Our Life - Travel Guides & Photography » Western NC

Dry Falls

admin — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 13:59:53 +0000

Dry Falls, also known as Upper Cullasaja Falls, is a 65-foot waterfall located in the Nantahala National Forest, northwest of Highlands, North Carolina. Dry Falls flows on the Cullasaja River through the Nantahala National Forest. There is a path which goes behind the waterfall. Visitors can go behind the waterfall without getting wet when the water levels are low. Dry Falls is very popular because of it’s unique walk-behind feature. The path to the waterfalls is a short walk with a few stairs. There is an observation deck (wheelchair accessible) near the parking lot from where visitors can see the waterfall if you do not want to take the steps down to the path which goes behind the waterfall.

Dry Falls is located on US 64 (Mountain Water Scenic Byway) near Highlands, North Carolina. There are numerous waterfalls on this scenic byway.

We visited Dry Falls in the Fall after a rainfall. The Water Volume was higher and mist was sprayed as we walked behind the falls. It was a fun experience. Do not forget to visit the nearby drive-behind Bridal Veil Falls.

Bridal Veil Falls

admin — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 19:03:58 +0000

Bridal Veil Falls near Highlands, North Carolina is a 45 foot drive-through waterfall. It is located in the Nantahala National Forest on US 64. The waterfall is small but it can look beautiful after a decent rainfall. It is the only drive-behind waterfall in North Carolina. You can park your car behind the falls and take beautiful pictures. There is a parking area on the side of the road, where visitors can park and view the falls as well.

We loved visiting this falls during our trip to Nantahala National Forest. Do not forget to check out the other waterfalls in Nantahala National Forest. Here are some pictures from our trip to Bridal Veil Falls last year.

Triple Falls

admin — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 20:03:34 +0000

Triple Falls is one of the 3 waterfalls of Little River in DuPont State Forest, North Carolina. It was featured in the movie “Last of the Mohicans“. Triple Falls gets its name from its three different cascades :-

Upper Triple Falls
Middle Triple Falls
Lower Triple Falls

Triple Falls is accessible from the Hooker Falls Parking Area on Staton Road by a trail going upstream along the Little River. You can visit Triple Falls after visiting Hooker Falls which is near the parking lot. From the parking lot, you need to cross the bridge over Staton Road and you will find stairs that go down to the trail head. The trail is roughly half mile long and is moderate in difficulty.

Lower Cascades

Just before the trail begins heading uphill, there is a side path that leads out to the river. If the rocks are not slippery and the water levels are low, you can walk over the rocks and go up to the base of the lower section of the falls. The lower cascades are beautiful and you can enjoy the water sprays.

Upper Viewing Area/Overlook

The main Triple Falls Trail runs parallel to the river and ascends a steep slope leading to a Viewing Area on the left. You can get a complete view of Triple Falls from this Viewing point.

Middle Triple Falls

There is a wooden staircase that leads down to the Middle Section of Triple Falls. The middle section is relatively flat and you can sit back and relax over here. You can walk up to the base of Middle Cascades and view the Upper Cascades from a distance.

Here are some photos from our trip to Dupont State Forest.

Moses H. Cone Memorial Park

admin — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 17:59:24 +0000

Moses Cone Memorial Park is a historic attraction on Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina. It is located between Mileposts 292 and 295. The Park includes a Manor House called Flat Top Manor and 2 lakes - Bass Lake and Trout lake. Flat Top Manor is a gleaming white 23-room, 13,000 square foot mansion.The manor is now home to the Parkway Craft Center, a craft shop of the Southern Highland Craft Guild, exhibiting works by artisans from nine Appalachian states. Fishing is permitted at both the lakes. The Park also has various trails for hiking and horse back riding. The Park is open year-round. and the Manor House is open spring through fall. The town of Blowing Rock is located 2 miles away from the Park.

Here are some photos taken during our trip.

Pisgah National Forest

admin — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 06:25:47 +0000

Pisgah National Forest is a National Forest in the Appalachian Mountains of Western North Carolina. The Pisgah National Forest covers 510,119 acres of mountainous terrain in the southern Appalachian Mountains, including parts of the Blue Ridge Mountains and Great Balsam Mountains. Elevations reach over 6,000 feet (1,800 m) and include some of the highest mountains in the eastern United States. Mount Mitchell, in Mount Mitchell State Park, is the highest mountain east of the Mississippi River and lies just outside the boundary of Pisgah National Forest. The forest also includes tracts surrounding the city of Asheville, the town of Brevard and land in the French Broad River Valley.

