Falls Park on the Reedy

Sunday morning, we went in to Pickens for breakfast at Village Inn.  The waitresses were really nice and delicious breakfast.  We ended up eating here every morning of our stay.  Then we continued east to Greenville and parked at Falls Park on the Reedy.  We followed the closed road down to the river and first went downstream a short ways to Lower Reedy River Falls.

It's a small 15-foot drop downstream of the main waterfall.

The lighting was unfortunately rather poor, with not a cloud in the sky.  Then we turned around and went upstream to see Reedy River Falls.

The 28-foot waterfall was quite impressive right in the middle of downtown Greenville.

The Liberty Bridge is a unique footbridge over the waterfall with nice views, though it did cast a shadow on the falls.

After crossing the bridge, we headed back to see Arboretum Falls.

It's a small tributary waterfall in a pretty little garden in the park.

After a couple pictures, we continued on Swamp Rabbit Trail following the river downstream.  We went a short ways past the zoo and then turned around since we only had 2 hours of parking.

From here, we went north on US-276 and stopped for lunch at Monterrey Mexican Restaurant.  After 276 merged with SC-11, we continued to Wildcat Wayside and managed to find parking despite being very crowded.  The lighting was poor so we got a picture or two of Wildcat Branch Falls and then continued up the trail.

After crossing the creek, we passed the old chimney, all that remains of Greenville Wayside Park built by the National Park Service.

The creek next to the chimney was scenic.

Just past here, the trail split and we went left, crossing a tributary and then gradually heading up to the base of Upper Wildcat Branch Falls.

It's a really high waterfall with normally low water flow, but was looking nice today.

Continuing on the loop, we next passed Wildcat Branch Tributary Falls.

It's a small sliding waterfall and not real impressive, but the water level was decent today.

After this we finished up the loop.  I walked on the road a quarter-mile or so west to where Slickum Creek crosses under.  The spot is difficult to find and it was easier for Sandy to just drive to me.  After parking, we followed a path into the woods into Eva Russell Chandler Heritage Preserve.

Last Falls on Slickum Creek was a hundred feet from the road, but the area was too dense to see it without making the short hike into the woods.

The lighting was poor, but at least the waterfall was evenly illuminated.  The path continued up the creek another 0.1 miles to a steep scramble down to Sweet Thing.

We were able to get Harper down and she enjoyed checking out the waterfall.

Then we made the short hike back to the road.

From here, we headed back to Pickens.  Ellen invited us to dinner with her and some of the locals down at the library.  The food was really good and Ellen enjoyed spending some time with Harper.

Polk County Waterfalls

The third week in January, we took Harper for her first trip to chase waterfalls.  We headed towards Charlotte then took US-74 west into Polk County to Columbus, driving up White Mountain Road.  There is a pull-off just before Shunkawauken Falls for just one car, where we could park and make the short walk to see the waterfall.

The lighting wasn't great, but the water level was very good.  Back at the pull off, there was a winter view of the lower section but I couldn't climb down for a better view.

From here, we drove back down the mountain and to Tryon at the trailhead for Vaughn Creek Greenway.  A short trail led to Siller's Creek Falls.

It's a small waterfall and the lighting was poor, but it was a scenic location.  We'll have to come back on a cloudy day.

After some pictures, we picked up the greenway trail on the other side of the creek.

There was a view of Siller's Falls from here as well.

Continuing on the trail, we passed a Trail Marker Tree.  Native Americans bent sapling trees so that they would point in a specific direction as they grew for wayfinding purposes.

The trail continued following the scenic Vaugh Creek upstream.

In about 0.8 miles, the trail ended at a tunnel where the creek went under the railroad.

We turned around here and headed back.

From Tryon, we headed west on US-176 and parked at the trailhead for Melrose Falls and hiked up the short trail to the waterfall.

The lighting was poor, but at least the water level was high.

Since the lighting was poor, I didn't bother to try and climb down for a better view.  When it seemed clear no clouds were coming in, we hiked back.  At the trailhead, I walked west on the road a few hundred feet to Highway 176 Waterfall.

Even with higher water levels and the foliage down in winter, this isn't really a very exciting waterfall.

I got a couple pictures and then we took off.

Continuing west towards Saluda, we drove down Pearson Falls Road.  The glen and waterfall were closed (and not dog friendly), but we continued further on the road where it changes to gravel and passed Pearson Falls Road Waterfall.

