creek has at least one 20-footer on it somewhere. Unfortunately, most of these falls are hard to access and often don’t have a lot of water in them.
The Chattahoochee itself, on the other hand, has fairly well-traveled trails along its entire length, and this is particularly true in the often-fished sections north of Helen. Located near the Upper Chattahoochee Campground is one of these spectacular falls, and no, I’m not talking about Horse Trough.
The Horse Trough trail accesses it, but you take a slight diversion before reaching it. If you hang a right at the bridge and follow the faint side trail up the creek, you will stumble upon one of the more spectacular waterfalls in the region. I have seen it called both “The Chute” and “Chute Falls,” but photographs are few and far between since most people just visit the other, more popular Horse Trough.
I had never been myself and wound up following the river right side of a pair of trails that run up both sides of the creek. You get a spectacular view of the falls from the trail, but a quick scramble down to the bottom winds you up right along the river’s edge. This is where the cold feet started. Had I come upriver left, I would have been able to access the spot I wanted without getting wet, but in this case, I had no choice. Unprepared for being shin-deep in 40-degree January water, I quickly rolled my pants up and waded/ran across the shallow water. Unfortunately, waterproof boots are only waterproof to the ankle, so I wound up with some wet socks and shoes. In the 35-degree air temp, it was mighty cold. The views were 100% worth it, though.
From the trail, this falls looks phenomenal, but you really can’t get the full scope without hitting the bottom. When you reach the creek, you look up at a narrow “chute” that the water rushes through at a breakneck pace. This gives the falls its name – Chute Falls.
A very careful scramble up to the rock above you will lend itself to the best view of the waterfall. From this precarious perch, you can see the chute itself, a spot difficult to see from above or below. This isn’t quite a slot canyon, but it is as close as you can get on the Chattahoochee.
If you ever manage to make it up to Chute Falls, be sure to take the river left trail or bring a good pair of waders. Otherwise, you will, like me, end up with cold feet.
I’ll see you on the trail…
