Cochran Mill Falls

Cochran Mill Falls, a 20 foot waterfall, is located at Cochran Mill Park and is the first of three waterfalls along Bear Creek. The waterfall is located right next to a metal bridge about 5 minutes after entering the park. 

Cochran Mills Park is located in Chattahoochee Hills, Georgia, just 20 miles southwest of the Atlanta Airport. There is a large sign for the park right at the entrance to the parking area. At the parking area, you’ll see a parking kiosk. This is a city park. All city residents qualify for free parking passes and non-residents may purchase $25 annual passes or a $5 day pass. State and National Park parking passes do not count and you’ll need to purchase a separate one for this park.

Once you’ve parked your car, you’ll cross the street at the entrance to the parking area to a wide trail. You’ll soon reach a large metal bridge. From the bridge there’s a great view of Cochran Mills Falls. After crossing the bridge there are several ways to walk down to the base of the waterfall.

I listed this waterfall as wheelchair accessible. It is so long as your wheelchair can handle dirt and small gravel. There are views available from the bridge and just past the bridge where you should be able to look down and get an unobstructed side view of the waterfall. You may want to stay off to the side when heading to and from the parking lot as the trail is also accessible to bikers. There are no wheelchair accessible paths leading to the base of the waterfall.

There’s a small beach area directly in front of the waterfall, just past a stone pillar that is part of the mill ruins. If you want to cool off in the water, there’s plenty of space by the waterfall. It is a little deeper by the waterfall than by most waterfalls. There’s another area near the waterfall on the other side of the bridge, which is shadier and has a picnic table nearby. We did see broken glass near the waterfall, so you might want to wear water shoes if going in the water.

The day we visited was quite hot and very busy, especially for a weekday, so we only visited the first waterfall and returned to our car.

A word of caution. Skunks live in the wooded areas so be sure not to startle them like someone else did while we were there.

About the Park

Cochran Mills Park is a fairly busy park with beautiful waterfalls and easy to moderate, color-coded trails. Green is the easiest. The park has 800 acres of woods, fields, streams, and waterfalls. It also has several species of flowers including wildflowers, native azaleas, and mountain laurel. The park also contains the ruins of 3 historic mills.

There are restroom facilities and a playground right next to the parking area. There is also a pavilion between the restroom and the playground.

Park hours are 30 minutes before until 30 minutes after sunset. The park address is: 6875 Cochran Mill Rd, Palmetto, GA 30268.

Trails

The Interpretive Trail follows the Orange Trail in a 2.5 mile loop along Little Bear Creek and Big Bear Creek and then returns to the parking area through the woods. The first Orange Marker is located across the parking lot from the kiosk.

Cochran Mill Park has 18 miles of multiple-use trails with bikers, hikers and trail runners. There are separate trails reserved for horses. All signage indicates that bikers yield to hikers, however most bikers do not so use caution when in blind spots or foggy areas. Trails are typically closed for 24 hours after rain, trail status can be found at the park entrance and on their Facebook page.

Park History

During the late 19th century and into the early 20th century, three grist mills were built on Bear Creek and Little Bear Creek. Brothers Owen and Berry Cochran and the neighboring Henry family each owned separate mills.

In 1909 the demand for grain milling declined so Berry Cochran Jr. electrified his father’s mill, generating the first commercial electric power in the area. Community gristmills became obsolete as flour and meal became available commercially. The milling properties were eventually acquired by Fulton County in 1967.

In 2008, Cochran Mill Park was purchased from Fulton County with donations from almost 400 local families in the City of Chattahoochee Hills. In 2013, a $100,000 Recreational Trails Program Grant from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources was awarded to renovate the park, which was used to create eight miles of new multi-use trails and rehabilitate ten miles of old trails. Other park improvements included the addition of a 2.5 mile Interpretive Trail, additional parking, an information kiosk, and a trail entrance arch.  An ADA handicap accessible equestrian mounting block was also added, which is easily accessible from the parking areas.