Waterfall Wednesday continues today with a long distance view of Bearwallow Falls which is located in Gorges State Park which is one of the great parks located in North Carolina. Chris and I visited Gorges State Park on a wintery day so the foliage in my pictures is not green and lush but it really allowed us to see the waterfall without trees and leaves in the way so maybe that was a good thing.
Bearwallow Falls viewing is pretty easy from the platform constructed in the park but it allows a view of only a portion of the falls from what I can understand. I think what we could see was the lower portion of the falls and even if it was not the complete falls it was still pretty spectacular.
It was a nice hike to view the falls with a great parking area and picnic shelter in the parking area for those who wanted to start or end their hike with a little picnic.
You can almost hear the water, can’t you?
The trail to the viewing deck is a little over a mile and a half and it isn’t too overly vigorous. On our ascent to return to the parking lot we did take advantage of the bench that was along the way and it allowed us to spy this tree.
How about a little closer look?
How about one with less leaves in the way?
I think the woodpeckers had a great time with this tree and if we had not stopped to take a little break we probably would have missed it. You just never know what you are going to find when you take your time, right?
Gorges State Park is a beautiful park to explore. It boasts many waterfalls, river gorges and rock walls. The visitor center is a very informative place that includes a lot of hands on exhibits including a man made waterfall. I loved walking around looking at all of the informative plaques and exhibits. It is obviously a great destination for school groups as there are a myriad of things for them to do in the center itself before even hitting a trail. The park is 7,500 acres and has a lot of great hiking trails and picture perfect spots. If you are around Sapphire, North Carolina this would be a great stop on your trip.
