Everyone loves a good waterfall, but I prefer not to sweat like one before I get to enjoy the view. Luckily enough, Helen, Georgia, has plenty of accessible trails ranging in length and difficulty that a hobby hiker like myself can reach and hike in under 30 minutes.

In our current era, it can be difficult to detach from the modern comforts and responsibilities we have at home, so most people, when going out on a hike, make a whole event out of it. They take the day off from work or school, pack up the car with snacks and more Gatorade than a single person can drink, do a quick Google search to find “cool hiking trails near me,” and invest their time in a long drive, embarking on an often arduous hike in the hopes it will fulfill their need for a day away from the time-warp of Tik Tok and their sisyphysian score of daily chores. 

However, you need not commit to only one trail if you find yourself in the whimsical Alpine-inspired town of Helen. With over 700 waterfalls (that we know of) in the state of Georgia, it’s a wonder that over twenty of them reside only thirty minutes away from the many Bavarian Bed und Breakfasts of Helen. 

My partner and I embarked on a journey (wink) to Helen this weekend to see just how many waterfalls a casual hiker could tackle in the span of one day. The optimistic answer was five, but due to Daylight Savings, a car severely in need of new tires, and our shared sense of time blindness, we only managed three out of the five on our list (Dear Blue Hole and Raven Cliff Falls, we will see you very soon, I promise).

Fortunately, our first stop on the journey (wink wink) was DeSoto Falls; named after the famous Spanish explorer Hernando DeSoto, DeSoto Falls is a 2.2 mile round-trip hike along Frogtown Creek that takes about an hour to complete. DeSoto Falls has two separate trailheads which split off to the upper and lower falls – two waterfalls for the drive of one, what a steal! The trail to the upper falls is a steep but short hike, with plenty of viewing platforms and benches to rest on, and the lower falls trail is very similar in difficulty but overall short and sweet. With its well-maintained campground, navigable parking area, and plethora of rest areas, DeSoto Falls turned out to be one of the most accessible trails we hiked this weekend. We’ll be sure to visit again very soon!

Unlike DeSoto Falls, the trail leading to Helton Creek Falls is a very quick 0.3 mile hike, cementing it as my favorite journey of the day (unashamedly lazy hiker here)! It took only ten minutes for us to make it to the falls and back. In fact, it took us more time to actually drive out there. On the long, bumpy, narrow road leading to the falls, my partner and I marveled at the fact that someone long before our time and technology created such a path only so people could witness the beauty of Helton Creek Falls. Surrounded on all sides by lush foliage and the roar of rushing water, a set of wooden stairs ascends directly to the falls. A large viewing platform lies at the top where you can take in the beautiful scene as you take the best selfie of your life. Just be sure to wear hiking boots because those stairs are slippery when wet!

If you are a lover of long trails and delayed gratification, turn back now, because Duke’s Creek Falls is easy to find and even easier to hike. While we failed to make it to the true 2 mile trail for the main falls at Duke’s Creek (we needed a little daylight left for date night), we ended up stumbling across a roadside sanctuary! An appetizer for the true falls, this charming little hole-in-the-wall set of falls peeks out from between the trees. Accessible from the roadside, a parking area flanks the lesser falls where you can cross the street and encounter a large sloping rock that leads you to the very center of the action (just be very careful not to fall in if you have two left feet like me). The falls house a large water basin on the left, and a series of short cascading falls on the right. The water bends around the rocks in such a way that the sound of it surrounds you entirely. It was easy for us to forget that our car was only minutes away as we absorbed this peaceful extension of Duke’s Creek Falls. 

However, hiking is only half the fun when there are so many interesting things to do and see in Helen! After building up a huge appetite hopping from waterfall to waterfall, Jay and I found ourselves exhausted and relieved to be staying in Helen for the night. We walked around the charming, themed streets at dusk, enjoying the festive lights and warm, buttery smells wafting from windows. Eventually, our legs begged us for a rest, so we hunkered down for a homey traditional German meal at Bodensee, a restaurant where you can order a pint bigger than your head and a schnitzel the size of a shih-tzu. 

Full of beer, jäger gravy, and a desire to sleep, we drove a few minutes out from the hub of Helen to an oasis named Valhalla; aptly titled, Valhalla is a four star resort with ample amenities. Valhalla’s employees greeted us like great kings despite our appearance as sweaty little urchins holding Walmart bags full of last-minute toiletries. Offering us complimentary champagne, and an intensive room service menu, the employees of Valhalla cushioned our dreams that night with ideas of in-resort restaurants, on-site archery lessons, and the full spa experience among the countless other luxuries they offer. 

As anyone might imagine after such a deluxe experience, it was hard to leave Valhalla. I could, for sure, spend an eternity there, but the promise of warm pastries and deli delights at Hofer’s of Helen drew us out the next morning. With all of their furniture imported from Germany, Hofer’s bakery carries the ambiance of a traditional German cafe. After destroying a classically delicious apple strudel on their covered porch, Jay and I sat down inside the cafe for a homely lunch of soup and sandwiches that helped us recover from our hikes the day before and thoroughly energized us for the ride back home (that is a lie, I immediately felt the effects of tryptophan and fell asleep after housing my delectable turkey sandwich while Jay drove). 

Amazed at all we accomplished in such a short amount of time in Helen and its surrounding falls, I find myself already planning another trip to go back; after all, there is so much more to see and to eat, as well as seventeen other waterfalls within 30 minutes of Helen calling my name.