Toccoa Falls

With a vertical drop of 186 feet, the Toccoa Falls waterfall is located on the campus of Toccoa Falls College in Stephens County, Georgia. Toccoa is the Cherokee Indian name for "beautiful."

Some claim that Toccoa Falls is the tallest free-falling waterfall in the Eastern United States, however, the waterfall does not hold that title. Crabtree Falls in Virginia (cascading 1,000 feet, including one 400 foot drop), Fall Creek Falls in Tennessee (256 foot sheer drop) and Taughannock Falls in New York (215 foot sheer drop) are all taller. In addition, one other Georgia waterfall includes a drop that is taller: Cascade Falls includes a 262 foot drop.

The falls were the scene of a tragic flood in 1977 when the Kelly Barnes Dam above the falls failed sending 170 million gallons of water downstream and over the falls. Thirty nine fatalities were recorded as a result of this event. [ [http://southern_explorer.home.mindspring.com/Hike/toccoa_falls_ga.htm Southern Explorer profile of Toccoa Falls] ] The dam has never been rebuilt.

External links

* [http://www.tfc.edu/consider/seefalls.htm Toccoa Falls College - Photos of Falls]
* [http://www.yahoolavista.com/waterfalls/falls/toccoafalls.html Photos and description of Toccoa Falls]

References