Hike to Helton Creek Falls

Getting to Helton Creek Falls can be a little bit tricky. You can either access the trailhead from 348 (the less popular, more adventurous route), or you can access the trailhead easily off of highway 19.  The reason why access from 348 is a bit tricky is that the road actually has two creek crossings, so make sure your car has very good clearance and ideally 4WD.  

Once you get to the trailhead, there is not a ton of parking, considering how popular this waterfall can get on the weekends.  If parking is packed, just try not to block the road or anyone's driveway, as there are many cabins along the road leading up to the trailhead.  

Getting on the trail, you will briefly head downhill with some thick forest on your left-hand side.  Only about 100 feet from the trailhead is a spot that you can barely make out both the upper and lower Helton Creek Falls.  Continuing on down, you will find that the base of the lower falls is just before about .2 miles on your left-hand side, and a set of stairs will take you down to the bank of the inviting creek.  This is a great spot to take a dip in the refreshing water and admire the meandering nature of the 35-foot lower falls.  

Further upstream, only about 100 or so yards from the Lower Falls are the Upper Falls.  This waterfall is also super easy to get to, and there is even a viewing platform for those who do not wish to cross logs and hop from boulder to boulder to get close to the falls.  There are shallow sections to the water here, but especially close to the 60-foot falls, the water gets quite deep.  

Feel free to bring your little ones and get them enjoying some epic nature early! If you are looking for a waterfall that you can have all to yourself that is deep in the woods, this is not it.  This is a very pretty, very accessible, and therefore typically crowded waterfall.  Raven Cliff Falls, Dukes Creek Falls, DeSoto Falls, Anna Ruby Falls, High Shoals Falls, and Horse Trough Falls are all super close and can easily be combined with this hike.