H
awthorne Falls may once have been as spectacular a sight as the nearby Ochlocknee Waterfalls (Forest Falls) and Florida's Falling Waters State Park. However, severe erosion has washed tons of dirt into the sink area, completely filling it.Today, there is no longer a visible waterfalls. A small seasonal stream runs along a route that begins on the east side of the Hawthorne Trail leading westward to the sink area. The stream is fed by seepage from what was once a small marsh area adjoining the present highway. Over the years, this area has been clear cut of its once stately cypress, cedar and oak trees and the area drained for farm land. In the late 1960's, only a tiny area of about a quarter acre remained and during a wet period, a pool of crystal clear water stood amid small cypress stumps surrounded by a few remaining native azaleas.
This former falls is worthy of state park status by itself. If restored, it would certainly be much more impressive and scenic than Florida's Falling Waters State Park. If Georgia had already spent as much money on this site as Florida has on Falling Waters, this area would already be a significant tourist destination...even without the other major natural wonders in the area.
Hawthorne Falls is located a few hundred yards west of Hawthorne Trail, the Camilla - Cairo highway (Ga. Hwy. 112) about 8 miles north of Cairo. It is about 230 miles south of Atlanta, Ga. and about 50 miles north of Tallahassee, Florida.
T
his is not a typical sinkhole. After a winding westward course of about a half mile or less dropping down the edge of the Flint River valley rim, the stream then abruptly turns back east and runs head-on into the "hill" or valley bank. The stream then disappears into a tiny hole at the foot of the bank.A high bank surrounds the sink area on the south, north and east sides, with sand covering most of the floor of the miniature valley. I have seen the site when clear water spread across the area up to fifty yards wide.
In its present condition, there is no visible waterfall. The only way you know there is one is to listen to the water dropping down the pit next to the high bank.
The pool and the little stream it feeds typically dries up during the hot summer months and other dry periods.
Although there is no longer a waterfall to see here today, both the State Geologist of Georgia and the State Geologist of Florida have assured me this falls can be recreated with ease. It would take little effort to dredge out the soil that has washed into the sink area and the logs and other trash that has clogged the drain hole. A waterfall of at least 50 to 75 feet in depth (or height) could be restored here.
If this falls is restored, it could once again become a spectacular sight for visitors. A scenic walk could be built along the high bank surrounding the three sides of the falls area. The potential falls site is far grander than that of Florida's Falling Waters State Park at Chipley, Florida.
L
imestone in this area has been dated to the period sometime between the Oligocene epoch, about 7 million years ago and the Miocene epoch, about 16 million years ago. That's very "young" in earth history, folks! Outcrops of exposed rock is rarely found in this area because of a deep overburden of soil. Along the Flint River valley however, millennia of years of natural erosion has created of the eastern rim of the valleyA
s with Forest Falls, this former waterfalls should be extensively excavated to recreate the falls here. The site is still a beautiful one but once must have been breathtaking. A small seasonal stream ran a wandering course downhill from across the Hawthorne Trail west to bottom of the limestone escarpment. It then made a turn back east into a large U shaped alcove, ran straight into the high wall and dropped into a cavern at the bottom.The falls can be restored with excavation and the land around it can be restored to its natural state.
The cave underneath all this mud and sand may also hold potential as an attraction. Once the soil has been cleaned out of the sink, there is a strong possibility that the fill washed into the cave itself over the years could also be cleaned out and the site opened for visitors.
An overlook area similar to the one proposed for the Falling Waters area should be developed around the rim of the sink alcove here. After excavation, stairs should be built down to the bottom of the sink.
Walking, bike and horseback trails should be developed surrounding this site, equal to those at Falling Waters.
A vast natural gardens area should be developed around this site, comparable to the one proposed for Falling Waters.
Southwest Georgia's natural wonders need your help. If you like the natural wonders you see on this website and believe they are worthy of development and would like to see them preserved for future generations, then contact your state senator, state representative and Governor Barnes -- urge them to establish a state park here to preserve these natural treasures and bring new jobs to our region.
You can send a message to Georgia Governor Barnes and let him know of your support. Take time to send him and the Georgia Parks Division and Tourist Division a note.
Georgia Governor
State Parks Division
Division of Tourism
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