November 23, 2021
Sourwood Trail & Falls
at Lake Russell near Mt. Airy, GA
An easy hike today on a very nice trail in good condition. We had a very sunny but crisp start at 28°F ending around 50°F Most of the leaves were down which did make for clear views through the forest. The initial part of the hike took us through some really large white pines and later by a couple of really large American Beech trees on the creek just below Nancy Town Falls. Not a lot of water flowing over the falls, but they were still pretty. Access to the falls is a bit of a scramble through the woods below the falls. We were treated to three beaver dams along Nancy Town Creek on our return. No turtles on Nancy Town Lake today like we normally see.
The route
4.0 mi · 377 ft climbing · 2h 37m out, 1h 57m walking · 2.0 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%
3 photos are shown on the map where they were taken — click one to see it full size.
Photos (15)
Nancy Town Falls. Not a lot of water flowing today. Today's Hikers (L-R): Edwin, Jenny, Angela, Ray, Jeanne, Dick, Christine, Linda, Mike, Inna and Bruce Getting ready on a cold morning. Up the road to the trailhead. This way. A nice view of Nancy Town Lake. No wet crossings today! Several nice bridges along the way. Typical good trail conditions today. Example of the grove of very large and tall white pines just beyond the trailhead. Several views of Nancy Town Falls Bruce and Linda scrambling on the large rocks below the falls to get a better view. Check out this rock cairn on the top of the falls that someone took quite the effort to build. Wetlands, now drained, previously created by beaver dams downstream. New beaver dams and backup further downstream from the wetlands. A nice cascade just prior to Nancy Town Creek going under Nancy Town Creek Road at the end of our hike.