The deceptive Devil’s Elbow
Accidental Travels in Georgia
On our search for The Edge of the World in the mountains of North Georgia, we were directed by some lovely ladies at the local BBQ house on HWY 400 (the one with the pig on the roof), to their local swimming hole: The Devil’s Elbow. We found this deceptively beautiful swimming hole- but the ladies had told us that an adult had drowned there a few weeks prior, trying to rescue a drowning child, so we entered with caution.
Place Names with Warnings
A quick note on place names- if some place has the name “Devil”, “Satan”, “Hell” or “Death” included in it, there is usually a darn good reason. A group of elders didn’t sit around a campfire and say “Hey, let’s call this Satan’s Armpit” for no reason what so ever. And this applied to the inviting Devil’s Elbow.
Finding Devil’s Elbow
Located off of GA 53 in the Dawson Wildlife Management Area, (Also a fee- Georgia Outdoor Recreational Pass-GORP tag needed area), we parked up and clambered down a red mud trail to the river below, where three teenaged boys were taking turns swinging from a rope swing into the icy river. There were places to dive, makeshift ladder’s nailed into trees- it was obviously a popular place.
“There’s a deep undertow at the river bend,” one of the boys told us. “You have to be very careful.”
With the summer’s constant rain adding to the river’s current, I directed the kids away from the elbow and we waded downstream instead, in search of gold and skipping stones. (We found the stones to skip, but not the gold!) It ended up as a pleasant stop off before we resumed our Edge of the World quest.
Upstream of the Devil’s Elbow, Dawsonville, GA
Upstream of the Devil’s Elbow
Thankfully, the water flows away from the Devil’s Elbow, so we were able to splash away in the shallows.
Other Posts That May Interest You:
- Adventures at Amicalola Falls
- Tubing in Helen, Georgia
- Rafting in the Smokies
- Hiking Raven Cliffs Trail
- Journey to the Edge of the World
How can I get here ?
A local secret…Take 19 north from Atlanta, turn left onto GA 53 W. Follow 53 through and past Dawsonville, then turn right onto Duck Thurmond Rd, a slight right onto Sweetwater Juno Rd, turn left to stay on Sweetwater Juno Rd, continue onto Juno Rd, take a left on Steele Bridge Rd, cross over the Amicolola Creek and Park up. (You need to pre-purchase a Georgia Outdoor Recreational Pass -GORP). Creek is nice for wading, but be wary of undertow at the actual Elbow- curve in the river.