September 1, 2026
Mud Creek Trail from The Sky Valley Overlook
We started this easy hike in the late morning after visiting the Tessentee Bottomlands Preserve Trail. The weather was perfect with sunny skies and mid-70s temperatures as we followed Mud Creek toward Mud Creek Falls near Sky Valley, NC. To find the entrance, look for a faint path along GA 246 N. Be very careful to avoid the yellow jacket nest in the ground right by the highway railing at the start! The trail begins with a short, narrow descent off the roadway but it quickly opens up into a wide, pleasant old road bed with a high canopy. Along the way, you will pass an interesting abandoned covered bridge. A resort developer built it in 1980 for the Sky Valley Stables development, but the GA DOT denied the road permit, leaving the bridge completely cut off. Mud Creek parallels the trail for the entire hike and you can take several short side paths to access its small cascades, rapids, and pools. You will pass near the 160-foot-high Estatoah Falls near the beginning, but it is located on private land so it is unfortunately not visible or accessible. However, the main attraction is Mud Creek Falls at the end. This cascading waterfall is 75 to 100 feet tall, which was much larger than expected and absolutely beautiful. Today's hikers: Edwin Pruitt, Beth McDonald, Pam Hembree, Matt Henderson & Toby, Ken Pardue, Claudia Pardue, Lynn Hotle, Beth Hawkins, Charles Hawkins, Jenny Bell & Mike Bell. ... more
The route
3.2 mi · 277 ft climbing · 1h 51m out, 1h 33m walking · 2.1 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%
18 photos are shown on the map where they were taken — click one to see it full size.
Photos (18)
Mud Creek Falls, aka Lower Estatoah Falls was surprisingly large and beautiful. Today's Hikers (L-R) Back: Edwin, Claudia, Ken, Charles, Pam, Jenny & Renée; Front: Matt & Toby, Lynn, Beth H., Beth McD & Mike Definitely a "great day for a hike." A view from Sky Valley Overlook eastward. We follow the narrow path along the GA Hwy 246 roadside to begin our hike. We pass by a cascade which we later find out is the upper side of the Lower Estatoah Falls on Mud Creek. We also pass by the covered bridge built by a developer as an entrance, but the connection to the highway was nixed by GA DOT. Now abandoned. Not many wildflowers on this trail today. Just these Cutleaf coneflowers near the start of the hike. The initial path is a single hiker trail, but in fair shape. Mud Creek up and downstream from a bridge over a dam that appears be a water source for some entity Further up Mud Creek, we find a side trail to a beautiful cascade on Mud Creek. Similar scenic Mud Creek views are found all along the trail. Beth McDonald decided to rock-hop this drainage feature. Toby decided to enjoy a cooling dip and drink from the creek. An interesting view down Mud Creek under a boulder ledge. Beth McDonald spotted this Jack in-the-pulpit with ripening fruit beside the trail. We were not expecting this large and scenic Mud Creek Waterfall. Photos anyone? Checkout the size, roots and the fact that it is still a living Eastern Hemlock.