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.

After a few weekends of exploring the beautiful Table Rock and Ceasars Head State Parks, my people…read moreventured a few miles west to explore Jones Gap. This might be my favorite of the three! My little mountain goats hiked around 5.8 (moderate difficulty-to us) miles to Rainbow Falls with some Black Bears and three timber rattlesnakes! This hike has a bit of an ascension, so be prepared to sweat in the first half of the out and back hike. I love the fish hatchery at the front of park and history around it. This place is absolutely breathtaking, both literally and figuratively!

The sights on this trail are pretty along the river. Jones Gap Falls was also very pretty. The…read morehike itself was pretty flat. However, the trail is all dirt and some mud,with tree roots and rocks sticking up along the trail. We had to bend down several times to get under tree branches and tripped a couple of times on the terrain. The trail narrows at several points, one of which my wife stepped on a snake that may have been a Copperhead!!!! I've seen other pictures of snakes on the trail of the venomous type. People we spoke to on the trail also talked about snakes being seen on the trail. I'm sure there are snakes on other trails as well, but this experience wasn't great.

On multiple trips through the area, I hadn't taken this particular turnoff. The better known area,…read moreGraveyard Fields, lies below. This area is apparently under the Forest Service rather than the National Park service. The road dead ends in a small parking area, but most people were haphazardly parked on the side of the road. It was a bit dodgy and unclear where you were actually supposed to park, the road quality was not great, and the bathrooms would leave one wondering whether perhaps finding a secluded spot in the wilderness was a better bet. Not that well maintained, though it is certainly fair to acknowledge the difficulty of working in this remote environment. But once you're on the trail, it's all good. The trail cuts through a fascinating terrain. Signs strongly advise you not to tread off, and it feels as if the trail cuts through a layer of peat that would engulf you if you tried in some areas. I managed a loop through two peaks and took the easier route back with fewer views called the Ivestor trail (not investor). It was a great experience to look down over terrain which I've been through before, and that loop is a fairly exhausting, rocky five miles. Of course, there are always linkages to other trail systems in this area, so you can hike as little or as much as you want.

Love love this hike. It's been a staple of mine for ages. Get out there and hike it- it's perfect…read morefor all ages and levels. Parking can be dicey so make sure to go an off time if you can (ex-early or on weekdays). You will most likely park on the side of the road but people drive slowly so it's not too bad or dodgy. There are two hikes in this area- sams knob (where the parking lot is) and Black Balsam (what I am reviewing).Honestly you will get great views at any of the hikes around as they're similar. This one had an entrance/ start point right off the road. There is a sign. This hike is about 2 miles total. You have a bit of an incline at first but it's not bad. Lots of space and clean paths. When you get to the top the views are awesome. Clouds? Just wait 5 mins. They move fast :$

This is a short diversion of the Blue Ridge Parkway on the windy road down to Brevard. Having…read morepassed through the area many times, it was not on my radar; my knowledge of forestry is slightly greater than zero, but it is certainly not my forte. This place is federally owned, and they do charge admission. A national parks pass resulted in a discount down to $4 a person for me. I did receive a warm welcome. The well-produced introductory movie tells a story of the Biltmore mansion that I did not get a sense of when I actually visited Biltmore. It emphasizes a group of people who pioneered a form of stewardship of the surrounding forests well before the modern environmental movement. It sounds hagiographic at times and I'm sure there's more to the story, but when the film concludes, one can't help but notice that the surrounding forest, which was apparently logged extensively at one point, looks awfully good today. Several paved trails lead one through various exhibitions, including a tunnel under the road that I didn't even notice driving in. The plant life is diverse, and the terrain is easier to cover here than elsewhere making it a good choice for travelers with mild mobility limitations. I couldn't help but find it a uniquely interesting aesthetic experience.

Great place for kids and adults alike. Good for a family outing. All trails are loops and…read moreapproximately one mile long so do as many as you like. Historical forestry buildings with descriptive signage are located along the various trails. Take the Forest Discovery Trail less traveled. I suggest taking it down from the old locomotive, as up from the visitor center has a longer uphill trek.

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.

Spectacular view less than 20 minutes from home. The…read morecountryside is absolutely beautiful. The water from our well tastes better than any water we've bought. The air is the cleanest we've ever breathed. We've lived here for 10 years and will never leave.

Like waterfalls but not the hike? This waterfall can be viewed from a VERY narrow pull off on Hwy…read more64. It's difficult to see it in its entirety due to vegetation, but there is a trail that leads you down to the base of the falls. It's extremely steep and it would still probably be difficult to capture the full size of this waterfall. Some sources say it is around 200 feet tall while others say it's closer to 250 feet. Just from what I could see from the road, I'd be more inclined to agree with the 250' estimation. It is quite long and dramatic, but then again I'm not exactly sure where the fall begins since the river has quite a few cascades before the first major drop. Cullasaja Falls is the last and largest waterfall along the Cullasaja River. The others include Dry Falls and Bust Yer' But Falls (also known as Quarry Falls). In the Cherokee language, Cullasaja mean the place of honey locust. It sits on the Western side of the Eastern Continental Divide, which means the flow of water will eventually find its way to the Gulf of Mexico. I found a pic of an old postcard of the falls I thought was pretty cool: http://www.moonshiner28.com/moonshiner28photos/Highlands/CullasajaPostCardMirror.jpg THE VERDICT If you are doing a tour of the local waterfalls, add this one to the list. It takes very little effort to view it and has excellent photographing opportunities from the roadway overlook. I would not recommend hiking down the steep trail if you have seniors or small children in your hiking party.

Nice hike easy walk very pretty.. we were trying to do the upper part of the falls but still had a…read morelot of trees down blocking too much of the walking path no way around

Short walk from the parking area, great spots for dogs to splash around. Be ready for slick rocks,…read morebut otherwise not a strenuous hike. This is a great place to view the falls from the trail or the platform, take a selfie, and be still with the rushing water. For a more strenuous hike, take a short drive to the trail head for the upper trail to the top of the falls.

Worth the stop…read more The Sequoyah Falls is not marked and is man made. Look for the lake and a small gravel pull over along the road near "Highlands elevation 4118'. sign. From the gravel lot, go towards the lake and to the right, there's a quick 3 minute trail to the Falls. From the road, you can see a glimpse of the Falls, but it's much better view from below. When we were there, no one else was around unlike nearby falls. The spill over from the lake above was striking and was a fun 15 minute pull over.

Really cool man-made waterfall, with beautiful sunset lighting. Easy to get to right off the road…read moreand plenty of angles for pictures. Definitely a must see in the area during sunset.