RATtreks

Millstone Falls and Ramsey Falls

It has been many years since I last visited Millstone Creek Falls and Ramsey Falls,  so my son Tyler and myself recently took some time on Saturday, Nov. 21-2009 to see if we could find them and get some decent pics. We got a late start of around 2 pm but the weather was very nice and these falls are located very close to where we live so we knew there should be enough time. We decided to go to Millstone Falls first as they are closest to the road and require the least amount of walking. We drove down to Nolichuckey River and after walking a little ways up the wrong trail (although we discovered a very nice trail up Millstone Creek) we quickly found the right access point and made it to the falls within just a few minutes.

Millstone Creek Falls

With the water levels still high, they looked really nice and were actually larger than I remember them from 20 some odd years ago. After spending about an hour there taking pictures and enjoying the beauty of the area, we made our way back to our vehicle at the river and proceeded to drive to our next destination of Ramsey Falls.

On the way we passed two horse and buggies out enjoying the nice afternoon weather as we turned onto Dry Creek road. It was not long before we made it to the turn off at the road that leads up to the church camp where I had not been since spending a week there in 5th grade many years ago. Not much has changed since then and it brought back a lot of really good memories. We parked and started up the high trail walking up the long hill to the upper falls. It was already evening and the light was just right for photos of the falls but we hurried as we knew it would not last long. We seen a few wild turkeys on the way up but they stealthily avoided being photographed. We reached the top in about 15 minutes or so where the trail goes around the other creek and falls that flows into the creek just below Ramsey falls as there are actually two sets of falls here. We went down to Ramsey Falls first as they are the largest and most significant.

Ramsey Falls

After capturing several photos we moved down the creek to find the connector trail which goes over to the other falls and eventually connects with the low trail back out to the camp where we crossed several footbridges and passed by many cascades. This is a lovely area and I would love to come back some day when there is more time and daylight to enjoy it all. It seemed very familiar yet somehow different than it did when I was there in 5th grade ! I would highly recommend this trip for anyone who does not want to drive very far from Johnson City or hike a long distance to enjoy a beautiful area with multiple waterfalls and cascades.