The Cradle of Forestry (Biltmore Forest School), located in the southern part of the forest, was the site of the first school of forestry in the United States. There are numerous hiking trails, picnic areas, camping sites, and waterfalls in the forest. There are so many waterfalls in this area that Transylvania county is nicknamed as “Land of the Waterfalls”. Pisgah National Forest is extremely beautiful in Fall.

These are some of the attractions of Pisgah National Forest. You can easily spend a day or 2 enjoying the attractions of Pisgah National Forest.

Forest Heritage National Scenic Byway (NC 276) - Traversing the Pisgah National Forest in Transylvania and Haywood Counties, the 79 mile loop winds its way through areas of outstanding natural beauty rich in forest history. You can read more about this scenic byway here.
Looking Glass Waterfalls – A beautiful 60 foot high waterfall that can be seen from US 276.
Moore Cove Falls – A 50 foot free-fall in front of a deeply recessed rock cliff, that allows you to walk behind the falls.
Sliding Rock – A 60 foot natural Waterfall slide where people can slide down the gentle slope of the smooth rock into the pool below. Bathrooms and showers are open during the summer swimming season.
Cradle of Forestry - A 6500 acre National Forest Historic Site in North Carolina. America’s first school of forestry known as Biltmore Forest School was established over here in 1968.
Sycamore Flats Area – A large picnic area named for the numerous Sycamore trees that grow along the banks of the Davidson River
Pink Beds Area - Picnic area located in a high mountain valley. The valley gets it’s name from the beautiful rhododendron, mountain laurel and azalea that bloom in the spring and summer
Davidson River Campground – A popular campground where you can relax and enjoy the National Forest. There are hiking trails, fishing streams, evening programs and even warm showers.
Looking Glass Rock – A monolithic piece of exposed Whitesides granite that rises from the valley floor in the midst of the Pisgah Ranger District. There are trails which lead to the top of the rock.

Here are some photos taken during our trip to Pisgah National Forest during Fall 2009. We drove the Forest Heritage National Scenic Byway stopping at different attractions like waterfalls and picnic areas.

Cradle of Forestry

admin — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 18:51:37 +0000

Cradle of Forestry is a 6500 acre National Forest Historic Site in North Carolina. It is located within Pisgah National Forest on scenic Highway 276 near Brevard, NC. America’s first school of forestry known as Biltmore Forest School was established over here in 1968. Dr. Carl Schenck, a German Forester, began the first college for forestry in America – the Biltmore Forest School in 1898. The school was opened and operated at the direction of George Washington Vanderbilt II, builder of the Biltmore Estate in Asheville.

The Cradle of Forestry offers a snap shot of life at America’s first school of Forestry. There is a Forest Discovery Center complete with interactive exhibits, movie hall, Gift Shop and a Cafe.You can watch an 18-minute movie on Vanderbilt and ride a fire fighting helicopter simulator.

There are 2 interpretive trails – Biltmore Campus Trail and the Forest Festival Trail, each is 1 mile long and is paved. The Biltmore Campus Trail passes seven historical buildings, including a schoolhouse, commissary, and student quarters. The Forest Festival Trail explores Dr. Schenck’s forestry experiments, a portable saw mill, and a logging locomotive that you can climb aboard.

The admission fee is $5 for adults and free for children. For more details, please visit the official site here.

We visited Cradle of Forestry in Fall 2009 during our visit to Pisgah National Forest. It is a beautiful place to spend at least half a day. The trails are paved which makes it accessible. Here are some photos from our trip. Click on the thumbnails to view larger images.

Hooker Falls

admin — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 02:09:12 +0000

Hooker Falls is a well known Waterfall in Dupont State Forest near Brevard, North Carolina. It is formed where Little River drops off a 13-foot high natural ledge before flowing into Cascade Lake. Though not very high, it is wide and looks great. It is a popular swimming hole specially during summer. You can often see Kayak enthusiasts going over the falls through Little River. The waterfall looks beautiful specially during Fall season.

Hooker Falls has been known for years to local residents and was named for Edmund Hooker, who operated a mill below the falls in the late 1800s. At the time, it was named Mill Shoals Falls. This waterfall was featured in the movie “Last of the Mohicans”.

Visitors may park at the Hooker Falls parking area, and then hike the short Hooker Falls Trail for roughly 1/4 mile along a gravel road. There are 2 views of the falls, the first overlooking the falls from above, and a second view from across the plunge pool that lets you view the entire falls from its base. There are no restroom facilities. There are many trails nearby and a few Picnic Spots.

You can get directions to Hooker Falls here.

You can read about the different Waterfalls of North Carolina here.

