Cool off from the summer heat with a swim at the base of Helton Creek Falls in north Georgia. Located near Vogel State Park and Blood Mountain, Helton Creek Falls makes a great side trip to a longer hike or just a great short family hike and swim.

Park at the small pull-off along Helton Creek Road. If coming from the US-19 side, the gravel road is fine for all vehicles, although there are a few ruts and potholes you'll want to navigate around. If coming from the GA-348 side, there is a creek crossing not suitable for all vehicles. On warm summer weekends, the parking may extend well down the road.

The trail begins to the right of the pull-off, heading downhill for a minute or two before splitting for the two waterfalls. To the left down the steps leads to the 40-foot lower falls sliding down steep rock. To the right leads up to the top of the lower falls then along to the observation deck for the 50-foot upper falls.

If your aiming to get in the water, look for side trails along both sides of the observation deck entrance to navigate around in front of it. There is also a couple trails that head up to the top of the falls. One is alongside the observation deck entrance that may be hard to navigate going up as it's barely there. The other heads up extremely steeply from the right side closer to the falls. There's a bit of a view but not worth the trip if you don't want to get dirty or wet on the way up.