Waterfalls, Sunrises, Sunsets and More!
As we were working our way back to Florida for the winter, we landed in Lake Toxaway, North Carolina for 3-weeks during prime leaf-peeping season. [October 3 – 22, 2021]
Lake Toxaway is a charming little town famous for having the state’s largest privately held lake. We truly enjoyed our stay at Riverbend RV Resort. Our large campsite was situated on a quaint bubbling creek, a perfect setting for toasty fires in the brisk air of fall. The lovely managers host nightly cocktail gatherings, dinner, breakfast and such at the gathering area to make it easy to meet you neighbors and develop new friendships.
Cashiers, know as “The Heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains” is a few minutes down the road. Sitting at 3,484 feet in elevation there is a little bit of everything to enjoy for everyone.
Brevard, know as “The Land of Waterfalls“, was a 30 minute drive in the opposite direction. It sits at the entrance to the Pisgah National Forest, the Blue Ridge Parkway and Dupont State Forest. The options for viewing the magnificent landscape are endless: roadside waterfall, pull-outs for snapping a pic, endless assortments of hikes ranging from easy to difficult, boating from motor to paddle, the choices are mind boggling.
Our adventures in this nature lovers paradise started with 5-days of rain! We drove to our campsite in the rain and for the next FIVE days it rained on an off! However, that didn’t stop us because rainy days are meant for Waterfall Viewing.
Waterfalls
In this section of North Carolina, touted as the Land of Waterfalls, there are SO —- MANY —– OPTIONS it’s almost impossible to make a bad choice. Because we were in the area for 3-weeks, we visited a total of nine waterfalls [as shown and details below] but there were others that we just didn’t have the time to visit.
Looking Glass Falls – Roadside
Moore Cove Falls – 1 Mile out and back easy hike
Graveyard Fields Lower Falls – 3-mile loop or easy 1/2 mile out and back
Rainbow and Turtleback Falls – Gorges State Park – 4 mile out and back
Wilderness and Granny Burrell Falls – Panthertown Valley – 3 mile loop
Sequoyah Falls – Roadside Highway 64 shortly before Highlands, North Carolina
Dry Falls – Roadside Highway 64 between Franklin and Highlands
Bust Your Butt Falls – Roadside Highway 64 between Franklin and Highlands
Sequoyah Falls – Highlands North Carolina
Lake Sequoyah Dam Falls can be found to the side of Hwy 64 shortly before you reach the lovely town of Highlands in North Carolina.
Dry Falls – Cullasaja Gorge
https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/2-james-frazier
Dry Falls, a popular waterfall located along the Mountain Scenic By-Way (Hwy 64 between Franklin and Highlands) in the Cullasaja Gorge is a 75-foot waterfall. Located in the Nantahala National Forest it flows over a cliff, allowing you to walk behind the falls and stay dry (hence the name).
Bust Your Butt Falls
Located along a very scenic stretch of US Highway 64 Waterfalls Byway through the Cullasaja River Gorge in the Nantahala National Forest. This section of road is also dubbed as the Mountain Waters Scenic Byway. In places, you are literally driving along the edge of the cliff.
Looking Glass Falls
This waterfall is extremely popular both for it’s beauty as well as it’s easy roadside access. About 5 miles from the entrance to Pisgah National Forest from the town of Brevard right along US 276.
Moore Cove Falls
This showery plunging waterfall is located in one of the most popular areas of the Pisgah National Forest, near the Davidson River It’s a delightful, beautiful 1.7 mile roundtrip walk thru fern-filled woods. And it’s easy enough for families with small children to complete.
Graveyard Fields Lower Falls
Named for the haunting skeletons of ancient trees punctuating an otherwise grassy field, as seen from above at the Graveyard Fields Overlook. There are options for viewing the Upper and Lower Falls. To get to both you will need to take the moderately easy 2.9 mile loop ending at the Lower Falls. If you want an easy 0.5 mile option, you can take the stairs down (by the bathrooms) and as others regularly post, the area and the trail are “over loved” with very little signage and lots of herd or side paths that confuse the traveler so it’s hard to actually follow the true/intended path. We recommend using All-Trails for guidance and it’s always recommended to stay on trail to avoid creating more confusion.
A moderately easy hike into the ravine is mostly built out with boardwalks and stairs. At the bottom, a bridge crosses the river and leads to the fields, continuing on to the wooded loop trail. Following the 2.3 mile loop, one comes to Yellowstone Falls.
