The focal point of this trail is the Horse Trough Falls within the watershed area of the Chattahoochee River. The Horse Trough Falls is also within the Mark Trial Wilderness where the Upper Chattahoochee River runs through. The Horse Trough Mountain on the other hand is a peak on the Appalachian Trail and is also the Blue Ridge Mountain’s high eastern ridge. The pathway to the falls is easy and will just take a short distance walk.

You can get here by taking 9 miles off north on Highway 75 from Helen Georgia and then proceeding left at Unicoi Gap’s FS44. From here, drive 5 miles to the Upper Chattahoochee River Camping Area. Several waterfalls can be found in Blue Ridge Mountains that create that Chattahoochee River which then flows to form Horse Trough Falls barely about a mile. At the Coon’s Den Ridge, the falls is 300 feet below the Chattahoochee Gap and the water that cascades from this joins the Gulf of Mexico in Florida approximately 500 miles further.

From the parking lot where the 34-site Chattahoochee campground is found, head to the trail start marker around half a mile and take the path that curves left. The campground is maintained and managed by the Chattahoochee Ranger District. This blue blazed trail leads to an upstream traverse along the banks of Chattahoochee River. Mostly on a gravel walkway, move further past this as the path leads to a wooden footbridge crossing the Chattahoochee River. Traverse further making an easy ascent through a hardwood forest with several species of fauna clustered along the way. As the pathway continues wherein to the left of this trail the path follows the Horse Trough Creek.

At this point the trail leads to a wooden viewing platform where you can get a more spectacular unobstructed view of the waterfalls. This point also marks 200 yards from the trail head sign. With three ledges on the top of this magnificent waterfall, the Horse Trough Falls plunges 55 feet high into a series of cascades.

Normally, the flow of water that cascades down this waterfall is at its highest two to three days after a rain. Just a few miles north of this waterfall is the Chattahoochee’s water source which came from south of the Appalachian Trail. The wildlife around this habitat ranges from wild turkeys to bears. The trail is also open from March to December. Although in the winter, part of the camping area may be closed.