Wildlife Viewing Guide
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Wildlife Viewing Guide |
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Anna
Ruby Falls and Scenic AreaDescription: Anna Ruby Falls is the "poster" site for the clean, clear mountain streams of the Chattahoochee National Forest. This area is well-known for the thundering rush of double waterfalls crashing over rocky cliffs. Curtis Creek drops 153 feet and York Creek 50 feet to form the twin waterfalls known as Anna Ruby Falls. Easy access to the falls draws many visitors to this natural wonder. From the parking lot, a short paved footpath leads to the base of the postcard pretty falls. Walking this trail is easy and will take approximately 30 minutes. The 4.6-mile Smith Creek Trail is more of a challenge. This longer trail leads from the base of Anna Ruby Falls to nearby Unicoi State Park. Colonel John H. Nichols, who owned the falls after the Civil War, named the twin waterfalls in honor of his daughter Anna Ruby.
Viewing Information: Anna Ruby Falls Scenic Area, the 1600 acres surrounding the Falls, is a typical Appalachian Mountain plant and animal community with a profusion of flowering native perennials especially visible in the spring. Shrubs like mountain laurel and rhododendron are also abundant. Hiking along Smith Creek Trail, you might see white-tailed deer, gray squirrels, wild turkeys or even black bears. Many salamanders inhabit the numerous rocky creek bottoms crossed by the trail. Listen for warblers, vireos, and wrens as well. From the viewing deck of the visitors center, you can look down into Smith Creek and feed brook, rainbow, and brown trout. Anna Ruby Falls Recreation Area is open year round from 9:00 a.m. to dusk.
Directions: From Helen, travel north on GA Hwy. 75 for 1 mile. Turn right on GA Hwy. 356, travel 1.5 miles and follow signs.
Management: U.S. Forest Service 706-878-3547, Anna Ruby Falls Visitors Center 706-754-6221.
Closest Town: Helen, GA
Site Notes: observation platforms, snack machines, picnic sites with tables and grills.
Additional Information: Call U.S. Forest Service for more information and for an interpretive brochure from which the information in this site description was adapted.
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