This one is right along the side of the road (FR 471) not far from our camping spot. We didn't see the trail leading down the falls and ended up bushwacking to get down. LeAnna gave up and went back to the car, but Casey and I continued on, stopping for a few minutes to take some pictures and then taking the actual trail back up to the road. Then we continued on, heading into Gorges at the Grassy Creek Access area. From the Rainbow Falls parking area, we drove along the Chestnut Mountain Road to Auger Hole Trail. Casey has his 4X4 Jeep - the only way we could drive along Chestnut Mountain Road. This is a very steep and bumpy gravel road that requires a 4X4 with at least 8 inches of clearance. We parked where the road intersects Augur Hole Trail and started hiking up the trail. It's more of an old logging road than a trail, but is limited to non-motor vehicle traffic. After a short while, we had a stream crossing at Bearwallow Creek. The water was very cold, but it wasn't too bad crossing. At least there was a spot to sit down on both sides to take off my boots.
Across the creek, we headed upstream just a bit to see a couple of pretty cascades along Bearwallow Creek, and then went back to the trail and continued on. Initially, the plan was to stop at Lower Bearwallow Falls, then drive to the Frozen Creek Access and hike down the trail from the other side. Casey said the last time he was here, crossing the Toxaway River would have been impossible. But we decided to hike down anyway and check it out.
Today, the water level was much lower and crossing the stream was no trouble at all. A little ways past the crossing, we hit our first waterfall in the park. From the trail, it was a very difficult bushwack down a steep ridge to Chub Line Falls. Part way down, LeAnna slipped and slid 10 or so feet, catching herself on a down tree. I tried to go out and help, but slid too, crashing into her! Luckily, we were both able to catch ourselves on the down tree. A fall into Chub Line Falls would be fatal for sure.
This waterfall got its name from the fact that it marked how far chub minnows are able to swim up the Toxaway River. Pretty impressive that they can get this far and looking at the falls, it is understandable why they couldn't go further. Although not terribly big, the waterfall was extremely powerful. The Toxaway River is routed through a narrow opening and flows with great force. Unforuntately, it wasn't possible to get below the falls and get a great picture of the whole falls - just a couple looking down from the top of the falls. Trying to go any further downstream from the falls is made impossible by sheer cliff walls. When we were done here, we made the difficult climb back up to Augur Hole Trail and continued on for a ways. Our next two waterfalls are at the confluence of Maple Spring Branch and Augur Fork Creek. Although there was marking tape and a very faint trail where people had walked before, the trail down to these falls was another challenging bushwack, though probably the easiest of the day. At the bottom, it was a very beautiful site - two very tall waterfalls plunging down cliffs to join together and flow into the Toxaway River. At the bottom, I could get a good view of the waterfall on Augur Fork Creek, but it was hard to see the one on Maple Spring Branch.
So we climbed up a bit and rested on a log in front of the waterfall on Maple Spring Branch.
This was a truly beautiful spot. A great view of one waterfall in front of us up close and turning around, we could see the other across the way.
We ate lunch up on the log and enjoyed the view for a while. The spray from the waterfall supported much plant life and created a wonderful little tropical paradise tucked away in a remote corner of the park. When we finished, we headed back down and then up back to the trail and started back the way we came. After crossing Toxaway River, we stopped for the highlight of the day - Lower Bearwallow Falls. Leaving the trail and hiking a short way along a ridge, some marking tape indicated a steep decent down into a beautiful clearing at the base of the falls.
Lower Bearwallow is about a 40 foot drop with some cascades of rocks towards the bottom. And there is a cliff face along the south side, making for a gorgeous setting. I think this could be my favorite waterfall in North Carolina - it was absolutely beautiful.
We spent some time snapping pictures and enjoying the scene, then made one last bushwack up to the trail and headed back to the jeep. Leaving Gorges, we stopped in Brevard at the Twin Dragons Chine Buffet and had dinner before making our way back to camp.
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