Ellsworth Falls is the upper in a pair of large waterfalls found in the headwaters of Thomas Creek on the western slopes of Rabun Bald. It's located on the same stream as Big Thomas Creek Falls, which lies much farther downstream near the Darnell Creek confluence. About 30 feet high, this is a picturesque vertical waterfall dropping down an imposing cliff. It's best seen in wet weather due to the small watershed size. 

When Christopher Cockfield visited this waterfall in 2021, he chose to name it in honor of Bernie Boyer, the waterfall explorer extraordinaire who documented many dozens of waterfalls listed

on this website. Two waterfalls had already borne Bernie's name in North and South Carolina, so this one completed the trifecta. In 2022, Bernie successfully completed the trek to Ellsworth Falls at the age of 86. Ellsworth is Bernie's true first name, while Bernie is the nickname he became known by later in life.

Reaching Ellsworth Falls requires a long, tough bushwhack. An old logging road along the north side of Thomas Creek leads to a downstream point just below Alliance Falls, but it's very overgrown and is little better than no trail at all. From there, one must scramble and bushwhack upstream through steep, overgrown terrain to reach Ellsworth Falls. The best route for climbing around Alliance Falls lies on the south side. I have also heard there may be an alternate route into this valley from Sky Valley and the Flint Knob area to the north. 

For detailed directions, see page 349 in Mark Ozboyd's "Waterfalls of Georgia" guidebook.