We visited Hooker Falls during the last week of Fall 2009. Dupont State Forest is near to Pisgah National Forest. So you can cover a few waterfalls from both Dupont and Pisgah Forests in one day. Here are some photos from our Trip.

Click on the thumbnails to view larger images.

Sliding Rock

admin — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 19:26:06 +0000

Sliding Rock is a natural Waterfall located in Pisgah National Forest, North Carolina. It is known as Sliding Rock because people can slide down the gentle slope of the waterfall into the pool below. The pool is 6-7 feet deep. It is 60 feet long and is a popular tourist spot during Summer. The Recreation Area has Parking, Changing Rooms and Restrooms. Lifeguards are there on duty in summer. Sometimes, a $1 fee is charged for using the sliding area. It is located approximately 7.7 miles north of the intersection of US 276, U.S. Highway 64, and NC Highway 280 in Brevard. The other nearby waterfalls are Moore Cove Falls and Looking Glass Falls.

You can read about the different Waterfalls of North Carolina here.

We went to Sliding Rock during our visit to Pisgah National Forest in Fall 2009. Though it was pretty cold and there were no life guards on duty, people were sliding down the waterfall at their own risk. Here are some photos.

Click on the thumbnails to view larger images.

Looking Glass Waterfalls

admin — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 04:40:42 +0000

Looking Glass Waterfalls is a popular waterfall located on US 276 near Brevard, North Carolina. The waterfall is inside Pisgah National Forest and is 60 foot long. It is beautiful and easily accessible from an overlook on the road. You can also walk to the base of the falls. To get to Looking Glass Falls, take U.S. 276 North from Brevard for about nine miles or take U.S. 276 South from the Blue Ridge Parkway for about 10 miles. U.S. 276 is known as Forest Heritage Scenic Byway and goes through Pisgah National Forest and is very scenic specially during Fall. The very fact that you don’t need to walk or hike to view the waterfall is a reason to see this lovely fall. So be sure to check it out Looking Glass Falls if you are in Brevard, Asheville, Hendorsonville or other nearby places.

You can read about the different Waterfalls of North Carolina here.

We visited Looking Glass Falls and other places in Pisgah National Forest on Oct 26th, 2009. The fall colors were spectacular on Forest Heritage Byway. The peak fall is usually during the last week of October in this area. Here are some photos from our trip.

Click on the thumbnails to view larger images.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

admin — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 16:57:45 +0000

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most visited National Park in the United States. It is situated in both Tennessee and North Carolina. It encompasses the ridge line of the Great Smoky Mountains – a part of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The border between Tennessee and North Carolina runs northeast to southwest through the centerline of the park. The park is well known for its Black Bear population. The park has ample opportunities for hiking, camping, sightseeing, fishing, bicycling, horseback riding, wild water rafting, water tubing and motor touring. There is no entry fee to the park. The park also has a number of historical attractions, rivers and waterfalls.

The main park entrances are located along U.S. Highway 441 (Newfound Gap Road) at the towns of Gatlinburg in Tennessee and Cherokee in North Carolina.

Sugarlands Visitors Center, Gatlinburg
Oconaluftee Visitors Center, Cherokee

US 441 – Newfound Gap Road is a very scenic highway through the park with access to many trail heads and scenic overlooks. New Found Gap is the lowest gap in the mountains and is situated near the center of the park on the Tennessee/North Carolina state line, halfway between the border towns of Gatlinburg and Cherokee. On clear days, Newfound Gap offers the most spectacular scenes accessible via highway in the park.

The most popular attractions of the park include:

Cades Cove – Historic Buildings, Sightseeing, Trails, Camping, Picnicking
Roaring Fork
Catalochee
Elkmont
Mountain Farm Museum and Mingus Mill at Oconaluftee
Clingmans Dome – Highest point in the park offering spectacular views
Laurel Falls – Beautiful 80 foot waterfall
Newfound Gap

Fall Colors put up a spectacular show throughout the park during Oct and early November. At higher elevations, colors change during the first 2 weeks of October. Good places to view Fall Colors would be Clingmans Dome and New Found Gap. During the last week of October and first week of November, colors would have peaked at lower elevations. Cades Cove, Catalochee and Oconaluftee will be good choices.

Here are some photos taken during our trip on Oct 17th and 18th, 2009. On Oct 17th, it snowed at higher elevations of the park. It was a spectacular sight with beautiful fall colors and snow covered tree tops. We visited Oconaluftee, New Found Gap, Clingmans Dome, Meigs Falls and Cades Cove. NC 441 was very beautiful with fall colors at higher elevations.