First off the Old Iron Bridge is not a business but rather a scenic stop on the Chattooga river…read more The bridge crosses the river between Cashiers and Highlands and is located on a dirt forestry road. It is certainly worth the visit. The original poster here offers a great deal of information about this bridge.

Do you ever see a landmark on Google Maps and wonder what it looks like in person? I do! I actually…read morespend hours when I'm bored traveling the world via Google Earth. It's how I find interesting things to do when I plan to be in a specific area either hiking or on vacation. ~~~ What makes this Old Iron Bridge special is its location over the mighty Chattooga River very early in the rivers journey. My guess is it's about 8 miles from where its headwaters begin @ Cashiers Lake. The Chattooga eventually becomes a much larger, wider and wild river as well as the defining squiggly boundary line between northeast Georgia and western South Carolina. This same river eventually bleeds into Lake Hartwell and soon after becomes the Savannah River, dumping all this fresh water into the Atlantic ocean. So, almost its entire journey defines South Carolina from Georgia, and it all begins very near this Old Iron Bridge. Call me a nerd if you want, but it simply fascinates me that I could possibly drop a note in a bottle from this bridge, and it has the potential of reaching Savannah, Georgia on a long journey 300+ miles away. Of course the bottle would have to survive the Class V crushing rapids + overcome multiple dams on the way to Savannah, but a fun thought nonetheless. Or what if you could drop a gallon of dye into the water that doesn't dissolve and track how long it takes to make it to the Atlantic? As a kid, I always has a fascination of how things work... like how far up does a helium filled party balloon travel and how many miles away will it be found? Coordinates: 35°00'57.5"N 83°07'34.8"W ~~~ [ WATERFALLS ] The most interesting highlight of this bridge is the waterfall below it! It's not a huge one (more of a large rapid in high water), but a thunderous spot in the river nonetheless as the southbound river takes a sharp turn east just past the bridge! I didn't know it until after I got home, but there was a spot on the other side of the river where I could have gotten a great pic of the falls, like this pic I found on pinterest: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/31/f6/fa/31f6fa1c47cfb5c0b57bc8417bea56aa.jpg My photos are from the opposite side of the bridge, which by the way, has a trail and a small parking area good for two cars. The trail leads down to the river and in a rainy period, you may also spot a LARGE 100'+ waterfall in the distance coming off the Chattooga Cliff on Bullpen Mountain. I only took the trail a short way to get a better pic of the distant waterfall, but it seems to follow the river north. ~~~ [ HISTORY ] Style: Pony truss bridge Status: Open to traffic Built: 1934 Length of largest span: 79.7 ft. Total length: 81.7 ft. Deck width: 11.8 ft. Also called Chattooga River Bridge Bull Pen Bridge Ammons Branch Bridge ~~~ [ FINAL THOUGHTS ] If you are a fan of bridges, this is a great one to add to your photo collection. Bull Pen Road is a nice wooded drive from Burrell's Ford Campground to Highlands, North Carolina. IF you are a fan of waterfalls, Kings Creek Fall and Spoonauger Falls are near the campground, and Secret Falls, Dry Falls as well as a high concentration of other named waterfalls are all near the Highlands! Enjoy 2020 / 8

No "shadows of a bear" for me, I passed through Highlands in order to see this famed covered…read morebridge. There really aren't many of them left in the US and very few remain in North Carolina! The bridge is the entrance to the Bascom Center, a six-acre campus of indoor and outdoor artworks. It was named for artist Will Henry Stevens (1881-1949) who lived and painted and taught here in Highlands. The bridge dates back about 200 years when it was originally build in New Hampshire over the Warner River. Disassembled rather than destroyed, it was put into storage in 1966. And then purchased and moved here to Highlands forty years later. Now it's been recreated as an Ithiel Town lattice using traditional techniques and materials including 1100 tree-nails, towels and trunnels with no metal fasteners! Unfortunately, when I arrived it was closed for reconstruction and repair. Blocked off on both sides and surrounded by piles of rough-hewn beams and planks. I'll need to come back when it's all fixed up. [Review 20018 overall - 3458 in North Carolina - 993 of 2023.]

