Lower Cold Branch Falls (Santeetlah)

Lower Cold Branch Falls is a 40-foot waterfall on its namesake, a tributary of Santeetlah Creek, in Graham County, North Carolina.  The waterfall is located in the Cheoah Ranger District of Nantahala National Forest.

Hike Length: < 0.1 miles
Estimated Time: < 1 hour
Difficulty: Moderate
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.  There is no trail to the waterfall and the scramble down from the road is very steep.
Trailhead GPS: 35.34638,-83.99234
Waterfall GPS: 35.34595,-83.99255

Directions:


From Robbsinville, head north on US-129 and turn left on NC-143.  Drive 10.3 miles to the start of Cherohola Skyway and go right, then immediate left onto Forest Road 81 that descends down to Santeetlah Creek.  Go 6.5 miles on this gravel road and turn right on Wolf Laurel Road (FR-81F).  Drive about 0.25 miles and find a suitable place to pull over.

Map:



Hike Description:


The waterfall is visible from the road, but there's no trail and it's very steep.  Follow the path of least resistance to the base of the waterfall.


Cold Branch gets pretty small in low water levels so best to visit after a good rain.


Here's a video of the falls:


Blog Entries:



No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)