Pisgah NF Waterfalls and Pisgah 400 hike – 4/24/16 – 4 miles
Dill Falls/Upper Dill Falls/Bad Fork Trail
For the record, birthdays are celebrated every night at Lazy
J Campground.
Jim and I crafted a hike/bike plan with an agreed-upon time
to meet. Assuming there would be no cell
coverage, we set a couple of variables and check points. “If I’m not at X location when you get there
at Y time, that means to meet me at Z.” This flexibility allowed for unforeseen
conditions. For example, I wasn’t sure
how far in I could drive to the waterfalls I planned to visit. I might walk a few miles or not far at all.
We left camp at 8:15
a.m., me in the car and Jim on his bike, both heading up Highway 215 to the Blue
Ridge Parkway. He had decisions to make
also about how far he wanted to ride, based on road conditions (what looked a
little foggy in the valley could be clear skies high on the BRP – or worse fog)
and traffic.
Dill Falls: a long way down a forest road on the west side
of Highway 215, In Nantahala National Forest, not in Pisgah NF where we explored
yesterday. The turn off of 215 looks
deceptively like someone’s driveway. Some
directions to the falls say road conditions are poor and describe a parking
area a half-mile from the ultimate destination where three old roads intersect
(some web blogs say two roads). I was
not interested in blowing a tire in the back of beyond on a Sunday
morning. However, proceeding with
caution, my vehicle clearance felt fine and I was able to drive all the way in. Of the three old roads, the middle one (not
drivable now, but plenty wide for walking) leads only .2 miles downward to Dill
Falls. As the trail crosses the creek, the waterfall is to the right.
What a beauty! A
short drop at the top and then a steep sliding cascade, total height 60 feet.
On either side of Tanasee Creek as the trail crosses there are sweet little
campsites, great to hang out with kids and let them explore, and the sound of
the falls could lull a nighttime dreamer.
But I don’t know how you could get the place to yourself. First come, first served? I’d hate to be settled in a spot like this,
especially with young’uns, and then have party campers show up. I guess I’m a camping snob…
All by myself today, nobody to share the awesomeness with, I
didn’t linger. I retraced my steps back
up to the three-way intersection, this time choosing the old road on the far
right. Following it up and down mounds of dirt for a few hundred yards, I could
hear Upper Dill Falls as I reached the short scramble trail on the left.
A very different character, smaller, more intimate, able
to get closer to this lovely 25-foot, multi-tiered cascade. I felt the invitation to sit and watch and
listen for a little while in this peaceful sanctuary of solitude on a Sunday
morning.
More posts about these waterfalls are here and here.
Waterfall objective accomplished! Now for my little out-and-back Pisgah 400 hike, chosen for its Parkway trailhead and easy access for Jim to meet up with me. Speaking of Jim, I passed him on the BRP as I drove to that trailhead, confirming we were on the same time frame.
Waterfall objective accomplished! Now for my little out-and-back Pisgah 400 hike, chosen for its Parkway trailhead and easy access for Jim to meet up with me. Speaking of Jim, I passed him on the BRP as I drove to that trailhead, confirming we were on the same time frame.
On paper the Bad Fork Trail intersects the BRP at Bent Creek
Gap. In real life it is out of sight of
the Parkway on Wash Creek Road where it passes underneath the BPR via a tunnel.
The forest road is a favorite staging area for mountain biking. I left my car in plain sight on the Parkway
shoulder and moseyed down to Bad Fork.
A super straight trail with a very steep start -- am I
going to hate coming back up? It is
named after the creek that it follows.
What is the origin of the name?
Less than a half-mile down the trail forks – left or
right? Of course there is no official signage
and no trail markings to indicate that one fork is closed. This is (one of the things) that irks me
about Pisgah NF and national forest management in general. Yes, I understand it – I just don’t like it. So I took the right fork, but after five
minutes something about it made me turn around.
The trail seemed a little narrower, a bit more debris on the
trail, and maybe my “trail sense” is now well-honed.
I backtracked to the left fork, which made a large (still
steep) arc of descent. Ten minutes later
I passed a faint trail on the right, which I assumed was the bottom end of that
right fork trail again. Conclusion: the left fork was created to replace the
right fork for erosion control and a gentler descent. Also another reason to call it “bad
fork.”
The fun factor increased as the trail made eight crossings
of tributaries of Bad Fork Creek. The
grade lessened and I gained momentum in the second mile, following the main creek
on my right side. A few crossings were
bridged, but even with the recent rainfall they were easily rock hopped.
The last half-mile of Bad Fork Trail is level and still
following the creek before ending at a large group camp area at Wash Creek
Road. I turned right around and
retreated a hundred yards to sit beside the creek and grab a bite of
lunch. Butterflies were flitting from
bloom to bloom beside the bubbling water.
How hard can the return trip be?
Okay, not so hard as I first anticipated. I got to
repeat all those little creek crossings.
And at that pesky fork I placed branches
across the false trail to warn the next hiker.
I wonder how long they will remain there?
With excellent timing, Jim arrived at the car about one
minute ahead of me. What did he do all
day? What he loves best.
A relaxing and delicious stop at Bold Rock Cidery in
Mills River, NC. We have developed a
habit. Cheers and happy anniversary!
“How
we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.” ~Annie Dillard
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