A popular stop off, Graveyard Fields nevertheless maintains a feeling of wildness in its natural setting not often experienced.
The parking area here is often full, so plan your visit for early in the day on a weekday, if possible. Pit toilets are available at the trailhead but there is no fresh water available.
Rainbow Falls [Gorges State Park]
Rainbow Falls and Turtleback Falls in Pisgah National Forest (PNF) are touted as two of the best waterfalls in North Carolina. We did the easy 4-mile out and back hike from the trailhead within Gorges State Park, Sapphire, North Carolina. The pic below is of Rainbow Falls. Mike was unable to get a picture of Turtleback that he was happy with so we don’t have any to show you but it’s definitely worth the extra 0.25 mile hike to see it.
Definitely take the time to visit the Gorges State Park Visitor Center. It’s beautiful and the staff is very friendly and informative.
Whitewater Falls
Sunrise & Sunsets
Devil’s Courthouse Sunrise
Located at milepost 422.4 of the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Devil’s Courthouse has a short trail climbing a half-mile to its peak with wonderful panoramic mountain views. The mostly-paved trail starts from the overlook parking area beside the mountain.
We heard this was a great Sunrise spot; however great the view is, for sunrise you don’t see the sun rising directly but we did enjoy our hike and loved our photos.
We followed this adventure with a 10+-mile hike Black Balsam Mountain.
Cowee Mountain Overlook Sunsets
Cowee Mountain Overlook sits 5,950 feet above sea level. It is a beautiful overlook and a very popular spot for picnickers and those lovers of sunset. Located just north of Richland Balsam on the Blue Ridge Parkway, this overlook faces southeast, making for great views of the surrounding Blue Ridge Mountains. Cowee Mountain Overlook is one of the few overlooks that offer 180-degree views without any obstructions.
We visited several evenings and each was more crowded than the next. If you want to enjoy a spot on the grass for a front seat view, get there early and set up chairs or blankets and enjoy a tasty beverage as you watch the show.
Paddle Adventures
Bear Lake
Large enough for motor and pontoon boats, Bear Lake is also small enough for kayakers and canoe paddlers to enjoy.
One spectacular feature is Sols Creek Falls—visible to boaters and accessible by a foot trail that starts where Sols Creek empties into the lake. The south side of the lake is privately owned with much of that land being part of the Bear Lake Reserve Community.
The day we did this 7-mile paddle was absolutely spectacular! The weather was crisp, the sky was blue with fields of clouds, the hike to the falls was adventurous. The falls were HUGE because of the 5 days of solid rain we had received earlier in our visit so it was hard to get a good picture. An A+ adventure we would do again, for sure.
French Broad River
Located at the “forks of the river” where the North and West forks of the French Broad join. This was a lovely 10-ish mile paddle. We used Headwater Outfitters for the shuttle service to paddle this 10-ish mile section.
We saw the erosion, tree and debris damage that was caused by Hurricane Fred. Although downgraded to Tropical Depression Fred by the time he reached North Carolina on Aug. 17, he dropped over a foot of rain in many areas, areas that had already seen several inches of rain a few days earlier. With this heavy rain falling on saturated ground, the water had nowhere to go and ran off into rivers and streams, quickly overfilling them.
Hikes
Shining Rock Wilderness Loop via Art Loeb Trail
Our day continues….
After a sunrise at Devil’s Courthouse, a drive to Graveyard Fields we began our anticipated hike to see the big 🍂 views from Black Balsam and Tennant Mountains.
We did the 10’ish mile AllTrails route “backwards” so our first 3’ish miles through Black Balsam Mountain to Tennant Mountain were AMAZING! Delivering big views and stunning fall colors.
We then continued the Art Loeb trail into the Shining Rock Wilderness headed for Shining Rock. This is where the trail got overgrown, very rutted, muddy and overall not very well maintained. Although there were sections where you had some big views, most was tedious uphill walking dodging lots of rocks and roots. Once arriving at Shining Rock we weren’t willing to scramble to the top to get another big view so we found a shady spot for a lunch break and started the 4’ish mile trek back to the parking lot.
After a short while we found the Investor Gap Trail which was a welcome graded flat trail through shaded woods which then led us to a road with large loose gravel. There were some views to appreciate but nothing as awesome as the first part of the hike.
