My family and I decided to spend a weekend in North Carolina. Since we enjoy the outdoors we…read moredecided to spend a part of our time hiking. We went to Little Bradley Falls, located in Saluda, North Carolina. Due to a wildfire that happened a couple of years back some of the trials are restricted for hikers. However, you are still able to see Little Bradley Falls and explore the surrounding area. The trail is pet and kid friendly, with designated paths, so you do not have to worry about getting lost. The parking lot is more of "pull of the side of the road" style parking. It was tight, but I was able to park my SUV. Although the majority of Little Bradley Falls trail was closed, the rest of the trail was well kept, and you could visibly see the park staff was working on reopening the damaged trail. The waterfall was beautiful, there is an observation area where you can see the majestic waterfall, perfect for photos. Although the trail was well cleared, one dangerous part is you have to climb over rocks in the river to get to the other side of the trail. It wasn't that difficult, but should be considered when planning your hike to Little Bradley Falls. If you are in the Saldua North Carolina area, or want to take an easy hike with the family, I would definitely recommend taking a look into Little Bradley Falls. I hope to return in the future to complete the other trailhead that is adjacent from Little Bradley Falls.

Short trail with a beautiful waterfall at the end…read more Drive: 1.5hour drive from Charlotte Parking: the location on the google map doesn't take you to a parking lot. We arrived at the entrance of a side trail. Parking is available on the side street. Trail: about a 30 -45 mins trail but it is very tricky Overall, I enjoyed the short hike. The waterfall at the end was definitely worth the trip. Highly recommend a visit. 5/5

This weekend, my family and I decided to explore Jump Off Rock in North Carolina since the weather…read morewas nice. Jump Off Rock--located about 15 minutes from Hendersonville, NC--is a scenic overlook of Western North Carolina with three easy hiking trails, making it a perfect spot to enjoy a sunny day. There is complimentary parking, easy-to-follow trails that are hiker-friendly for all ages, benches to enjoy the scenic outlook, and wheelchair accessibility. Once my family arrived, we enjoyed the magnificent view of the Western North Carolina mountain range, taking photos of the scenery and personal selfies together. There is a drawing of the mountain range that identifies which mountains you are looking at. I found this very helpful since I could finally put names to the mountains in front of my eyes. After admiring the amazing view, we took the three hikes Jump Off Rock offers. The trails are fairly easy, ranging from 0.25 to 1 mile. They are easy to access, located on the left and right sides of the parking lot. The paths are simple to follow and not too dangerous for occasional hikers and their furry friends. While we were there, my family and I saw two deer on the path, which was really cool. Altogether, the three trails took us around 30 minutes at an average pace. Just a quick note--there are no restrooms or portable toilets at Jump Off Rock. I recommend stopping in Hendersonville or at a gas station before making your journey. If it's a nice day or you just want to get out of the house, I highly recommend visiting Jump Off Rock to enjoy the scenic overlook of the Western North Carolina mountain range and reconnect with nature.

jump off rock was a decently pretty view we saw some people taking family pics definitely good idea…read morebut i wouldn't go again i would have rather used my time to go on a hike or something else

Great park with a variety of hiking trails and some beautiful waterfalls to check out. The trails…read moreare well marked, but you'll want to either download the trails map ahead of time from their website, or take a photo of the park map at the parking lot, because they don't have maps along the trails & there are several trails to chose from. We hiked to High Falls and Triple Falls (both beautiful!), which I would say are moderate-level difficulty due to the inclines & some portions of the trail are loose gravel. Easy for The Hubs and I, but a tad more of a challenge for my in-laws. There are some spots with rocks just the right size to sit on and have a rest if you need a break. There are restrooms at the High Falls trailhead parking lot, and a gift shop. I'm not sure about restrooms elsewhere in the park.

Waterfall Central. 10,400 acres of beautiful hiking trails leading to some of the most amazing…read morewaterfalls / waterways in the Carolinas. It's packed in the summer and parking is at overflow levels. We had the trails and waterfalls all to ourselves 11/10/25 and it was snowing. What an incredible experience. Park is clean and well managed. Trails are marked and wide. Can't wait to go back this coming summer.

Made this trek last year and was disappointed when the water was only dribbling. After our rainy…read moreFebruary we went back to see the grotto in all its glory. It felt like a 3/4 mile walk in. The trail has some elevation but stairs and plateaus make it manageable for most people. It's the icing on the cake after experiencing the majestic looking glass falls.

