This lovely park is at one end of Maggie Valley and was a welcome stop after too much driving…read morethrough the mountains. I found the public restroom in the pavilion to be a more than welcome break. A number of features here including a covered picnic pavilion, the above mentioned restrooms, water fountain, power outlet, picnic tables by the stream and even charcoal grills. The traffic whizzing past was distracting but it was still a very great place to get out of the car for a bit. [Review 1165 of 2024 - 3655 in North Carolina - 22188 overall]

There are quite a few overlooks along the Blue Ridge Parkway and this is one of the nicer ones. On…read morea clear day, the valley was beautiful. No one else was here when I stopped, making for a very peaceful break. Do look out for motorcycles. And also, I beg you, if you look in your rearview mirror and see a bunch of cars lined up behind you, PULL OVER AND LET THEM PASS YOU! [Review 1167 of 2024 - 3657 in North Carolina - 22190 overall]

THE FIRST THING YOU NEED TO KNOW is this is one of the most uniquely beautiful waterfalls I've ever…read morehad the pleasure of visiting in the South, but it is not for the casual hiker. You absolutely need a basic understanding of how to follow blazes and navigate faint areas of the trail that might be overgrown. You also need to be in fairly good physical shape, because this trail is a WORKOUT... but the payoff is so worth it!!! ***** We completed our hike on Saturday 11/12/2022. While most other website reviews say they didn't encounter any other hikers, we actually came across several. At the falls we met a famous hiker and his crew repelling down the vertical drop section of Flat Creek Falls. I was kinda fanboying in the moment because I've used a number of his hiking notes over the years to guide me to many of the more difficult and less populated trails. On our return hike we also encounter THREE other couples separately headed to the falls. Must have been something in the air that day!!! It rained most of the week prior to our hike, so the falls were flowing nicely. But unfortunately the rain knocked all the remaining fall leaves off the trees, so my photos weren't as fall-tacular as I was hoping. The trail itself is rather boring with no scenic views other than the steep downhill section within the last mile where you can get a glimpse of Bear Lake. It can be a rather tricky trail to follow, but there are enough blazes to keep you on track. This is the first trail of hundreds that I've hiked where strips of a terrycloth towel were used as blaze markers... LOL! But hey, they were REALLY helpful! [ NOTES ] * Flat Creek Falls is broken into sections. The main visible fall is a sheer freefall of about 100 feet. Next it cascades heavily down the mountain, lengthening its overall look. Above the waterfall and out of view is another 30+ feet of sliding cascades, adding to its overall height. A drone would allow the best pic of the full glory of this waterfall. Check out this drone video by Seth Hogan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nT9TiFQtNgE * Lots of blown down trees to climb over/around. * THIS IS A WET HIKE!!! There is almost no way of avoiding getting your shoes or boots wet, so bring extra socks and shoes for the ride home. * Trail can get a little tricky in parts for inexperienced hikers even with the blazes, so be sure to download the offline map. * ALLTRAILS map ends at the lowest decent viewing point. You will still need to boulder jump several more yards to get the best vantage point. * VERY surprised by the "WARNING: BEAR SANCTUARY" markers along the steep downhill section of the trail. * Don't miss NELLIE FALLS which can be accessed along a spur trail near the parking area. DO NOT FOLLOW the wide Flat Creek Road trail. It does not lead to Nellie Falls. Instead, find an unmarked opening in the trees about 100 feet from the parking area AFTER crossing the creek . It looks rather sketchy but follow this trail. It will split in about 1/3rd of a mile and you will continue on the left trail that goes downhill. Once you reach Nellie Falls, you must cross through the river and continue the trail up the left side of a very large boulder to get the best view of Nellie. The hike to Nellie will add about 2 miles to your overall Flat Creek Falls hiking distance. [ NAVIGATION NOTES ] DO NOT... I REPEAT... DO NOT USE GPS NAVIGATION through Panthertown along Forrest Service Road 4670. You WILL NOT get through! Instead, use Hwy 281 to Rock Bridge Rd. The parking area will be at the end of Rock Bridge Road. Also, it is important to download this trail map prior to arriving. Mobile coverage is very weak past Lake Toxaway: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/north-carolina/flat-creek-road-flat-creek-falls/print?grid_format=decimal&map_center_lat=35.2159563039431&map_center_lon=-83.03239512200847&map_type=alltrailsOutdoorsV2&map_zoom=14.007959882271786&paper_orientation=portrait&paper_size=letter [ FINAL THOUGHTS ] Maybe it is because I haven't hiked much this year and I'm no longer in hiking shape, but this trail really burned out my legs. I don't remember being this exhausted after a hike since I did Mounte LeConte in Gatlinburg via Alum Cave Trail. ALLTRAILS lists the hiking distance @ 5.8 miles round trip, but I don't believe that is accurate. My iPhone walking tracker logged me at 11.1 miles for the day (which also included the 2 miles round trip to Nellie Falls). Other than walking to my truck in my driveway, inside a restaurant after the hike, and to my shower when I got home... I did no other walking that day. TOTAL HIKE TIME - 5 hours 15 minutes It was a blessing to witness these two spectacular natural piece of art with my own eyes. They've been on my list for the past year and did not disappoint! Thank you Jess L for always being willing to tackle ANY trail with me! 2022 / 116