I came to Highlands, NC in search of a bear, or more accurately the "shadow of a bear". A natural…read morephenomenon that happens from mid-October through early November when the setting sun casts a shadow onto the valley below Whiteside Mountain. The shadow takes on the appearance of a bear and I simply could not not miss this one-of-a kind opportunity. The shadow begins at 5:30 p.m. I arrived in town super early (around 1pm) so I decided to do a little exploring. There was a waterfall here I wanted to visit, but I discovered The Bascom Visual Arts Center and decided to make that my first stop. To know me is to know I have a profoundly deep love for old structures, particularly covered bridges. So to discover a covered bridge I was not aware of (that was also historic) in a gorgeous mountain setting was almost orgasmic... and I mean that literally. When I get super excited about something, it makes me wanna go poop! TMI right?, but it's true. There is no greater laxative for me than showing me a picture of someplace gorgeous that I've never been. It's why I keep travel magazines in a woven basket in our bathroom. The excitement for new adventures twists my stomach into knots. So, actually realizing I'm live on location of a place I would have seen in the pages of a magazine brings on a different excitement! LOL --- THE BRIDGE You simply can't get more picturesque than Will Henry Stevens Covered Bridge. A little research revealed this bridge was once considered the oldest covered bridge in New Hampshire. It was named Bagley Covered Bridge and it crossed the Warner River, until it was considered a hazard from its aging condition. The bridge was scheduled to be destroy until Milton & Arnold Graton, lovers of historic bridges, purchased it in 1966 and placed it in storage for the next 42 years. The bridge was built in approximately 1807 out of old growth pine. It is around 14 feet wide and almost 88 feet long. In February of 2008 it was gifted to the Bascom Art Center as a perfect entrance to their facility and reconstruction completed in 2009. This bridge looks like a totally new structure, but in fact is now over 200 years old. The design is Town lattice and uses over 1,100 wooden fasteners in keeping with the original 1800's bridge building traditions. I'm guessing the flares at the bottom were not original to the bridge, but are characteristic of Carolina-style covered bridges. SIDE NOTE: Famous people said to have once crossed this bridge are General Lafayette, President Theodore Roosevelt & President Franklin Pierce. --- FINAL THOUGHTS I am in awe of the dedication to conservation that led this bridge from New Hampshire to the Mountains of North Carolina. What love and genuine concern for the preservation of such an important artifact from a dying era! It truly brings a mist to my eyes to know that someone loved this bridge so much that they saved it, carefully dismantled it, stored it, nurtured it for 4 decades, and rebuilt it once they found it the perfect home. In Georgia, there were once over 600 covered bridges, but only 15 historic ones remain. Most met their end by arson or neglect. So I am very proud to see one of these beauties survived by being blanketed with a great deal of love. I wish we all honored such important structures & relationships in our lives and were less quick to deem things that were once important as antiquated and useless. I read an article about the father and son who saved the bridge, the Grafton's. It highlighted a quote which stated: "To me, to write-off the remaining usefulness of so faithful an old bridge... is like sentencing [someone] without hearing [their] witness. Should not this old bridge have a chance to be heard even through an interpreter?" AMEN 2016/119

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.

Just past sunset and wanting to get out of the mountains before it got totally dark, but I had no…read morechoice but to stop at this overlook site. There are several along this road but this was one of my favorites and from the photos, you can perhaps see why. I got here in that magical time after the sun was below the horizon but had not gone completely away, the mountains continued for miles and miles. Some lakes shining like white diamonds and the beautiful trees, if I was not concerned about the roads with only headlights, I would have perhaps stayed longer. Definitely check this one out. It's impressive. [Review 20021 overall - 3461 in North Carolina - 996 of 2023.]

There are several overlooks along Dillard Road (Route 246/106) heading towards Highlands, NC and in…read moremy opinion Blue Valley has the most scenic view. It is easy to see why it is called blue valley as the distant mountains take on different shades of blue so surreal that it seems more like a painting, which is further enhanced on misty days. So in short, if you only have time to stop once during your mountain drive (which would be a real shame since there is also Mud Creek Fall and Dry Falls nearby), Blue Valley or nearby Sky Valley overlook should be that stop! 2017/106

It was a beautiful overlook to see the mountains. Gourgus view and easy entrance and exit.read more

6 months ago we stopped here to read the sign and snap a photo. Thought the review posted but my…read morephone carrier has sketchy coverage in that area. Guess not! Read the sign lots of good information, stretching your legs, a short walk up the hill is a nice waterfall and the trail head to mud creek falls. Worth stopping and parking here, hike to mud creek falls parking there is really tight.

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.

Amazing to watch the shadow come around and morph into a bear! If you are in the area in mid-late…read moreOctober, make sure you check this out! Bear comes around 5:30 pm but definitely get there early as there is limited parking.

Are you looking for something to do this fall? Have you ever heard of the "Shadow of the Bear" in…read moreNorth Carolina? This was highlighted in "Our State" magazine, I think last year but I could have saved the article from the year before, but this was one of those items on my "local" bucket list to see. I love the Shadow of the Bear in Cashiers! The "Shadow of the Bear" is visible for 30 minutes daily (on sunny days!) between 5:30-6:15 PM from mid-October through early November as the sun sets behind Whiteside Mountain between Sapphire Valley and Highlands, North Carolina. It's best seen on clear days around 5:30 p.m., with the show lasting for about a half-hour. The photos below are from 2022; I'm pretty sure we'll visit again this year. PS I agree with Ginger L. that the camaraderie with all the people standing on the side of the road to watch is an experience in itself. A note of caution, to view the bear, you park your car on the side of a road hugging the edge of a mountain and people crossing the road that has a curve around the mountain so use caution while driving through the area and walking along the road!!!! But its all worth the view!!!

Another brief statement that left me wanting me. This simple historical marker only has a few words…read moreso I had to look it up to get more meaning. It reads "Lost industry in western N.C. Bark used to process animal hides to make leather goods. Joseph Silversteen operated one here from 1901 to 1958." The official website - linked in the "business -" goes in to a lot more detail about the history of the tanneries in the region and how important they were to the growth of the economy in western North Carolina. [Review 10346 overall, 112 of 2019.]