Toccoa Falls
Georgia · 186-foot drop · Toccoa Falls College (private) · Last verified 2026-06-26
Flow at Toccoa Falls is light today (38 cfs) — visit for the geology, not the volume.
Right now
Streamflow
37.9 cfs
TALLULAH RIVER AB POWERHOUSE, · 36m ago
Overnight
72°F
Partly Cloudy
Tuesday
95°F
Mostly Sunny then Chance Showers And Thunderstorms
Today's daylight
Sunrise 6:40 AM · Sunset 8:39 PM · 13h 59m
Snapshot built 4m ago. Sources: USGS · NWS GSP.
Toccoa Falls is a 186-foot free-falling waterfall on Toccoa Creek, one of the tallest east of the Mississippi River. The 100-yard wheelchair-accessible path from Gate Cottage leads to the base, where the water drops in a single ribbon off a granite cliff. The falls sit on the campus of Toccoa Falls College in Stephens County, Georgia. Visitors pay a $2 entry fee at the gift shop. Carries the sober history of the 1977 Kelly Barnes Dam collapse — the broken dam is still visible upstream — which killed 39 people on the college campus.
Toccoa Falls is a waterfall on Toccoa Creek with a vertical drop of 186 feet (57 m) on the campus of Toccoa Falls College in Stephens County, Georgia, United States. Toccoa comes from the Cherokee word "Tagwâ′hĭ", meaning "Catawba place" or "beautiful".
A short history
On November 6, 1977, the Kelly Barnes Dam upstream of Toccoa Falls collapsed after heavy rain, sending a 30-foot wall of water through the Toccoa Falls College campus. 39 people died, mostly students and their families in the trailer park below. The dam was not rebuilt; what remains is visible from the falls overlook.
The trail
0.1 miles each way, rated easy. Free parking at Gate Cottage (gift shop). Entry through the gift shop only. 107 Kincaid Drive, Toccoa GA.
Is the water flowing right now?
Most waterfall sites don't tell you this. The waterfall itself is almost never gauged, but a USGS streamgage in the same watershed can tell you whether snowmelt has started, peaked, or run dry.
USGS gage 02181580 · 9.4 mi away
TALLULAH RIVER AB POWERHOUSE, NR TALLULAH FALLS,GA
View live discharge data →
30-day streamflow
Near 30-day average↻ Same date last year: 37.9 cfs · 99% of last year — similar
Compare to nearby falls
If this one isn't the right fit, here's how it stacks up against the closest documented falls. Every column is filterable on the site — not buried in 13,000 reviews.
| Waterfall | Distance | Height | Trail | Dogs | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toccoa Falls (this page) | — | 186 ft | easy · 0.1 mi | N | $2 |
| Panther Creek Falls | 6 mi | 131 ft | — | Y | Free |
| Longnose Creek Falls | 7 mi | — | — | — | — |
| Boyer Falls | 7 mi | — | — | Y | Free |
| Battle Creek Falls | 8 mi | — | — | — | — |
| Little Brasstown Falls | 9 mi | — | — | Y | Free |
Side-by-side comparisons
Toccoa Falls compared head-to-head with other documented falls — height, access, fees, dogs, swimmability in one row each.
Related waterfalls
Similar height (~186 ft)
- Loowit Falls186 ft
- Narada Falls187 ft
- American Falls188 ft
- Double Falls184 ft
- Grand Falls184 ft
Questions visitors ask about Toccoa Falls
Answers built from our structured data. If a question isn't here, the fact is unverified — we'd rather omit than guess.
How tall is Toccoa Falls?
Toccoa Falls is 186 feet (56.7 m) tall. Source heights disagree by source — see the discrepancy box on the page.
Is Toccoa Falls in a national or state park?
Yes — Toccoa Falls is inside Toccoa Falls College (private). See the park page for fees, hours, and current conditions.
Can I bring my dog to Toccoa Falls?
No — dogs are not allowed on trails here. Service animals are an exception per ADA.
Is Toccoa Falls wheelchair accessible?
Yes — Toccoa Falls has a wheelchair-accessible viewing area with ADA parking. Conditions can change seasonally; verify with the land manager before driving.
Can you swim at Toccoa Falls?
No — swimming is not safe or not allowed at Toccoa Falls. No swimming or wading allowed — the falls are on private college property with viewing only. The base pool is deep and dangerous; in 1977 the dam upstream collapsed and killed 39 people downstream.
When is the best time to visit Toccoa Falls?
Peak flow is typically March, April, May, October, November. Season-wise: spring, fall. Snowmelt and recent rain affect day-to-day volume.
Is there a fee to visit Toccoa Falls?
Yes — entry costs around $2. Most Toccoa Falls College (private) entrances accept the America the Beautiful annual pass.
How far is Toccoa Falls from a major city?
Toccoa Falls is 2 miles from Toccoa (about 3 minutes' drive).
More waterfalls in Georgia
Where it is
34.5962, -83.3605
Sources and live status
Where we got the data, and where to check current conditions before you drive.
Official land manager
https://tfc.edu/the-waterfall/visiting-toccoa-falls/
Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toccoa_Falls
Wikidata (Q10842968)
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q10842968
GeoNames (4226711)
https://www.geonames.org/4226711/
Last verified by Fallspots: 2026-06-26
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