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October
21st - I began this hike at the Elk River
Falls (also called Big Falls) parking area in the
Pisgah National Forest. From Highway 19E
traveling east, just before you get into the town of
Elk Park, turn left on Old Mill Road (there's a sign
there for the Falls, but it was hard to read).
Go about .25 mile and then turn left onto Elk River
Road and follow it about 4 miles to the parking
area.
The
trail to the falls is very short... probably about
.2 mile, which makes this a popular spot for
sightseers.
It is a very scenic area with a fantastic 45 foot
waterfall, which has to have some of the highest
water volume of any falls in the eastern
Tennessee/western North Carolina area. It is
simply a very beautiful and impressive waterfall
(even with recent dry conditions).
I took
some photos from a large rock outcropping along the
plunge pool, and then continued to follow the trail
downstream from the falls in hopes of finding the
Appalachian Trail and Jones Falls (of which I'd seen
this side-trail from one of my AT hikes earlier in the year). However, as soon as I
left the main area near the falls, the trail was no
longer marked and quite overgrown. I could
immediately tell that not many people ventured
farther than the falls on this trail, but I kept
going regardless.
After
approximately .5 mile I reached a road where I
turned right to continue to follow alongside the
river, but the road eventually dead-ended
at the river. I searched for a trail to
continue downstream, and even walked quite a bit up
into the forest in hopes of finding a trail, but I
didn't have any luck, so I decided to turn around.
But, I hadn't been going back for more than a couple
of minutes when I ran into three hikers coming down
the road (Vince and Jan Boag from Johnson
County, and a friend of theirs from out of state).
They were very familiar with the trail that connects
to the AT, and were also going to Jones Falls, so
they offered for me to tag along. They were
very nice, and as we talked I learned that they were
members of the Johnson County Hiking Club.
After
Vince got me back on the trail, I went on ahead so I
wouldn't bother them any further, and I soon found
the AT, where I turned left (heading southbound).
Soon I came upon Jones Falls
for the second time this year. The photo below
shows how little flow it had with the drought
conditions, as normally this is a very spectacular
waterfall. Photos from earlier in the year can
be seen
here.
I ate
a snack at the falls then turned around to head
back. I passed the Boags again, and stopped to
chat some more as we also exchanged email addresses.
I was very grateful to meet them as I wouldn't have
made it to my destination without them, and in
addition they were very enjoyable to talk to.
After
a 4.0 mile round-trip I arrived back at my car.
With some bush-whacking I added some extra mileage,
but without getting lost I think this hike would be
about 3.6 miles.
(Click
all images for larger photos)
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Elk River Falls (also called Big Falls) |
45' Drop |
Another View From the Plunge Pool |
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Looking Down at
the Plunge Pool From the Top of the Falls |
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Trail Following
Elk River |
Erosion
Stabilization Matting Staked Down on the Bank (on left of
photo) |
Jones Falls
With Very Little Flow Compared to Earlier in the
Year |
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