Nice place to hike just outside of Sylva. There are places for about 20 or so vehicles to park in…read morethe marked area at the end of the road. The first part is quite steep and rocky. There's a massive split boulder about a half-mile in. There are multiple 3+ mile hikes to tops of local mountains.

If you start in the parking lot at Deep Creek, you can see three waterfalls easily in one day…read more First is Juney Whank which is the most challenging to get to due to steepness. it's probably five out of 10 in difficulty, but it's the hardest part of the three waterfall hike. The rest is pretty easy. After Juney, you go to Tom Branch Falls, then Indian Creek Falls, and then can circle back towards the parking lot.

We saved this hike for our last day of vacation and it was amazing! The park is very nice and has…read moreample parking space. The trail is clearly marked with wooden signs throughout. The hike to the falls is all up hill so be prepared for a pretty steep incline. There is a small waterfall very close to the entrance of the trail. I enjoyed the blooming flowers and trees on the way to the falls. Juney Whank waterfall was a site to see and well worth the hike. If you get the chance take this hike, you won't regret it!

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

This is the third waterfall on the loop at Deep Creek. It's just off to the right of where you go…read morein with your tubes during the summer. Very easy to get to, once you're already up at the top. You can see all three waterfalls and do the loop in about an hour.

Indian Creek Falls is very easy to reach from any of the multiple parking areas, making it perfect…read morefor everyone in the family. It's the 3rd tallest of 3 waterfalls you can easily reach from the same trailhead. It is also just a couple hundred feet upstream from the put-in for the tubes. If you continue past Tom Branch Falls about a quarter of a mile, you will see a bridge crossing Indian Creek. Here the Deep Creek trail intersects with Indian Creek Trail, which leads uphill to Indian Creek Falls. You will encounter a set of stairs just a few hundred feet along the trail that will take you down to view the falls. On the return hike you can break off on another connecting trail that leads to a third waterfall named Juney Whank Falls. You can then continue along the trail and it will loop you back to the parking area. We decided against Juney Whank Falls due to time since we were on a mission to visit a few other places, but we did take time to rent tubes from Smoky Mountain Campground. FAIR WARNING FOR ANY FAMILY RENTING TUBES - Deep Creek can be very fast moving, especially after heavy rains and our crew found it very difficult (the word traumatic was used) to get out of the river. Our 27 year old daughter and her husband as well as our 17 year old son did everything they could to safely get our 8, 7 & 6 year old grandsons to shore safely... even lost two of the tubes in the process. [ THINGS TO KNOW ] WATERFALL HEIGHT Indian Creek - 25' (attractiveness: 6 out of 10) Tom's Branch - 60' (attractiveness: 7 out of 10) ROUNDTRIP HIKE - 1.6 miles to both falls, add a quarter mile for all three falls PARKING - plentiful, but limited near the trailhead RESTROOMS - YES PICNIC AREA - YES TRAIL TO FALLS - flat, wide and all gravel BIKES ALLOWED - YES WARNING: Black bears are sometimes active in this area. Pets are not allowed on this trail. CAMPGROUND 92 individual campsites Each has grills, tables and campfire rings. Hookups & showers are not provided, but flush toilets and drinking water are available. [ FINAL THOUGHTS ] Indian Creek Falls was a great stop along our route from Metro Atlanta to Pigeon Forge, TN. We were so impressed with the Deep Creek campground area that we may return for an overnight stay. There are a number of hiking trails and nearby Bryson City has plenty of restaurants to make a food loving hiker happy! 2022 / 92

A quiet park near downtown Sylva. It appears this place could be hopping on Friday nights…read more If you are in Sylva, I do suggest you take 5-10 minutes to view the water from the bridge. It's very peaceful and relaxing. Sit in the shade, relax and enjoy life for a minute or two.