Great hike to a beautiful fall you can stand behind. Less than 1 more long. Moderately challenging.read more

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

IF you want a challenging hike and are looking to score a bunch of amazing waterfalls on the SAME…read moreTRAIL, the Thompson River Waterfalls trail is your Huckleberry!!! Google maps has labeled the trailhead HIGH FALLS TRAIL HEAD just off Whitewater Road. As you turn onto Brewer Road, you will see a wide trail entrance on the corner. We parked along the side of the road near the entrance. There are multiple waterfalls along the trail as Thompson River makes its run down the mountain, dropping approx. 1,900 feet over 5 miles as it makes is way to beautiful Lake Jocassee. There are seven names waterfalls along the trail and 3 that absolutely should not be missed: HIGH FALLS, RICH FALLS & BIG FALLS aka THOMPSON FALLS. THE TRAIL The trail initially ascends about 60 feet but remains at a fairly consistent decline of about 500 feet along the entirety of the main trail. First up was REID FALLS at around .9 miles, but we decided to skip it. A split in the trail at around 1.1 miles leads to HIGH FALLS, a gorgeous 50 foot sliding ribbon waterfall. There really is no way to get an excellent picture of the falls without getting wet. The best vantage of the falls is across the river and a scramble over some large boulders to a beach like area. The pool in front of the falls is better than 6 feet deep, but most of the shallow areas were only ankle or calf deep. Back along the main trail we continued our descent down the mountain and next came to SIMON FALLS, which we also opted to skip. All of the falls (except High Falls) require a scramble downhill to view. Reid and Simon Falls have the least steep scrambles, but we wanted to conserve our legs for Big Falls, the steepest of the scrambles. We also bypassed Rich Falls around the 3.8 mile mark as we decided it would be best to see how we feel after tackling Big Falls. BIG FALLS Listen, however easy the trail seemed up until this point was about to SEVERELY change! The descent to the falls is about 535 feet in less that a quarter of a mile. IT IS VERY STEEP and some areas require sitting on your butt and sliding, other require holding on to low branches or roots and one area in particular requires mild vertical rock climbing. NOT KIDDING! But all of it is doable if you take your time and don't have any serious physical or health challenges. All of the MAIN trail is very easy to follow, but I would highly recommend downloading the ALLTRAILS map because it shows the exact entry points for the side trails to each of the falls. The side trail to Big Falls is easy to follow, but can be very faint in some areas. Once you make it down to the river, look for a side trail just before the final descent to the riverbank. It will lead you through a thicket of vegetation that leads to a boulder entrance to the falls. Navigate them as best you can to get to a great vantage point to view the falls. If you are not skilled at boulder hopping, this area will be very intimidating! But you MUST do it in order to view the Big Falls, which is not visible otherwise. NOTES / TIPS ~ Download ALLTRAILS MAP prior to your drive to the trailhead ~ There are 3 river crossings and yes you will get wet ~ Most of the falls require getting wet for best view ~ No restroom facilities at the trailhead ~ BRING PLENTY OF WATER & SNACKS FINAL THOUGHTS On our return, we were just too exhausted to attempt to see Rich Falls, so instead we used every ounce of energy we had remaining to make it back to the car. I was thoroughly exhausted. The 3.5 miles back seemed more like 10 and we'd run out of drinking water during our time at Big Falls. I recommend a minimum of five 16oz bottles to do this hike and more if you bring salty snacks. I'd also recommend you chug one bottle at the parking area before you begin. All in all this is an amazing trail full of gorgeous waterfalls. Big Falls easily has become one of my top 5 favorite southern waterfalls... but it is a beast of a hike! ALLTRAILS LINK: https://www.alltrails.com/explore/trail/us/north-carolina/thompson-river-waterfalls?mobileMap=false&ref=sidebar-static-map 2023 / 12

A series of gorgeous waterfalls along beautiful Thompson River as it makes its way from the higher…read moremountain elevations down to the Jocassee River. The trail offers a great experience for anyone at any hiking level. If you are like me and prefer more leisurely hikes, The first three waterfalls (Reid Branch, High Falls & Simon Falls) are fairly easy to reach. High Falls in particular is great for families with small children and has a wading pool of water at its base of different depths. There is even a small beach like area to relax and have a picnic. Just know you must get wet in order to reach the beach area, which also has the best view of the falls since High Falls kind of sits recessed into a little nook making it difficult to see in its entirety. But for those who are more like my husband and don't mind a more difficult hike, Rich Falls and Big Falls further downstream will give you plenty of challenge. Although I must say, my husband was sore several days after his hike and while he thought Big Falls was stunning, he was miserable on the return. He said the side trail to Big Falls was extremely steep and challenging, both on the way down and especially on the climb back out. It drained him completely at age 54 and he still had to endure a 3.5 mile hike back to the car running on empty. Knowing him he'll do it again! MEN... LOL Also near the parking area is a trail leading to White Owl Falls. A very short hike to a beautiful 20 foot waterfall. Walk west on Whitewater Road from the parking area and look for an opening with a pink ribbon tied to a tree branch about 900 feet from the trailhead.

