Wilson Creek Waterfalls

Saturday morning, we headed back to Wilson Creek for more waterfalls. We headed into the area on FR 464 for about four miles to FR 464A and parked at the top of this road. We probably could have driven this road, but decided to just hike down since the RAV4 is not 4WD. The road heads down into the gorge along Little Lost Cove Creek, fording the creek about a half-mile from the start and ends at a primitive campsite. Not surprising on a holiday weekend, there were several tents set up at the campsite. From here, we picked up the hiking trail that runs along the ridgeline above the creek. Along this trail I saw a guy hiking back and asked if he had come from the waterfalls. He indicated that he had and was even nice enough to leave a pile of rocks and some sticks in the shape of an arrow pointing where to get off the trail. The side trail leading down to the falls is not at all obvious, so this was very helpful. He also warned that the trail down is very steep. In about a half-mile from the forest road, we saw the pile of rocks and arrow and started making our way down towards the waterfalls. He wasn’t kidding that this trail was steep. We slowly made our way down, holding on to the many rhododendron along this “trail” to help us get down.

Eventually, we made it to the bottom and climbed out on the rocks to get some pictures of the Upper Waterfall on Little Lost Cove Creek.

From here, we headed up a bit and then followed a very faint trail downstream. Almost immediately we could see the top of the Lower Falls, but we continued following the trail towards the base. The Lower Waterfall on Little Lost Cove Creek was quite impressive, but the late morning sun was shining right on it, making photography difficult.

I tried to get out into the creek below the falls to shoot from a different angle, but the higher water level and slippery rocks made that impossible. So I did the best I could and then we made the steep climb up back to the main trail and backtracked on the trail and forest road to car. Our next stop was Bard Falls. We drove a little further up FR 464 and parked at the trailhead for North Harper Shortcut Trail (266A). Bard Falls is more well-known and popular and as such, there were several cars parked here. We followed the one-mile trail down to North Harper Creek Trail and turned left to follow the creek downstream. Soon, the trail crossed the creek and there was no getting across this one dry. After wading the creek, we followed it downstream about a half-mile to Bard Falls.

We had lunch at the base of the falls while some guys were fishing in the river. After lunch, I climbed out onto the rocks at the base of the falls for some pictures.

There’s an interesting “pothole” in the rock next to the waterfall.

When we finished lunch, we headed back up to the trail, stopping to see some nice cascades along the creek, and then backtracked to the car and made the short drive further up FR 464 to the trailhead for Hunt Fish Falls. There were a lot of cars here as this is one of the most popular hiking, camping, and swimming areas. We followed Hunt Fish Falls Trail (263) for about a mile down to Lost Cove Trail (262) right above the waterfall and got out on the exposed bedrock.

There were a lot of people here swimming, sunbathing, and enjoying the falls.

All of the primitive campsites around here were full as well.

Hunt Fish Falls is two relatively small drops that end in a huge pool. Although not the most impressive waterfall in the area, the ease of access and abundance of recreational activities make it extremely popular.  Above the exposed bedrock, another waterfall tumbled down parallel to Hunt Fish Falls Trail. Although it was very high, the water flow was very light on this one. After we got some pictures from various spots, we continued on Lost Cove Trail heading west for about another mile to a creek crossing. Our plan was to continue on this trail to the waterfalls on Gragg Prong, but it was not meant to be. First, we inadvertently got on Timber Ridge Trail after the creek crossing and hiked a bit before we realized we had gotten on the wrong trail. Then we got back on Lost Cove Trail to where it met up with Gragg Prong and started heading upstream, eventually reaching a creek crossing over Gragg Prong. By this time, we had run out of water and it was getting late. We were both exhausted, so decided to come back tomorrow to get these waterfalls. We made our way back to the cars, stopping for a couple more pictures of Hunt Fish Falls with fewer people around and better light conditions.

Then, the hike back up to the parking area. We decided to get Chinese takeout and have it for dinner back at the campground.