Thursday, July 20, 2017

Turtleback Falls - Gorges State Park / Pisgah National Forest


Turtleback Falls on the Horsepasture River in Pisgah National Forest is accessed via the Rainbow Falls Trail in Gorges State Park. Directions and pictures of the trail from the Grassy Ridge Trailhead to Rainbow Falls can be found on my previous post.

Note that walking on wet rocks, wading, and swimming above waterfalls is inherently dangerous. Wet rocks can be slippery and one misstep can prove fatal as it has several times at Rainbow Falls and at least once at Turtleback falls in the last few years. Use extreme caution and watch children closely.

The nearly 3.5 mile round trip is listed as strenuous as the trail descends about 400 feet to the Horsepasture River before climbing over 300 feet to reach Turtleback Falls. The additional ½ mile round trip beyond Rainbow Falls is well worth the effort to see another large waterfall. When I was there in July 2017, an extended family was using the falls as a water slide. They graciously offered to stop their play for a few minutes while I captured the video at the end of this post. I continue to be amazed at how often people on a trail are willing to help others enjoy the journey.

Topographic map with GPS route

Elevation profile

Follow the path on the right to Turtleback Falls

Campsite beside trail at the top of Rainbow Falls

Fallen trees across the timber stairs

A closer view of the fallen trees

Top of Turtleback Falls

Turtleback Falls


Entry to Gorges State Park and Pisgah National Forest is free.

The park website is https://www.ncparks.gov/gorges-state-park.
The forest website is https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/nfsnc/recarea/?recid=48114.

4 comments:

  1. So pretty. We are such waterfall enthusiasts, I have to go back and read all your posts. I was away on a 20-day Volksmarching vacation for most of June, so I haven't kept up with reading blogs.

    We especially enjoy sliding down falls into pools and have a couple of favorite places in southern Oregon where we do that. I can't wait to read the rest of your waterfall blogs!! These will be going on our bucket list.

    Susan

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    1. Thanks for reading. There are a LOT of waterfalls in Transylvania County, North Carolina! One that I didn't visit, but that you might want to add to your bucket list is Sliding Rock.

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    2. I think we drove past sliding rock, but it was February and it wasn't open...too cold. That's the one you can slide down into, correct? It looked like fun.

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  2. P.S. If you want the scoop on waterfalls in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Wyoming. British Columbia or Alberta, Canada, let us know. We've hiked to so many. You can also read my blog for many, many waterfall hikes all over the place: travelbug-susan.blogspot.com

    Do you live in North Carolina or Tennessee?

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