Ellicott Rock Waterfalls

Saturday was my birthday.  We had breakfast at camp and then headed back into North Carolina and into the Ellicott Rock Wilderness in Nantahala National Forest.  We parked at the trailhead for Ellicott Rock Trail and headed into the wilderness.

Our target was Fowler Creek Falls.  We hiked about 2 miles on the trail and then bushwhacked down towards the creek.  The bushwhack was terrible and completely overgrown with a rhododendron hell.  Alex was having trouble and we needed to meet our friends so gave up and hiked back.

We then continued a short ways on Bull Pen Road and spotted Team Waterfall.  After parking, we hiked a short ways down the road and bushwhacked down to Upper Scotsman Falls.

It's a wicked bushwhack but thankfully short.  We came to the base of the waterfall and it was looking good in the high water, but the sun was shining right on it.  Then we scrambled back to the road and hiked down to the curve, where another steep path led to Scotsman Falls.  There was a hemlock varnish shelf on a tree on the hike down.

Soon we popped out along side the waterfall.

Clouds had finally come out and the waterfall was really beautiful.

I took off my boots and waded the creek to view the waterfall from different angles.

There were some cool potholes in the rocks here.

We had lunch down here and then headed up.

From here, we continued on Bull Pen Road.  In a couple miles, we spotted a waterfall from the road and had to stop.  The waterfall is on Upper Ammons Branch and was probably only flowing in the very high water.  But there was absolutely no trail.  The bushwhack was short but it didn't look like anyone had ever come back here.

The waterfall was about 15 feet and rather scenic.  We named it JBW Falls (Justin's Birthday Waterfall).

There was also a small waterfall flowing through a cave just downstream.

After some pictures, we returned to the car.

Our next stop was the trailhead for Cane Creek Falls.  Hiking down the old road, there was some flame azalea blooming.

In about a half-mile or so, we got off the trail and bushwhacked down to the waterfall.  Cane Creek is a really beautiful waterfall and it was really flowing.  The spray was intense.

After some pictures, we continued on the old road and little further and then made a sharp left on a path that headed back towards Cane Creek.  After crossing the creek the trail headed down past Lower Cane Creek Falls.  There was nowhere we could find for a decent picture.  This trail continued down to the Chattooga River and Badger and Scott found another waterfall on the creek further down.

It was starting to get late so we hiked back and said by to our friends before returning to camp.