June 16, 2026
Contentment Falls-Train Trestle Loop + Dead Man's Trail
near Toccoa, GA
It was a cool, 60 to low 70's, but a humid morning for a hike. The hike was on mostly dry Forest Service and moderately used ATV/old roads with no obstructions. However, there were sections with short steep inclines/declines with mud puddles at each level-off. After completing the main loop we walked out and back on Dead Man's Trail for 1.2 miles to add a bit of mileage to this hike. Dead Man's Trail is a traditional single-lane hiking trail having quite a few passable blowdowns, but a nice trail otherwise. Access to Contentment Falls is by a short side trail and does require careful footing on a steep access trail if one decides to go to the bottom of the falls. There wasn't much water flowing over it today, but the falls, large rock ledge, and forest setting make it a very scenic feature. Access to the Norfolk Southern Wells Viaduct trestle is at the end of the loop via a short side ATV trail. The 200-foot supports are very impressive. Overall this is a nice, easy to moderately difficult, hike. We saw a few, summer wildflowers, but nothing unusual.
Today's Hikers: Stephani Kromelis, Beth Parmer, John Cape, Jennifer Lazzaroni, Matt Henderson & Toby, Jack Treadman, Gerald Richardson, Ken Pardue, Claudia Pardue, Jenny Bell, Lynn Steele, Bill Chism, Bobbie Broussard & Mike Bell
The route
4.8 mi · 712 ft climbing · 3h 58m out, 3h 1m walking · 1.6 mph moving
Elevation
Hover over the profile to see the elevation and steepness. Your position will be shown on the map.
- Steepness
- Gentle under 5%
- Moderate 5–10%
- Steep 10–15%
- Very steep over 15%
27 photos are shown on the map where they were taken — click one to see it full size.
Photos (27)
Norfolk Southern Wells Viaduct (Trestle). A great photo by Billy Chism. Today's hikers (L-R):Stephanie, Beth, John, Jennifer, Matt & Toby, Jack, Gerald, Mike, Ken, Claudia, Jenny, Bobbie, Lynn & Billy Norfolk Southern Wells Viaduct (Trestle). A great photo by Billy Chism. Today's hikers (L-R):Stephanie, Beth, John, Jennifer, Matt & Toby, Jack, Gerald, Mike, Ken, Claudia, Jenny, Bobbie, Lynn & Billy. We start our hike on Locust Stake which is a short distance after the pavement ends and where the road is blocked. Along Locust Stake Road we see these wildflowers- UL: Butterfly milkweed; UR: Daisy Fleabane; LR: Phlox; LL: Morning-glory We turn right onto Trestle Loop, now mostly an ATV trail. This is the path to scramble down to the bottom of Contentment Falls. You can still reach the top of the fall and under the rock ledge via a slightly easier path. However, the view from the bottom of Contentment Falls is very nice. Here's a view under the rock ledge as you approach the top of Contentment Falls. These are the folks who wanted to check out the top of the falls. However I think Toby likes the shallow water much more than wandering around on the rocks. These folks were not excited about scrambling down to the falls. That's okay too. A very nice sunflower along the old road heading on to the trestle. A well constructed bridge crossing an unnamed branch feeding the North Fork Broad River. We had two different opinions on the best place to rock-hop and cross this branch. Yep, that's high . . . as much as 200 feet high. At the base of one support, we checked out this marvel of engineering and construction. Bill Chism catching me trying to get a better photo of the trestle. And here's the pic. Hard to believe this trestle was build between 1915 & 1919. A parting photo as we leave. Closing the loop on the East Bound-n-Down Trail. Could this be a Woodland sunflower found in an open area near the junction of East Bound-N-Down Trail and Locust Stake Road? Crossing Dead Man Creek on a short hike up Dead Man's Trail toward Toccoa Fall College, but still on National Forest property. One of several blowdowns encountered on Dead Man's Trail. Beth is checking out something while Jennifer is finishing ducking under that tree. We didn't see many mushrooms until hiking on Dead Man's Trail. Matt spotted this tiny juvenile Eastern Box Turtle crossing Dead Man's Trail. Judging by its size, this youngster likely hatched within the last year or two.