Raven Cliff
Falls is formed by Dodd creek, a modest size mountain stream. The
water fall and creek are within the Raven Cliff Wilderness of the
Chattahoocee National Forest. Located in the Chattooga Ranger
District, this waterfall is perhaps one of the most unusual in
North Georgia because the water flows through a split in the face
of a massive granite rock outcropping to the ground 100 feet below.
Behind the split, the water drops approximately 60 ft. and then
rushes through the rock face and drops ?? ft. into a deep pool. The
water then cascades 20 feet to Dodd Creek.
Raven Cliff
Falls are reached by the Raven Cliffs Trail that follows Dodd Creek
to the falls. The trail, which is about 2.5 miles (4.0 km) in
length, is relatively easy to hike until near the end. This trail
is the roadbed of the Byrd-Matthews Lumber Company logging
railroad, opened and operated circa 1914-1915. From 2,040 feet (620
m) at the trailhead near Bear Den Creek the path slopes gently
upward to 2,600 feet (790 m) at the base of the falls. Blue blazes
mark the trail, which is easy to follow. At numerous points along
the trail, the hiker can approach the stream for a closer view.
There are five or six lesser falls to observe along the way, and
one of these is impressive enough to make many visitors think it is
Raven cliff Falls itself.
The trailhead lies just off
the Richard Russell Scenic Highway. From the parking area the trail
runs northwest into a scenic valley teeming with mountain laurel,
rhododendron, mixed hardwoods and moss-covered seepages. Along the
way the trail passes smaller waterfalls, clear pools and cascading
whitewater. The trail ends at an impressive cliff formation split
down the middle with Raven Cliff Falls in between. A steep path
leading to the top of the cliff offers wonderful views of the
valley and the creek
below.
The Geological Formation of
a
Waterfall
Typically, a river or a
stream in this case, flows over a large step in the rocks which may
have been formed by a fault line. Over a period of years, the edges
of this shelf will gradually break away and the waterfall will
steadily retreat upstream, creating a gorge of recession. Often,
the rock stratum just below the more resistant shelf will be of a
softer type, meaning undercutting, due to splashback, will occur
here to form a shallow cave-like formation known as a rock shelter
or plunge pool under and behind the waterfall. Eventually, the
outcropping, more resistant cap rock will collapse under pressure
to add blocks of rock to the base of the waterfall. These blocks of
rock are then broken down into smaller boulders by attrition as
they collide with each other, and they also erode the base of the
waterfall by abrasion, creating a deep plunge
pool.
Classification of
waterfalls:
Block: Water
descends from a relatively wide stream or
river.
Cascade: Water
descends a series of rock
steps.
Cataract: A large,
powerful
waterfall.
Fan: Water spreads
horizontally as it descends while remaining in contact with
bedrock.
Horsetail:
Descending water maintains some contact with
bedrock.
Plunge: Water
descends vertically, losing contact with the bedrock
surface.
Punchbowl: Water
descends in a constricted form, then spreads out in a wider
pool.
Segmented:
Distinctly separate flows of water form as it
descends.
Tiered: Water drops
in a series of distinct steps or
falls.
Multi-step: A series
of waterfalls one after another of roughly the same size each with
its own sunken plunge
pool.
Logging
Requirments:
1 -
How many feet do you estimate the last fall before it drops into
the pool.
2 - Using
the waterfall classification guide above, what classification of
waterfall do you believe the waterfall
is?
3 - Take a picture of
yourself and your GPS with the waterfall in the picture from any
angle and post it in with your online
log.
Directions: Take GA Hwy. 75
north from Helen for 1.5 miles. Turn left on GA Hwy. 356/Alternate
75, and go 2.3 miles. Turn right on Richard Russell Scenic Hwy. and
travel 2.8 miles to the trailhead and parking
area.
Please do not post your answers in your log but contact me with
them through my email only. Also please be aware of your
surroundings there and do not endanger yourself or others to get
your photo to post online. Be safe! Hope you enjoy! (Go ahead and
log your visit even after your email of answers. If any thing is
different I will contact you through geocaching.com as my yahoo
account is totally unusable. Until I can get it fixed or another
email account. Thank you!) Harthunter.
FTF goes
to OldDave &
RNPat