Our second hike of the day continued upstream from Triple Falls to High Falls on the Little River in DuPont State Forest near Brevard, North Carolina. This was during our April 2018 visit to western North Carolina. For more information about our short hikes in the DuPont Forest, view my posts from my previous visit to Bridal Veil Falls, High Falls, Triple Falls, Hooker Falls, and the Aleen Steinberg Center in 2017.
Trail sign
Little River above Triple Falls
Detail of High Falls
Base of High Falls
Entry to DuPont State Recreational Forest is free.
Our second hike of the day was to Triple Falls on the Little River in DuPont State Forest near Brevard during our April 2018 trip to western North Carolina.
To reach the designated parking area from the intersection of US 64, US 276, and NC 280 east of Brevard, drive east on US 64 for 3.7 miles. Turn right onto Crab Creek Road and drive 4.3 miles before turning right onto Dupont Road. Drive 3.1 miles on Dupont Road to the trailhead parking area on the right. Along the way, Dupont Road becomes Staton Road. Both parking areas are gravel surfaced and seem to drain well.
The upper, closer-to-the-trailhead parking area was closed on this visit for construction of a restroom building. This will be a huge improvement over the portable toilets. Depending on where you have to park in the lower lot, you may have to walk up to one-tenth of a mile to reach the trailhead kiosk. Two trails begin at the trailhead. The trail to Triple Falls and High Falls crosses Little River on a large pedestrian bridge before heading upstream and crossing under Staton Road. From the kiosk to the Triple Falls Overlook, the gravel trail is about 1/3 mile or 500 meters and climbs 120 feet or 35 meters.
If you would like a closer view of the waterfalls, continue up the trail an additional 165 feet or 50 meters to a wooden staircase on the left. Descending the 212 treads will lead to a large flat rock between the middle and lower tiers of the falls. There are several benches located at landings on the stairs for those who need to rest on the ascent back to the trail.
Our April 2018 trip to western North Carolina continued with a visit to DuPont State Forest. The first hike of the day was to Hooker Falls on Little River.
To reach the designated parking area from the intersection of US 64, US 276, and NC 280 east of Brevard, drive east on US 64 for 3.7 miles. Turn right onto Crab Creek Road and drive 4.3 miles before turning right onto Dupont Road. Drive 3.1 miles on Dupont Road to the trailhead parking area on the right. Along the way, Dupont Road becomes Staton Road. Both parking areas are gravel surfaced and seem to drain well.
The upper, closer-to-the-trailhead parking area was closed on this visit for construction of a restroom building. This will be a huge improvement over the portable toilets. Depending on where you have to park in the lower lot, you may have to walk up to one-tenth of a mile to reach the trailhead kiosk. Two trails begin at the trailhead. The trail to Triple Falls and High Falls crosses Little River on a large pedestrian bridge before heading upstream.
The trail to Hooker Falls stays on the right bank and heads downstream. While the river isn't always in sight, it is a constant audible companion to your left along the trail. The trail is well-maintained. gravel road for the first ¼ mile to the upper overlook. It is suitable for rugged strollers and possibly wheelchairs with an attendant pushing. Leashed dogs are also allowed on the trail. Beyond the upper overlook, the trail descends steeply on a hard rock surface that is not suitable for wheeled apparatus other than a motorized off-road utility vehicle. The trail ends at an engineered open expanse of flat rock that provides easy access to the river for swimming. The entire trail is about 0.3 miles long or the total round-trip walking distance from your vehicle is under 0.8 miles.
Since this is the most accessible waterfall in the forest, it is also the most crowded. If you are looking for solitude, your best chance is to go early in the morning on a weekday while school is in session. Even then, you likely won't have the trail to yourself.
I posted about my previous visit to Hooker Falls here.
Large lower parking area with portable toilets
Path from lower parking to trailhead
Trailhead kiosk
The trail follows the Little River downstream
Hooker Falls from the upper, accessible viewpoint
Hooker Falls from a lower vantage point
A closer view
One last look
Entry to DuPont State Recreational Forest is free.
Bridal Veil Falls on the Little River in the DuPont State Recreational Forest of North Carolina is more of a slide than a prototypical waterfall. The river drops about 120 feet over an 800 foot run across a large slab of rock. This is the uppermost of the four named waterfalls on the Little River. Layers of the rock slab have broken off and slid to the base of the falls. This allows the river to flow under the unattached rocks and seemingly disappear for a short distance.
A visit to the waterfall requires either a 4.2 mile round trip hike from the Fawn Lake parking lot on Reasonover Road. The parking area is 2.8 miles east of the end of Reasonover Road at Cascade Lake Road in the community of Cedar Mountain, North Carolina. This hike descends over 200 feet from the parking area to the falls.
The second route to reach the falls is a 4.6 mile round trip hike from the Visitor Center on Staton Road. While there are hills along this route, the net elevation change is negligible and the biggest hill is only 60 feet high. The route follows a series of signed gravel roads in the forest before an 800 foot long trail leads to the base of the falls. From the visitor center parking area, hike east 0.6 miles on Buck Forest Road. Along the way, use the walk around at the electric gate, climb and descend the "big" hill and cross Little River on the covered bridge. After 0.6 miles, turn right on Conservation Road and hike 1.1 miles passing over the Lake Julia Spillway in about ½ mile. Ignore the first unsigned road to the right about one mile along Conservation Road (1.55 miles from the visitor center). At 1.1 miles (1.7 miles from the visitor center), turn right onto the signed Bridal Veil Falls Road. Hike ½ mile to the end of the road and find the trail at the middle of the turnaround. Follow the trail to the falls. I hiked to Bridal Veil Falls in July 2017.
Topographic map with GPS route
Exaggerated elevation profile
Gate across Buck Forest Road
Upper end of Triple Falls Trail
Covered bridge over Little River
Little River at the brink of High Falls
Intersection of Buck Forest and Conservation roads
Second bridge on the route
Julia Dam spillway
Reconstructed creekbed
The unsigned road
Field of wildflowers
Bridal Veil Falls Road
A much narrower lane
Paddock
Picnic tables and barn near the paddock
End of Bridal Veil Falls Road
Picnic table at the turnaround
Trailhead
Trail surface is gravel
Overlook
Obstructed view from the overlook
Switchback to descend toward base of the falls
Bike rack
Rock hop required to get to the falls
Rocks and roots at the base
Bridal Veil Falls
A closer view
Entry to DuPont State Recreational Forest is free.
