Located along Peavine Creek just one mile northwest of downtown Decatur, Durand Falls has the honor of being one of just two waterfalls inside the Atlanta Perimeter (the other being Cascade Springs Falls). Tumbling gradually down an impressive series of rock slabs, this is also by far the taller of the two waterfalls, being about 30 feet high. 

Durand Falls was once the site of the historic Durand Mill, known for being the location where Union troops crossed South Fork Peachtree Creek while advancing into Atlanta during the Civil War. My understanding is that the waterfall is an artifact resulting from attempts to reroute the creek channel to supply water power for the mill. Thus, the waterfall is not entirely naturally occurring, although an untrained eye is unlikely to notice the anthropogenic changes that have been made here. Perhaps a small waterfall originally existed along Peavine Creek before the mill, but certainly not one of this height. 

Durand Falls lies on private property and is strictly off limits to the public. It lies within a quiet residential neighborhood in the backyard of a unique, historic Herbert Millkey home, built in 1969. The home was recently sold to new owners, and I had the rare opportunity to view the falls while the property was listed for sale. Durand Falls used to be more frequented by local residents many decades ago, but it has fallen off the radar in the internet age and became posted with numerous no trespassing signs. The originals owners of the home placed their entire property under a permanent conservation easement with the Georgia Land Trust, so Durand Falls will never be developed beyond the original footprint of the home. 

To learn about more waterfalls in the Atlanta metro area, see chapter 11 in Mark Ozboyd's "Waterfalls of Georgia" guidebook.