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  Rock Creek Falls
           

March 21st - We all met at the golf course on a Wednesday at around 3:00 p.m. and drove to Rock Creek Campground just outside of Erwin.  From there we set out on Rock Creek Falls Trail (Cherokee Nat. Forest trail #148), which the blue-blazed trail head is near the top-end of the campground.  This is a moderate climb which is very pretty and follows the creek almost the entire distance.  There are also four creek crossings on the way up (so 8 total crossings) that can be somewhat difficult (if you don't want to get wet).  Total elevation gain was 1100 feet (2300 at campground and 3400 at the upper falls).  Shannon and I carried our backpacks full of gear just for the exercise.        

 

 

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Shannon and Taylor Ford Rock Creek

on the Way Up

Look Out Bear Grylls... There's a New Kid on the Block!

Young Possum

We stopped after about 1.5 miles of ascending and had some snacks before continuing up the trail.  We soon arrived at the first set of falls, Lower Rock Creek Falls, but realized you had to climb down into the ravine to take a closer look, so we decided to head on up the trail and explore these lower falls on our way out.        

 
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Beautiful Rock Creek Falls (Upper) Shannon, Tay, and Cam at the Falls Taylor
     

After about another .2 mile past the lower falls we arrived at our destination, upper Rock Creek Falls (this is where the trail ends).  These falls are very impressive, and drop about 50 feet total over two tiers of steep cliffs.  We stayed for quite some time here... exploring a little further, enjoying the views, and taking some photos.      

       

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Tay and Shannon Take a Rest Before Our Descent

Bill and Campbell

Taylor Crosses a Fallen Tree Near the Falls

On our way down the mountain we climbed down into the ravine at the lower falls, where we took some more photos.  These falls are about a 30 foot drop down a smooth rock face.       

 
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A View of the Upper Falls From a Litte Further Up the Ridge 
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Lower Rock Creek Falls 

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Tay and Cam Navigate the Creek to Get Some Photos of the  Lower Falls 
Campbell at the Lower Falls 

This turned out to be a great afternoon hike.  We had to park at the lower end of the campground (access roads were closed) so this added some mileage to our hike.  We figured our total round trip was about 4.5 miles.  We did have a minor injury... Campbell slipped on a rock while crossing the creek on the way down, and woke up the next day with a strained foot.  He has since healed up quickly.  It's tough being a mountain man!

Topo Map of Rock Creek Falls
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