We crossed the creek at a campsite and followed the creek downstream on the other side. One advantage of the low water was that the creek crossings were easy and we didn’t have to get wet. In about another half-mile, we had to cross again and passed several occupied campsites. Being a holiday weekend, this area was very popular with campers. We crossed the creek one more time near the top of Wildcat Falls and then found a path that led down to the base of the double drop.
Wildcat Falls consists of four drops – two upper drops followed by a flat stretch, then the double drop and then one final drop into a big pool. The waterfall was very beautiful and unique, but unfortunately, the sun was shining right on it making for lousy pictures.
A strong smell of bacon was in the air – the campers were cooking a good breakfast! We headed back up and found a way to the next drop, which was in the shade. For the uppermost drop, I crossed back over the creek and found it easier to get down on the other side for a picture of this section.
Then we started heading back. It was a nice hike back until we got to Big Fat Trail, which was excessively steep going straight up to Big Fat Gap. It took a while, but finally we made it back to the car. Driving back down the mountain, we turned right on US-129 and drove just a couple miles to the trailhead for Yellow Creek Falls. This waterfall is on private property owned by Brookfield Smoky Mountain Hydropower and the National Wild Turkey Federation. The landowners are nice enough to allow public access and even built a trail. The trail to the falls is short, less than a mile, but very scenic. There were a number of nice cascades to see on the way up.
Soon we made it to the waterfall – it was really nice, even in the low water.
Although it was sunny out, a nice cloud covered the sun shortly after we arrived so I could get some pictures.
As more people showed up, we started making our way back. Near Lake Santeetlah, we turned on Joyce Kilmer Road, driving along the lake shore and past the memorial forest. At the Cherohala Skyway, we got on FSR-81. It was about 7 miles to a fork for FSR-81F, where we went right and found a place to pull off on the side. Lower Cold Branch Falls was visible from the road, so the scramble down was pretty easy. Like everything this weekend, the water level was low, but it was a decent waterfall for being almost roadside.
Just a quarter mile further up the road was our next stop – Upper Cold Branch Falls. This one wasn’t visible from the road as dense rhododendron blocked all view of the creek. We found the best place to head down from the road then had to bushwhack through the rhododendron. It was very difficult navigating through the rhododendron mess, but soon we made it through to the base of the upper falls.
It’s a similar waterfall to the lower one and had a lot of cool potholes in the rock face. We didn’t stay long as we weren’t looking forward to getting back through the rhododendron hell. Our last stop for the day was just a little further up the road. Surprisingly, another car stopped here and a family got out. I asked if they were hiking to Violet Falls as well – they didn’t know the name, but were heading towards a waterfall. An old road extends from a sharp curve in FSR-81F and we followed this to Cold Branch and then had to creek walk up. With low water, we were able to stay dry.
The creek walk was actually pretty fun, especially after navigating through all those rhododendron. With low water, the two guys climbed all the way to the top of the waterfall. I went barefoot and climbed about half way up, but it was a little slippery so I didn’t go any further.
Once everyone was down, we headed back. Driving back into Robbinsville, we stopped at The Hub for dinner and then headed back to our treehouse.
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