There was no traffic so we could stop for a quick picture.  I think there used to be a house here.

A little further on the road, we passed through the narrow tunnel then came out in Saluda.  We were getting hungry so stopped at Green River Eddy's Tap Room for lunch.  After lunch, we drove down Holbert Cove Road into Green River Game Land and parked where the road crossed Cove Creek.  We first hiked down the Little Bradley Falls Trail.  We were able to stay dry for the first crossing but had to get wet on the second.  After that, it was just another half-mile to the beautiful Little Bradley Falls.

Due to the creek crossing I guess, we had the waterfall to ourselves.

After a few pictures, we headed back.  Before leaving, we hiked a short ways on Bradley Falls Trail across the street.  In a quarter-mile, we came to the creek crossing at Creekside Falls.

It's a small waterfall, but rather scenic in high water.

We didn't continue the rest of the way as the Wildlife Resources Commission has closed the viewpoint of Big Bradley Falls.

From here, we headed into South Carolina towards Pickens and checked into the guest cottage at Rensing Center.  Our nice host Ellen showed us around and after we got unpacked, I made a quick hike along the Alder Creek Nature Trail to see the waterfall.

It was a small waterfall in several sections flowing down the little creek.

But we'd definitely have this one to ourselves for the week.  Back at the cabin, we got our stuff set up and let Alex out to enjoy the screened porch in back.  He loved laying out there in the cold weather.

Winter Beach Day

Friday, we took Alex and Harper to Wilmington for a winter beach day.  It would be Harper's very first trip to the beach.  We drove through Wilmington and stopped at Fort Fisher State Recreation Area.  We first hiked along the Basin Trail to the WWII bunker and overlook at Zeke's Island.  Then we hiked back and headed out to the beach.  There was almost no one here and we had the beach nearly to ourselves.  We first took Harper down to the water to look at the waves then set up a blanket and she took a little nap.  I walked around and got some bird photos, though there weren't a huge number here today.

There were a few terns and sandpipers right along the water's edge.

A couple flocks of pelicans flew overhead.

I also saw a couple cute willets pecking around in the surf.

After Harper's nap, we took her down to the waves one more time to see the ocean.

We were getting hungry at this point, so stopped for lunch at Jack Mackerels in Kure Beach.  Heading home, we made a stop at Smith Creek Park near where I-40 starts.

A 1.3-mile paved trail makes a loop around the small lake.

We had a nice hike around the lake and then made the drive home.

Saxapahaw Hikes

Saturday, we took Harper for a hike in the small town of Saxapahaw.  We parked at Saxapahaw Island Park to first hike around the island in Haw River.

The water level in the river was very low and the fish weir was visible.  In higher water, it would be completely submerged.

Further on the loop, we had a nice view of the rivermill that is now apartments.

At the north end of the island, we were able to get into the riverbed and view the dam upstream.

After finishing the loop, we walked into town and had breakfast at the general store.  Then we headed over to Saxapahaw Lake and hiked the Scout Loop.

On the hike back, we got on Haw River Trail and headed across the bridge to go northbound.  There was a marbled orb weaver spider along the road.

The trail ran through the grounds of Saxapahaw Campground and to the dam.

The newest section continued past the dam for another 3/4 mile along the lake.

Where the trail ended, we turned around and headed back to the car.

For lunch, we stopped at the Eddy before heading home.

Bill Craft Trail Hike

Sunday, we took Harper for a hike up in Greensboro at the Richardson-Taylor Preserve.  The trail immediately passed by an unusual tree whose trunk was horizontal for a ways before turning to grow up.

Right after here, we came to a split and went right on Wetlands Loop to an overlook of the wetlands on Long Branch before it drained into Lake Townsend.

We then got back on Bill Craft Trail and soon passed the remains of an old car.  Unfortunately, it was vandalized with graffiti.

In another mile or so, a short spur led to another overlook.

The trail continued on another mile, eventually ending at the northern trailhead on Simpson-Calhoun Road.

On the hike back, I stopped for a picture of Long Branch from the bridge.

Back at the parking lot, we took the Watershed Trail Connector down to Reedy Fork Trail for a nice view of Lake Townsend.

After enjoying the view, we headed back.

On the way home, we stopped for lunch at Bright Penny in Mebane.