Loved it!! Beautiful falls and swim hole. I can't wait to be back. Water shoes for when you get…read moredown to the water hole are recommended. It's a nice hike with lots of roots in the way so you need to be careful. But definitely worth it!

It is my absolute pleasure to introduce UPPER CREEK FALLS to Yelp!…read more If you are a hiker and lover of waterfalls, then you just might want to spend an entire weekend in the Newland, NC area. The mountains surrounding this area are a treasure trove of sights and sound for your soul to behold. Amongst them is the highly popular Upper Creek Falls. Now let me be honest, you're gonna burn some calories on this trail so don't let the short 1.5 miles round trip distance fool you! There is SIGNIFICANT elevation gain that will surely bring a little heavy breathing to your lips and sweat to your brow. However, the payoff is tremendous. **** The creek consists of multiple waterfalls, cascades and swimming holes, but the largest waterfall requires venturing to one of the lowest points on the trail to fully view. It will require detouring off the main yellow blazed trail and mountain-goating it down a steep side trail, then back up to the main trail before continuing the loop back to the parking area. According to ALLTRAILS, the loop starts at an elevation of around 3,215 feet and drops as low as 2,790 feet for a gain of approx. 425 feet in 3/4's of a mile. My personal trail tracker logged 436 feet of gain. The lowest point of the trail leads to a wonderfully exposed area of stone that almost acts as a raceway for the creek. The topography is such that you can walk on an island of stone that splits the creek in two for a short distant before rejoining and continuing its descent. I can only imagine how many more waterfalls are below this point as the creek continues its slide down the mountain another 460 feet over the following mile according to topography maps. *** FEATURES 1) There are two trailheads, but each links to the other. The trailhead on the left side of the parking area behind the information board leads first to the top of the main waterfall before crossing the creek and descending towards the base. You can get some terrifying pics on the dry stone near the crest, but don't drift too close to the edge! 2) Once you cross the creek, look to the left to spot a faint trail leading back up the mountain. Follow it and you will be rewarded with a gorgeous 15 foot waterfall. Here locals us the fall as a slide, complete with a rope to help you get back up to the top of this ultra-smooth cascade. 3) There is a fairly deep pool of water here and opposite of the climbing rope is a tire swing to launch into the pool. 4) Continue down the trail until you see side trails leading to the base of the largest waterfall. WARNING: The side trail is steep, but worth it to view the larger fall in its entirety. 5) As you continue down the trail it will once again cross the creek. This crossing is most likely tricky in high water and probably not advisable. It was only at average flow when I visited and I still got my feet wet doing my best jump. It is here you will discover another small pool of water and a large area to camp out on the stone outcrop. Even though this is the lowest point on the trail, it is actually an overlook of the mountains below. Very open and majestic. 6) Once across the lowest creek crossing, the trail switchbacks up the mountain OR you can find the shortcut trail that goes straight up the center! But fair warning, it's a leg burner! This portion of the loop will return to the parking lot on the opposite side of the upper creek trail. In total I logged 1.5 miles after visiting the sliding falls, main falls and lower raceway/overlook. *** FINAL THOUGHTS Upper Creek Falls in my opinion is 5+ stars despite its difficulty because of the multiple points of interest along the loop. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this waterfall to avid hikers! While I personally would have thought it to be too much for kids and elderly... we saw SEVERAL older couples in the area above the main falls as well as a school bus load of 6 to 12-year-olds trekking along the lower falls trail well ahead of their parents. There was also a very large family of about 20 members (all age ranges) picnicking at the lower overlook, so I guess its safe to say its doable for all ages and skill levels. If you have any energy left, to the northeast are: - Grandfather Mountain - Big Lost Cove Cliffs - Harper Creek Falls - Gragg Prong Falls - Huntfish Falls And to the southwest are: - Linville Falls & Linville Caverns ENJOY! 2021 / 116

Elk River Falls is an open recreation area. As such it is not developed and the path is not…read moremaintained. Nevertheless the road into the parking lot is safe and easily passable by typical cars SUVs cans or trucks with either two or four wheel drive. There are no rest rooms or food so you must bring your own food and water. The path is firm and slopes upward gently becoming rocky with prominent tree roots. The 65 foot high big falls is spectacular. It is not a straight fall down. Many deaths have occurred as visitors attempt to dive from the top of the falls. Elk falls ranks in the top 3 waterfall related deaths. The rocks surrounding the first pool are beautiful but have a slippery surface. This park recently reopened after extensive restoration following Hurricane Helene. On the first day it opened there was a fatality of a falls jumper. Despite these challenges this park is a great example of the outdoors in nearly natural and breathtaking state.

The falls are closed as of late April 2026. Road is blocked about 2 miles out from town.read more

You can't pay for views like this, and good news is... you don't have to!…read more Rough Ridge Overlook is a local *and* tourist hot spot for some of the best views in the state! I went there with some GFs for nature and the views, and it didn't dissapoint. Definiteluy put this spot on your map when planning a trip to Grandfather Mountain.

