Blue Hole Falls

Sunday morning, we slept in a little and had another great breakfast cooked by Ann. We didn’t have any definitive plans, so we chatted with Ann and Steve a bit. They suggested we check out Blue Hole Falls, near Elizabethton. A quick Google search yielded GPS coordinates and we were off. In Elizabethton, we took TN-91 northeast into Cherokee National Forest and turned left on Panhandle Road. It was only about a mile to the pull-off on the left. We could hear the waterfall from here and set off on the short trails. Blue Hole Falls consists of at least four distinct sections, maybe up to seven. We started at the highpoint and worked our way downstream. The uppermost section was a small cascade, partly blocked by rhododendron.

Next was a more scenic cascade that we scrambled down to get a picture of.

Continuing on, the next section was a small, but scenic drop in a narrow chasm. I had to scramble down the rocks and jump over to a sandy section for a good picture of this drop.

With the grotto-like section, this was my favorite individual part of the waterfall. Next, we made it to the main Blue Hole section, with a narrow horsetail splashing into an inviting swim hole.

It was too cold today for swimming, but the water was beautiful and would have been inviting in warmer weather. From here, we scrambled down to the base of the lowest section, a scenic cascade.

Heading back up to the car, we followed another trail to the cliffs above the falls.

A spot up here had great views of the Blue Hole section and the cascades below. It was really cool to be able to see two distinct sections and it really provided perspective on how cool this waterfall is.

I was unable to find any other spot where more than one section was visible. We noticed a trail continuing downstream along the cliffs from here and followed it. Further downstream, we found another scenic sliding section.

Even further down, we found another drop, what seemed to be the last major drop on this section of creek.

Thus, up to seven sections of the waterfall. We then made our way back to the car and drove back towards Roan Mountain. It was still early in the day, so we headed to Hampton Creek Cove State Natural Area for another hike. After parking, we started out on the Overmountain Victory Trail/Birchfield Trail following Left Prong of Hampton Creek upstream.

We passed through a couple open fields where cows and horses were grazing.

Soon, we crossed the creek on a footbridge as a herd of cows were fording the creek. They watched us cautiously as they crossed and then wandered into the field to continue grazing. We followed the Overmountain Victory Trail through the fields and soon the trail entered the woods and followed the creek more closely.

At this point, we had gotten off Overmountain Victory Trail and were now following Birchfield Trail. There were lots of scenic cascades along the creek.

In about 2 miles, we stopped for a break and to have a snack. It was lightly drizzling, so we started heading back. About half a mile or so back, we stayed on the Birchfield Trail, which stayed closer to the creek than Overmountain Victory Trail.

This trail follows the creek more closely and had more nice views. We also saw a large number of juvenile eastern newts (red efts) right along the trail.

We had to be careful not to step on them as we hiked. About half-way back, we had to rock-hop across the creek. Then there was one more field to cross.

Back at the footbridge, we decided to hike the Shell Hollow Trail before heading back. This trail led through a field and then headed into the woods, climbing steeply. The trail was really overgrown and poorly-blazed, making it hard to follow.

After making the short loop at the top, we headed back and made our way back to the car. Being a Sunday, most places were closed. Bob’s Dairyland was the only place in Roan Mountain open, so we got barbeque and milkshakes to go and headed back to the hotel for dinner.