Very cool but a bit hard to find. GPS takes you to the road above. We had to find a better view…read morethrough some unmarked roads. Good luck

I truly find it unbelievable that I can come into an area and wrack up so many FTR's (first to…read morereview) locations. Am I seriously the only yelper who hikes in North Carolina? I'm even more surprised this particular waterfall had no Yelp page! It has a commanding presence that you absolutely cannot miss AND no hike is required to view it, so you would think SOMEONE would have yelped it by now. TOXAWAY FALLS is a gigantic roadside waterfall downstream of the Toxaway Lake Dam. Nearly the entire waterfall is surrounded by either CRAZY STEEP terrain or private property and the only way to really get a head-on shot of the falls is by drone or helicopter! There is a pull-off east of the bridge that give you a decent side view, but doesn't show the depth of the falls like a frontal view would! You can also visit nearby Toxaway Cafe for lunch and an incredible, but distant side view of the falls. It's the best frontal view you're gonna get unless you happen to rent one of the nearby homes facing the falls. While Toxaway Falls looks more like an enormous water slide, topography maps show the falls begin at around 2,953 feet just below the bridge and the overall terrain drops to an elevation of 2,658 in just under a quarter of a mile for a total decline of 295 feet. The main fall drops 80 feet, from 2,920 feet to 2,840 into a pool of water then continues to cascade over significant drops for the next 1,000 feet (about 3.33 football fields). *** [ THINGS TO KNOW ] Total Hiking Distance: 0 miles (roadside) Difficulty: Easy (viewing platform) Creek Crossings: NO Elevation Gain: 0 feet Waterfall Height: about 90 feet initial drop and over 275 total with cascades. Waterfall source: Toxaway River WATERFALL ATTRACTIVENESS - 7 out of 10 TRAIL ATTRACTIVENESS - n/a Access to top of falls: YES Access to base of falls: NOT REALLY Pool of water @ base of Falls: YES Sitting areas @ base: YES if it were accessible RESTROOM FACILITIES: NO PARKING: YES (space for about 8-10 cars) *** [ FINAL THOUGHTS ] TOXAWAY FALLS is a wonder to behold. MASSIVE in size, but difficult to view in all its glory. Still a worthy stop if you happen to be passing through Hogback, NC on Hwy 64. IF you want to see its true size, click on the link below for a drone video of the falls. ENJOY! Drone video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AW-Bj7jSUv0 2021 / 59

DANIEL RIDGE FALLS is also known as Tom's Spring Branch Falls and Jackson Falls. It is located in…read morethe Pisgah National Forest along the Daniel Ridge Loop Trail. This magical 150 foot waterfall is an easy family-friendly half mile hike from the parking area. The gravel road leading to the parking area was in very good condition on our April 11th, 2021 visit, but be forewarned this is a popular hiking AND camping destination, so the decent sized parking area fills up quickly on weekends. PRO TIP - The best overall picture of the falls is from the main trail and not from the side trail leading to the base. There is also a secondary trail once at the base of the falls that takes you about 12 feet higher. [ THE HIKE ] Walk toward the gate on the north end of the parking area. The entire trail to the falls is a wonderfully wide and well maintained forest service road. Approximately 325 feet past the gate you will encounter an iron bridge allowing you to cross Davidson River. It is here along the riverbanks we notice a half dozen hikers had set up camp for the night. About 145 feet past the bridge the trail will split. Follow the trail to the right, which is also marked with an arrow pointing towards the falls. Between the split and the falls is where you will have the majority of the elevation gain, but that being said, it is very minimal. Just before you reach the falls, you will see a small trail on the left leading upwards. Take this to reach the base of the falls, but for the best view of the falls, stay on the main trail. I love using ALLTRAILS for the topography maps which show elevation changes using sweeping lines. According to the map, the crest of the fall begins around 2920 feet and reaches the base around 2756 feet, where it still continues to drop an additional 15 feet to the main trail. This would make the Daniel Creek Falls approximately 179 feet tall, but only about 125 feet of it is visible from the trail. A drone video I saw on one website shows it in it's entirety and WOWZA, this is a very tall waterfall! The upper tiers are recessed back out of view, but it doesn't really matter because what IS visible is stunning enough. You can continue to hike the entire loop of this trail which will add 4 miles to your hike or simply walk the way you came back to the parking area making your total roundtrip hike1.1 miles. [ THINGS TO KNOW ] Total Hiking Distance: 1.1 miles Difficulty: Easy and family/pet friendly Creek Crossings: YES (1 bridge) Elevation Gain: 135 feet Waterfall Height: 150+ feet WATERFALL ATTRACTIVENESS - 8 out of 10 TRAIL ATTRACTIVENESS - 6.5 out of 10 Access to top of falls: NO Access to base of falls: YES Pool of water @ base of Falls: NO Sitting areas @ base: YES (limited) RESTROOMS: NO PARKING: YES (room for about a dozen car + more space along road) [ FINAL THOUGHTS ] Easy waterfall hike that could be coupled with several other nearby hikes in the area such as Moore Cove Falls, Looking Glass Falls, Caney Bottom Falls and Cove Creek Falls. This is a BEAUTIFUL section of the Pisgah National Forest where you will be just as pleased with all the trails as you will be with the waterfalls they lead you to find. No matter if you are a beginner or have been hiking for years, the waterfalls I mentioned here are sure to please! Bring your family, friends, pets and favorite snack and enjoy hours of gorgeous nature! 2021 / 48