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Bracken Preserve

4.0 (1 review)

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4 years ago

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Connestee Falls

Connestee Falls

(7 reviews)

This was a surprise for me that there was a sweet little waterfall so close to my sister's new…read morehometown. It's located in a park, yet there's no where to picnic. It's just the falls, unless I missed some hidden walking trails. Nonetheless, the falls are calming, and not at all congested like Looking Glass Falls in Pisgah National Park.

Undoubtedly a beautiful & scenic location as two creeks (Carson Creek and Batson Creek) separately…read morefall into one of North Carolina's mini-gorges to form a third waterfall known as "the silver slip". The formation of the falls collectively is a "Y-shape" as Connestee Falls meets Batson Creek Falls to form Silver Slip Falls. It is one of the most unique waterfalls I've ever come across and would be much better photographed with a drone. There is an overlook on the Batson Creek side that faces Carson Creek, however, it is only accessible from a private trail in nearby Connestee Falls Subdivision. Thusly, the best view you will get as a non-resident will be from this nicely constructed boardwalk. The boardwalk hangs over Connestee Falls, so your view is very limited. Batson Creek Falls is visible, but not in its entirety as trees block most of the upper half of this nearly 100 foot tall sliding beauty. Topography maps show the elevation around Connestee Falls dropping roughly 65 feet before merging with Batson Creek Falls. Sliver Slip Falls is nearly impossible to see with the exception of the crest. [ FINAL THOUGHTS ] A staff member from our hotel told me about this waterfall and I'm so happy he did. It was our very last stop on a waterfall chasing weekend that included Upper White Water Falls, Toxaway Falls, Gorges State Park, Looking Glass Falls & Skinny Dip Falls. While it isn't a destination waterfall and rather difficult to properly view, it most certainly is a nice add-on when touring the area. 2021 / 67

Merry Falls

Merry Falls

(1 review)

MERRY FALLS is a beautiful roadside waterfall found along the gravel portion of Cascade Lake Road…read morejust outside the boundaries of the beautiful & rugged Dupont State Recreational Forest of North Carolina. The exact GPS location is 35.200645, -82.643481, but if you are skilled at reading maps, the waterfall is located just north of where the East Fork of Laurel Creek merges with a lesser no-named creek or about 500 feet south of where the East Fork merges with the main Laurel Creek. There is no hiking required to view the falls, but if you wanted a closer, more in-person pic at the base it would require a fairly easy goat scramble down the semi-steep roadside embankment. Different hiking websites claim the falls to be anywhere from 30 to 50 feet. However, using the topography lines on AllTrails I have calculated the height of the waterfall to be approx. 47 feet tall from top to the lower cascade. The main two tiered fall itself is approx. 35 feet tall with another 12 feet of cascades from the base. On the day I visited the falls it had rained 4 of the previous 6 days, so the falls were full and beautiful! FINAL THOUGHTS This is not a typical destination waterfall, but it IS an excellent bonus stop when touring the larger high volume waterfalls in the area such as nearby Triple Falls, High Falls, Hooker Falls and Raven Cliff Falls. You could also visit the spill wall of the Cascade Lake Dam approximately 2.25 miles north of Merry Falls on Cascade Lake Road. It is built in such a way that by itself it is a beautiful drive-worthy waterfall. ENJOY!!! 2021 / 42

John Rock - What a view...

John Rock

(2 reviews)

My perspective on hiking trails may be a bit jaded since I live in Colorado…read more John Rock was a nice beginner type hike and we had a variety of levels in our group. I would suggest going counterclockwise, takes longer to get to the rock but worth it for the downward hike in certain areas. It was cool to see so many dispersed camp sites with the hiking area. The lookout is beautiful but if you don't like heights I wouldn't recommend it.

After a 3 hour hike of 1,000 feet in elevation, we reached the summit at 3,320 feet. When we…read morereached the top, we were rewarded with a fantastic view of the area around us. Interesting enough, unlike other hikes I've been on, I was able to see our car in the parking lot from our view! It was really small and the people moving around looked like ants from there, but it made the grueling hike up feel that much more satisfying. It was only something like 4 or so miles long, but there was a lot of actual climbing involved! Even our lab/boxer pup wanted to lay down mid-walk more than halfway into our hike because he was so tired and he never gets tired! Fortunately, with some cheerleading, he caught his second wind and we finished the hike up. Occasionally we ran into spots with bodies and trails of water that he enjoyed cooling off in along the way that made the long trip scenic and fun for all of us. Not sure I'll make this trek again for a while unless I feel like getting my butt kicked, but sure had a lot of great memories working through it together with my brother, hubby, and furbabies.

Bracken Preserve - hiking - Updated May 2026

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