Falling for Southern Appalachia
Few natural features charm visitors quite like waterfalls, from those that gently glide over bedrock to the fury and power of others. The spring melt signals prime time for cascades. Here are three favorite hikes to waterfalls.
Mouse Creek Falls • Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee
The relatively easy Big Creek Trail, on the northwestern side of the park, features a cascading stream, enchanting pools, two small but scenic waterfalls, and good wildflower displays from April through mid-May. On the rocky banks at 0.3 miles, fire pink and purple phacelia bloom in spring, and hairy beardtongue, tall bellflower, and flowering raspberry take their turns in summer. At 1.5 miles, a side trail descends to Midnight Hole Falls, which drops between two boulders into a dark pool. From Midnight Hole, continue another 0.5 mile on the Big Creek Trail to a short spur trail that ends at a viewing area, with Mouse Creek Falls on the far side of the creek. The waterfall drops about 20 feet into a small pool before cascading another 15 feet into Big Creek. Red maple and yellow birch dominate the cove forest, with dense thickets of rosebay rhododendron and mountain doghobble in the understory. Restrooms, a picnic area, campground, and additional hiking trails can be found close to the parking lot.
Rainbow Falls • Gorges State Park and Pisgah National Forest, North Carolina
Beginning in Gorges State Park‚ just south of Lake Toxaway, this four-mile out-and-back trail soon enters Pisgah National Forest where it follows the Horsepasture River (a designated Wild and Scenic River) along the Blue Ridge Escarpment. Four waterfalls occur along this stretch of the river, including Rainbow Falls, a near vertical cascade some 125 feet high that is one of the region’s most spectacular—and powerful—waterfalls. If the light is right, you may see a long arching rainbow in the mist. The viewing area is rich in spring and summer wildflowers, with peak flowering mid-April through May. Stop and explore the exhibits at the recently opened visitor center (one mile after entering Gorges State Park). For further exploration, Whitewater Falls is eight miles south on N.C. 281. With two sheer drops and cascades totaling 411 feet, it’s one of the highest falls in the eastern U.S.
Crabtree Falls • Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina
Lush forests, a large meadow with colorful wildflowers, and a near picture-perfect waterfall make this a popular destination about an hour’s drive from Asheville. This two-mile loop takes in a waterfall that cascades 70 feet as it tumbles down hundreds of narrow ledges, forming a sparkling white lacy pattern that contrasts with the dark amphibolite rock and green foliage. A sturdy footbridge with a built-in bench provides excellent views. The spray cliff nurtures bluets and mountain meadow-rue, while plumed Solomon’s seal, wood nettle, orange jewelweed, and white wood aster grow along the rocky streamside, along with rosebay rhododendron, mountain doghobble, and wild hydrangea. Cold air drainage near the base of the falls cools the skin and allows higher elevation species such as yellow birch, mountain maple, and mountain wood sorrel to grow here. Peak flowering is late April through May.
New Hiking Guide
Timothy P. Spira’s Waterfalls and Wildflowers in the Southern Appalachians: Thirty Great Hikes (University of North Carolina Press, 2015), links these two tenets of the Smokies in an interpretive guide covering trails in Virginia, the Carolinas, Tennessee, and Georgia, including many in Great Smoky Mountains National Park and along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Learn about 125 wildflowers and discover which ones to look for, in which season, while hiking to the region’s most stunning waterfalls. In addition to being an avid hiker and wildflower enthusiast, Spira is professor of botany at South Carolina’s Clemson University and also the author of Wildflowers and Plant Communities of the Southern Appalachians and Piedmont.