Jacks River Falls

Please use the other review if you can actually make it to the falls, but if you enter the trail from Blue Ridge (not Elijay), be prepared to get lost several times on the road in (tip: there is a sign you will likely pass at a 4-​way fork in the road, so be sure to stop there and look in all directions before proceeding), pop a tire (yup, happened to me — do NOT go in a BMW — SUV or truck only!) and become very frustrated by a long, desolate and uneventful 3 hour hike before you see anything picture-​worthy.
If in Blue Ridge: do Fort Mountain park, Amicalola, Tallulah Gorge (if you can stand the drive) and enjoy the wilderness, don’t get stressed on your vacation.

Jacks River Falls is located in the Cohutta Wilderness 24 miles north of Chatsworth, GA. There are a number of different websites and hiking books that detail the directions to get to the falls. The last several miles of road are dirt/​gravel, so it takes a bit longer than expected to get to your destination. The falls are nestled back in the woods — you have to hike in to see them. There are at least 2 trails that can be taken from parking areas to the falls. One is a longer hike that snakes back and forth over Jacks River. The other is a shorter hike (it took us about 2 hours) from a different parking lot to the falls. The hike we took was not too strenuous. There were some hills in it, but the trail was well worn and the direction of the falls pretty clear.
The falls themselves are absolutely breathtaking and worth the hike. The pools at the bottom of the falls are gorgeous, crystal clear and great for swimming. There are some well situated rocks you can jump off of into the water — CAREFUL to make sure you’re jumping into the section of the pool that is deep enough for the jump.
There are a handful of camp sites along the river after the falls. I definitely plan on returning to camp here. You still have to hike into the sites, but once you are there what a gorgeous place to spend the weekend.
If you love hiking I highly recommend this area!