Waterfall Hero Hikes: DuPont State Forest

DuPont State Forest is a more than 10,000-acre North Carolina State Forest in Transylvania and Henderson counties, between the cities of Brevard and Hendersonville. Featured in the movies Last of the Mohicans and The Hunger Games, DuPont State Forest has become a popular destination.

In 1995, local environmental groups worked to bring negotiations between DuPont, The Conservation Fund, and the State of North Carolina. During 1996 to 1997, DuPont ceased industrial operations in the area and sold its land holdings. DuPont generously 7600 acres to North Carolina through The Conservation Fund, with 2700 acres surrounding the industrial complex to Sterling Diagnostic Imaging. In early 2000, another 500 acres along Reasonover Road was added to the south end of the forest. At this point, the forest was horseshoe-shaped and did not include many of the popular waterfalls along the Little River. In late 1999, Sterling put the 2200-acre tract, which included Triple Falls, High Falls, and Bridal Veil Falls, up for sale. In a controversial and secretive bidding process, the land was sold to developer Jim Anthony of Cliffs Community, and the state was not allowed to match the bid. The developer initially claimed that he would not develop the land and the land deed stated that it could not be used for residential development. However, it became clear that Anthony was planning a massive residential development around the waterfalls. Ultimately, the state took the land by eminent domain and paid the developer nearly $25 million for the property.

Contact Information:

PO Box 300
Cedar Mountain, NC 28718-0300

Phone: (828) 877-6527
Fax: (828) 862-8531
Email: dupontsf.ncfs@ncagr.gov

Directions:

From Asheville and other places on I-40, take exit 46A for I-26 east towards Hendersonville. From I-26, take exit 40 onto NC-280 south and follow for about 16 miles towards Brevard. In Pisgah Forest (before Brevard), take US-64 east less than 4 miles and turn right at the stoplight onto Crab Creek Road. In 4.3 miles, turn right onto DuPont Road to enter the forest.

From Brevard, take US-276 for about 12 miles to the town of Cedar Mountain. Turn left on Cascade Lake Road and go 2.5 miles and turn right on Staton Road to enter the forest.

High Falls Access:

The High Falls Access area is located centrally within the forest and is a good access point to see the waterfalls on the Little River. If coming via the Asheville directions above, DuPont Road will become Staton Road. High Falls Access is the second parking lot on the left (after Lake Imaging Access on the left and Hooker Falls Access on the right). If coming from Brevard via the directions above, High Falls Access is the first parking area on the right after turning on Staton Road.

Hooker Falls Access:

The Hooker Falls Access area is a good starting point to see the waterfalls on the Little River. If coming from Asheville via the directions above, DuPont Road will become Staton Road. Hooker Falls Access is the first parking are on the right (after Lake Imaging Access on the left). If coming from Brevard via the directions above, Hooker Falls Access is the first parking area on the left after turning on Staton Road and passing High Falls Access on the right.

Map:

Trails:

With over 80 miles of trails and roads, DuPont State Forest is a great place for hiking. Most of the trails are old gravel roads that are off limits to motorized traffic (except park staff), but shared with mountain bike and equestrian traffic. A list of the trails I have hiked and mapped are below. The numbers in parenthesis correspond to the trail numbers on the forest map.

Bridal Veil Falls Road (6):

Length: 0.6 miles (one way)
Difficulty: Easy

Bridal Veil Falls Road starts at Conservation Road just south of the Lake Julia Spillway and leads to Bridal Veil Falls.

Buck Forest Road (8):

Length: 3.2 miles (one way)
Difficulty: Easy

Buck Forest Road starts at the High Falls Access area and goes past the High Falls and Triple Falls Trails and across the covered bridge over Little River.

Conservation Road (18):

Length: 2.6 miles (one way)
Difficulty: Moderate

Conservation Road starts at Buck Forest Road just across the covered bridge and leads south past the Lake Julia Spillway.

Covered Bridge Trail (20):

Length: 0.2 miles (one way)
Difficulty: Moderate

Covered Bridge Trail leads from High Falls Trail to Buck Forest Road just before the covered bridge across Little River.

High Falls Loop (33):

Length: 1.9 miles (loop)
Difficulty: Moderate

High Falls Trail starts at Buck Forest Road just east of the High Falls Access area and leads to the High Falls and connects to Triple Falls Trail before looping back.

Hooker Falls Road (37):

Length: 0.4 miles (one way)
Difficulty: Easy

Hooker Falls Road is a short gravel road that leads from the Hooker Falls Access area to Hooker Falls.

Triple Falls Trail (77):

Length: 0.4 miles (one way)
Difficulty: Moderate

Triple Falls Trail is a gravel road that leads from the Hooker Falls Access to Triple Falls and ends at High Falls Loop Trail.

Points of Interest:

There are many scenic waterfalls and other points of interest in DuPont State Forest.

Bridal Veil Falls:

The best way to access Bridal Veil Falls is to park at the High Falls Access Area and follow the Buck Forest Road. Just after crossing the covered bridge, turn right on Conservation Road crossing over the Lake Julia Spillway and turning right on Bridal Veil Falls Road. This trail ends at the falls. The waterfall is a long slide down along bedrock with a 10-foot free fall at the top. It's not possible to get one photo showing the entire waterfall - the first photo below attempts this through the trees with the long slide shown towards the right and the plunge section shown in the distance at the top left. Depending on water levels, it's possible to walk up the rock and even go behind the free falling section (the Bridal Veil). The second picture below shows a shot of this from the side and the "cave" behind the falls.