Accessibility – Hard
Height – 35-40′
Distance – 0.5 miles (out and back)
Beauty – 7
Photo rating – 5
Solitude – 9
GPS Info: LAT 34.78668 LONG -83.22398
Last Updated – 03-30-2025
Home Alphabetical Listing Numerical Listing Location Listing SC
Double Branch Falls is the main waterfall in a grouping of three falls that are very close together on this stretch of Double Branch. The hike to it is off-trail and very steep, but the waterfalls are very nice. Like so many waterfalls, the name comes from the stream’s name. The question would be the name origin of the stream, Double Branch, since, other than one small split close to the headwaters, it doesn’t appear to be much of a double.
Where to park: The parking area is roadside on Double Branch Road, almost a mile from where the road ends. This is 0.7 miles from Cassidy Bridge Road. The GPS coordinates are: 34.78631, -83.22652. There was an open area where an old road heads up the hill, where you can back in and park with a 4×4 that has decent clearance. Otherwise, you can park further up or down the road and walk to this point.
The hike: The hike starts across the road from where you backed in. The parking is located on the West side of the road, and the route to the falls is on the East side, which is the side of the road you would be on when facing Cassidy Bridge Road. There is no trail, so to speak, but there is a narrow route into the brush. Angle toward the top of the knob, trying to avoid the densest areas. There are numerous game trails crossing the summit, and several of these lead a short way down the other side. The route to the falls is relatively straight until it nears the falls, and the ground gets steeper. A ridge spine leads down, and staying on it makes for the best approach. Near the brink of Lower Double Branch Falls, there is a large tree that has fallen. The root ball was on our right, and this was the point where we began to angle more upstream. Finding a way to the base of the falls wasn’t too hard, but it’s all about reading the topography and picking the smartest route.
Owing to the fallen tree and a lot of additional clutter down below, we didn’t climb down to the base of Lower Double Branch Falls on this trip, but maybe another time. The base of Double Branch Falls serves as a similar collection point for fallen trees, but the waterfall is much more impressive than the lower one. From the base of Double Branch Falls, the quickest way to Upper Double Branch Falls is to reverse the route back up the grade to a point where it’s safe to sidehill upstream. This point was pretty obvious. There is a steep gulley that the goal is to sidehill above in order to reach the upper waterfall. Once the gulley is passed, the woods open up, and getting to the upper waterfall is pretty easy. The best view of the upper falls is very close to the brink of Double Branch Falls.
There aren’t many obvious landmarks to note on this hike, and much of the navigation relies on reading the terrain and selecting the safest spot for both descent and ascent. Double Branch Falls is worth the effort to reach, and adding in the other two makes sense if you’re already at the creek. That said, I will eventually head back to document the lower drop and to maybe get some better pictures.
Getting back to the road is a matter of following the same route out. You could probably avoid the sidehill and go straight up the hill. I can’t speak to this approach since I didn’t employ it, but it looked doable.