We finished a little bit exhausted but invigorated and a LOT hungry 🤤 and ended up at Oskar Blues Brewery for a burger and brew.
All said and done, we would definitely do the first 3 mile trek from the trailhead to Tennant Mountain and then backtrack to the parking lot but wouldn’t continue on for the complete loop.
Panthertown Valley – Granny Burrell and Wilderness Falls including Salt Rock Overlook
We did this highly rated hike the opposite way from what AllTrails recommends. It was an easy 3.1 mile hike with three falls along the way but the definitive highlight for us was the Salt Rock Overlook! Dressed in it’s finest fall colors, the overlook was superiorly stunning!
Biking
DuPont State Recreational Forest offers mountain bikers ride opportunities ranging from easy forest roads to exciting single track. Because the trails have always been shared among all forest users, DSRF is frequently cited as an example of how trail users can “play well together”. DSRF has become a leading MTB destination in the southeast, and the trail maintenance program should allow our trail system to continue to meet the demands of mountain biking visitors.
The most popular trail is the 1.6 mile Ridgeline Trail which is all downhill fun. Of course to get to the top we had to ride up various trails to get to the top. We did the easiest way up which uses both single track and road trails. All the trails were in good condition. We still had to stop to catch our breathe several times on the way up. Over all, we did about 6 miles in total and had loads of fun!
Out of the Ordinary
Cradle of Forestry
We’ve been to the area many times in the past and as “vacation” visitors, we never took the time to visit this amazing find. We were so glad we meandered into this historic site that is nestled in the Pink Beds Valley are of the Pisgah National Forest.
This heritage site is the birthplace of science-based forest management. George and Edith Vanderbilt of the nearby Biltmore Estate are accredited for this living legacy. Some 87,000 aces of the Vanderbilt’s “Pisgah Forest” tract became the nucleus of the Pisgah National Forest, established in 1916.
Today this North Carolina destination is jointly managed by the US Forest Service and FIND Outdoors. The site is open to visitors everyday from mid-April to early November. As you enter the main gate (4 miles off the Blue Ridge Parkway at Milepost 412) you are rewarded with the opportunity to explore the past, present, and future of environmental sustainability and stewardship. These are brought to visitors through paved interpretive trails, interactive exhibits, film, music, drama, guided tours, nature programs, craft demonstrations, and special events. A sustainably designed Forest Discovery Center with its gift shop and café welcomes visitors to the historical structures and a relaxing walk through the woods.
Wineries, Cideries, Breweries Oh My!
We visited an abundance of Adult Beverage attractions in Hendersonville, NC. Although all were worth the trip either for scenery, ambience, great service or tasty beverages…. we were not able to find any worth purchasing to take home.
- Grandad’s Apples – Excellent apple choices. Pastries and cider were super yummy!
- Point Lookout Vineyards – Best for Scenery!
- Burnt Shirt Winery – lovely outdoor area but along a busy road.
- Saint Paul Vineyard- loved the presentation of the tasting in test tubes.
- Triskelion Brewery – Nice atmosphere and we found a couple of tasty beers.
- Guidon Brewing – Tasty beers and super yummy food truck.
Favorite Breweries!
Near Brevard, North Carolina we found two breweries that we continued to visit time and time again.
- Oskar Blues Brewery and Taproom. So many choices for beer and the food truck was AH-MAZ-ING!
- Brevard Brewing – their Octoberfest was Growler Worthy!
The Lazy Hiker [Brewing] in Franklin, NC was on the top of our list. There were so many brews we liked and their resident Food Truck served awesome grub. The atmosphere was phenomenal as the staff, even extremely busy, was pleasant and accommodating.
We couldn’t leave the area without a visit to the “Disneyland” of breweries, the Sierra Nevada Brewery (near Ashville) in Mills River. We didn’t realize that you had to make reservations to dine inside, nonetheless, we found a lovey outside table in the back patio area, tasted several tap beers and dined from their pub menu. All in all it was a great visit but next time we will be prepared to make reservations a couple of weeks in advance.
We give all of these adventures a……
Dream Big, Travel Far, Live Well…
What’s Next?
Just a few more days after we left North Carolina, we will arrive home in Florida BUT on the way we make a couple of stops in Georgia State Parks we will share in our next post.
Enjoying our Photography?
If you enjoy our photography, you can view and purchase from our Fine Art America site. Please check us out for featured nature photography from Florida to the Pacific Northwest.
Nspired Adventures 