At the end of the trail, we scrambled down to the sandy beach along the river for some pictures of the waterfall. The last time I was here, the water level was much higher and so this and all the waterfalls we would see were much more powerful then.
For Riley Moore Falls, however, I thought the waterfall actually looked better in low water conditions. Although the waterfall is the width of the entire river, it’s only about 12 feet high. In high water conditions, it looks more like a big rapid, but today it looked more like a waterfall. We got some pictures from the beach then climbed up to get some pictures from the side, then started hiking back.
Although the weather was dry, we saw a lot of colorful mushrooms and other fungi along our hikes this weekend.
Back at the car, we made the white-knuckle drive back up and then got back on US-76 towards Long Creek. We got on Turkey Ridge Road (FSR 755) and drove about 3 miles to the turnaround at the end of the road. From here, we began hiking down FSR 755I for about a half-mile to the end of this road. Along the way, we some some interesting flower that had opened up to reveal bright red berries.
Near the end of the gravel road, there were some downed trees and we inadvertently got off the trail and had to bushwhack a short ways. Soon, we found the trail again and continued hiking along a ridgeline above Chattooga River. In about 1.5 miles from the start, a bunch of branches and sticks blocking the trail indicated the end so we turned left to head down to river level, right where Long Creek flows into Chattooga River. Across the creek, some whitewater rafters had stopped for a break at this waterfall.
We ate lunch here and then I took off my boots and waded across the creek and headed up to the base of the waterfall. It was hot enough that the cold water felt very good. The water level was low, so I was able to climb up the rocks near the base of the waterfall.
As we were getting ready to head back, I saw a beautiful tiger swallowtail butterfly on some of the flowers blooming here.
After a couple pictures, we made our way back to the car. We then drove back on FSR-755 for less than a mile to the trailhead for Opossum Creek Falls. The trail heads through a forested area towards Chattooga River.
About half way down the trail, I heard something moving in the brushes. As I got closer, I startled it and it started to run. It was big, so I thought it was a deer, but I got a quick glance and it was big and black with a brown muzzle – a black bear. He quickly made his way into some dense rhododendron, so no way to take a picture. We decided it would be best to talk loudly as we hiked to ensure we didn’t startle another bear.
Once at the river, we turned left to head upstream along Opossum Creek to the waterfall. It’s a pretty waterfall, but the water level was low and there was a lot of downed trees and foliage blocking the view.
After some pictures, we made our way back. It was hot and humid and the entire hike back is uphill, so it was a bit of a grueling hike. No more bears along the way, though. Once back at the car, we headed back to US-76 towards Westminster and turned on Brasstown Road. In 4 miles, we turned right on FSR-751 and drove to the parking area at the end. It’s a short hike, but you sure get a lot of bang for the buck on this one. In a quarter-mile, the trail comes to Brasstown Creek at the top of the waterfall. We hiked a short ways downstream to see the upper section, about 50 feet of cascades.
Looking downstream, we could see the edge of the middle section. We continued down and came out at the base of the middle section, a 20-foot veil over a ledge and probably the most scenic section of the waterfall.
We also climbed out on some rocks to get a view of this section from further away.
It's the nicest section of the waterfall in my opinion. Then we continued down to the lowest section, a 15-foot chute. There was no way to get a good picture from the rocks, so I waded into the shallow pool to get a picture.
Then we started making the climb back up to the top of the waterfall. But we weren’t quite done yet. We continued upstream past a campsite and waded across the creek to Little Brasstown Falls, another pretty 20-foot waterfall where Little Brasstown Creek flows into Brasstown Creek.
After a couple pictures, we headed back. Driving back out, we stopped for dinner at Brasstown Creek Gathering Place. I had been here before and think they have some of the best barbeque around and wanted Sandy to try it. After dinner, we headed north to Cherry Hill Recreation Area near Mountain Rest where Justine and the others were camping.
We set up our tent and took a quick shower and then went to bed after a very long day. Overnight, there was a heavy rain, but unfortunately, not enough to really help the waterfalls.
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