Inside Passage Falls (Ledbetter)

Inside Passage Falls is a cascading waterfall on Ledbetter Creek in Swain County, North Carolina.  The waterfall is located in the Cheoah Backcountry Area in Nantahala National Forest.

Hike Length: 0.6 miles
Estimated Time: 2 hours
Difficulty: Difficult
Location: Cheoah Backcountry Area (Cheoah Ranger District of Nantahala National Forest)
Trail Users: Hiking only
Dogs: Yes, but the trail is not dog friendly
Features: Waterfalls (1)
Crowds: Low
Warnings: The rocks around waterfalls are slippery.  Creek walking to the waterfall is difficult, especially in high water.
Trailhead GPS: 35.28261,-83.67382
Waterfall GPS: 35.28587,-83.67691

Directions:

From Bryson City, head south on US-19 for about 3 miles and then turn left and immediate right to get on US-74 West/US-19 south.  Drive 16.4 miles and turn right into the small parking area.

Map:

Hike Description:

A path leads from the picnic area up over the train tracks and down to an intersection with yellow-blazed Bartram Trail, which goes left and right.  Go straight and follow a faint path leading upstream along Ledbetter Creek.  There are a number of scenic cascades and small falls along the way.

Initially, there is a steep scramble path to get around some of these cascades, but soon have to go back to the creek.  At about 0.3 miles is Inside Passage Falls.

The only way to go further up the creek is to climb through the "inside passage" shown on the right in the picture above.  There was way too much water to do this when we visited.

Blog Entries:

31-Oct-2020: Nantahala Gorge Waterfalls