Keown Falls Hike

I took my 4 kids (ALONE!) on this hike earlier in the year. We really enjoyed it.
Keown Falls in Walker County, GA - Free (no park fee)

This is a 1.8 mile loop. Unfortunately, it had rained earlier in the week and we tried and tried to figure out where the trail continued on from the falls. Thinking back, I know where it is, but it was too muddy to go that way at the time.

This trail is also at our upper limit in difficulty as a family. Mainly because of my then 4-year old. It is up a mountain and there are some spots that if you trip you will be tumbling down for awhile. But it wasn't too scary.

Also, at the time, there must have been a recent forest fire as a lot of the trees were scorched. But the trail is well-kept and all fallen trees had been cut away from the trail.

Beautiful views too!

Above you can see the trail. That was about as scary as it gets. The trail does go over a tiny trickle of a creek (which was bigger because of the rain) and the kids thought that was great!

You begin the trail by following 1 path. After just a few minutes it forks. It is the same trail (loop). We opted to go right. It wasn't too tough to get to the falls. Actually, that's a lie! I'm not a great hiker. There was one spot that we could not, for the life of us, find where the trail went up the mountain! We ended at the creek and looked everywhere! Finally, we decided to head back. And that's when we saw the trail leading UP the mountain. It was hidden behind a big boulder.
We made it to the falls:

Once at the falls you can climb a whole bunch of rock stairs to a look-out point. There is another trail heading off at the top of those stairs, but that is another trail and not part of the loop.

As you can see above, the lookout "deck" was the place to rest. It was a lot of stairs.

Go back down the stairs and under the waterfall. That is where the trail picks back up and will loop you back around to where you started. Like I said before, when we went the rain had made it not look like a trail.

Other info:
Vault bathroom available at trailhead (still a hole in the ground!)
Lots of picnic tables at the trailhead. I cannot remember if there were grills.
I don't believe there was water available.
Going after a recent rain would ensure water at the falls.

Directions:
From Chattanooga Road, turn south onto highway 201 (I think this is also called Lafayette Rd)
Follow it for 11 miles (it will end there)
Take a left (onto GA 136 E)
And then a quick right onto Pocket Road. Go 5 miles and then turn onto Forest Service Road 702 (it is marked). Follow it all the way down and you are there!