Accessibility – Moderate
Height – 100+′ (no way to see it all from one spot)
Distance – 2.3 miles (out and back)
Beauty – 6
Photo rating – 3
Solitude – 7
GPS Info: LAT 34.92519 LONG -83.08714
Last Updated – 05-05-2025
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Where to park: There are several options when it comes to reaching Secret Falls, and there are different vantage points, but no way to see the entire waterfall from one place. The shortest route to Secret Falls starts at the lower trailhead for the Winding Stairs Trail, which is on Cheohee Road. There is ample parking at 34.92234, -83.0775. An alternate approach to reaching Secret Falls can be found at the Crane Creek Waterfalls page.
The hike: The Winding Stairs Trail leaves from the parking area and ascends as it follows the West Fork of Crane Creek. After staying with the creek, the trail bends to the left as it circles around a knob, eventually passing close to Lower Crane Creek Falls, which you can hear from the trail. The trail will bend away from Crane Creek and then approach closely before making a hard right-hand switchback. Continue on the trail to the second right-hand switchback, but don’t take this one. A trail leaves from the outside of the bend and descends toward Crane Creek downstream of Secret Falls. It becomes more of a bushwhack to get close to the falls, and at times it gets thick. It’s less than 0.1 of a mile from where the trail ends to the base of the falls. You do want to be on the river left since a high cliff on the river right at the base of the falls will prevent you from reaching the creek.
The best vantage of the base is from river left, but it’s not a straight-on view due to the way the falls slope into the cliff. There is another vantage on river right, which requires crossing downstream of the falls, and climbing the bank on river right. This leads to a view from the top of the cliff at the base of the falls. The waterfall is probably in excess of 100 feet high, but without a drone, there is no way to see all of the small drops and slopes.