Not Too Bad Of A Hike. Very Rewarding Views At The End! Slippery When Wet. Wear The Proper Shoes!read more

This is a cool hike…read more Wasn't strenuous at all, for those that are less able it's doable. The trail cuts through a former mica mine and you can still see the remains of it. The rocks and gravel leading up to the view are speckled with small and large chunks of shiny mica. Really exciting for kids and kids at heart. The trail leads to a beautiful waterfall with water shimmering from the mica flakes. Surprised I've never seen this spot before, good place to take out of town guests or the less athletic family members.

This was a wonderfully short hike to an exceptionally tall waterfall. My husband plans most of our…read morehikes and often combines many (sometimes too many) hikes in the same day. But to his credit he will often only do one difficult hike and several easy hikes. On this day we hiked Elk River Falls (fairly easy), Upper Creek Falls (challenging for me), and Tom's Creek which was the easiest and most pleasant of the three. The trail didn't have a lot of tree roots and ended at a nice viewing platform, or if you like you can climb a small hill to reach the base of the falls. Very enjoyable, especially for families with little ones.

Amazing views!!!…read more Came here on a group hike and it did not disappoint! We did the 4 something mile loop from the upper parking lot to the waterfall and back to the parking lot. It is hard! The amount of incline is enough but going up the stairs after resting at the waterfall was dreadful. We survived! The views are OMG!!!!! Wow! Breathtaking at each lookout. The stone is so smooth it almost looks painted. It rained a little at one of our lookout stops and it was such a refreshing experience. Cellphone reception here is super limited and so I want to come back in hopes I'll be able to actually track my hike .

Beautiful hikes and mountains views. Nice picnic area with restrooms available. Several people…read morefishing or playing in the stream. Good place for families.

Spectacular views. Words do it no justice. Just a note, you better have a higher lift vehicle to…read moreget there. It's about 4 miles past Falls parking lot, it's gravel, rutty and pretty rough.

Gorgeous spot near Lineville, Table Rock, Grandfather, etc.! We took our engagement photos at…read moreWiseman's View on a beautiful September afternoon at sunset. It's the perfect spot for photos because... A) It's an easy stroll from the parking lot, i.e. you're not going to get hot and sweaty hiking to your photo shoot location. B) It's almost always 15-degrees cooler here than in Charlotte. Again, avoiding the whole hot and sweaty thing. C) The views are unrivaled. Sweeping from all angels, on a clear day you can see for miles and miles from one of the several outcrops/overlooks.

What a gorgeous park, even in the winter time…read more Since it's winter when I visited, I can't review all of the incredible summer time water sports but I know this park can get busy then. Winter was in incredible time to visit, easy parking, a chance to chat with the staff at the visitor center, and walk around. The lake is beautiful. I've heard that this area did get some hurricane/ storm damage but everything needed to drive around is up and running! Make a plan to visit next time you're nearby. It's about 1 hour drive from downtown Asheville.

This has the look of one of those parks formed around a dam. Don't get me wrong; I'm all for…read morehydroelectric power, but artificial lakes always feel like they're lacking a certain mystique. This park had an impressive visitor center and restrooms were open even after it closed, though neighboring water fountains were not functioning on a hot summer day. The trail I selected was rugged and had occasional waterside views, most notably on a footbridge that offered a mountain vista. Cell service was not great for me, and while I'd hoped to do a zoom meeting on the run I had to return to more urban areas. But if you actually want to get unplugged, the people on boats here appeared to be having a good time.

One of the tallest waterfall in NC. Route is not that long from parking lot so it is popular site…read more Park center consider the trail as difficult because of the stairs and rocks. It is a steep climb but thanks for the park rangers and contractors that build the trail, you can hike it with sneakers even when the ground is wet. You can't swim in the pools but the water is very clear and we should keep it that way At the viewing platform, there are trash everywhere like a Walmart parking lot. Nasty people can't keep the place clean. Water bottles, socks, and plenty of cookie wrappers . Probably same people who hike with Crocs or with a cup of coffee on hand.

Awesome water falls. It isn't for people with very bad knees because there's like 700 steeps and…read moresome of it is straight up!!

This place is fantastic. Great waterfall hike with a fantastic playground and lake with canoes and…read morekayaks. Could spend a half day or more here with young kids. Will definitely be back.

Terrific recreation center. Numerous activities. Highly recommended! Very family friendly.read more

My adult kids and I had an enjoyable hike at Catawba Falls. Only a couple miles long, we were able…read moreto walk on safe, scenic and maintained trails. Bathrooms were available at the beginning of trail and plenty of parking. We plan to return in a couple days before we end our trip. Recommend

Beautiful! Stopped here on our drive to Asheville…read more It's a nice walk to the waterfall, and next time I'd love to plan to spend a little more time at the falls.