Windy Falls (Horsepasture)

Windy Falls is a very tall waterfall in multiple sections on Horsepasture River in Transylvania County, North Carolina.  The waterfall is located in Toxaway Game Land.  However, the only access to the waterfall is through Gorges State Park.

Hike Length: 3.4 miles
Estimated Time: 6 to 8 hours
Difficulty: Extremely difficult
Location: Horsepasture River (Toxaway Game Land)
Trail Users: Hiking only
Dogs: Yes, but the hike requires ropes and is far too difficult for a dog
Features: Waterfalls (1)
Crowds: Low
Warnings: The rocks around the waterfalls are very slippery.  The path to the base of Windy Falls is extremely steep, requiring the use of ropes in several sections.  The last part requires squeezing through a keyhole.
Trailhead GPS: 35.08947,-82.95181
Waterfall GPS: 35.07381,-82.95854

Directions:

To visit the falls, head west from Brevard on US-64 for about 18 miles, passing Lake Toxaway, and turn left on NC-281.  In just under a mile, turn left into Grassy Ridge section of Gorges State Park and drive through to the Rainbow Falls Trailhead parking.

Map:

Hike Description:

From the parking area, follow the blue-blazed Raymond Fisher Trail to an intersection and turn left to stay on the trail.  At 0.4 miles, turn right on the gravel Chestnut Mountain Road.  Go about 0.1 miles and turn left into the woods to pick up an old road.  There is a boulder in the ground here.  Follow the trail through the woods until it descends to meet up with another old road.  Continue straight on the old road for a total of 1.5 miles to campsite at Horsepasture River just above Windy Falls.  There's a nice cascade here, but its hard to get a good view without taking a swim.  Just above this is a real scenic drop that would probably be a waterfall on any other river.

From the campsite, an obvious path heads downstream along Windy Falls.  The open rock face is slanted and slippery, its not recommended to go out on it and there's no good view of the falls anyway.  The trail is moderate at first then starts to get steep about half-way down.  There's one narrow ledge to climb down that will probably require tying off a rope.  At the base of the ledge is a downed tree.  Follow that down and come out on a big rock near the base of Windy Falls.

To go any further, squeeze through the narrow keyhole and climb down the jumble of rocks.  A rope is a good idea here too.  It started to rain so we didn't go all the way and will have to come back.  This is not a good place to get caught in a storm.

Blog Entries:

24-Jul-2021: Tight Squeeze at Windy Falls