Accessibility – Moderate+
Height – 60′
Distance – 2.54 miles (out and back)
Beauty – 6
Photo rating – 6
Solitude – 7
GPS Info: LAT 35.1958 LONG -82.6084
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Grassy Creek Falls is another of the waterfalls in DuPont State Forest but unlike High Falls and Triple Falls, Grassy Creek Falls isn’t overly crowded, making it like Wintergreen Falls. I made two visits to Grassy Creek falls in 2015, one in July and one in October. On both visits there were a few people at the falls but none of them lingered very long. The waterfall is about 60 feet high. Grassy Creek Falls is a huge rockslide like Sliding Rock over in Pisgah Forest but the collection pool at the base is filled with large boulders that would ensure any slide would end badly.
Grassy Creek Falls can be accessed from three different parking areas but on my visits I parked at the High Falls parking area and followed Buck Forest Road. You can also park at the Hooker Falls parking area and make it part of a Triple Falls/High Falls hike. You could also come at it from the Lake Imaging parking area but I haven’t tried this route.
To get to Grassy Creek Falls take Crab Creek Road off of US64 between Brevard and Hendersonville. If you’re coming from Brevard you’ll be making a right, from Hendersonville a left. Proceed down Crab Creek Rd 4.2 miles and make a right onto DuPont Road. Along the way DuPont Road changes names to Station Road. Regardless of the name, stay on DuPont road for 4.2 miles to the High Falls parking area (Buck Forest Road) and make a right. Stay to the right and go up the hill following the loop that brings you around to the parking and the visitor center. It’s going to be crowded so prepare yourself. In July I had to park on the side of Station Road and walk about 0.5 of a mile to Buck Forest Road.
From the gate at the end of the parking area the hike is about 1.25 miles. It is primarily on gravel roads with the exception of the final segment on the Grassy Creek Falls Trail. Set out on Buck Forest Road, bypassing the gate for emergency vehicles. The gravel road is used for both mountain biking and horseback riding so stay alert. Roughly half a mile from the gate you will come to the covered bridge that caps High Falls. Before the bridge the Covered Bridge Trail comes up from the High Falls viewing area. Cross the bridge. The next intersection is Conservation Road but stay on Buck Forest Road. Nearly a mile into the hike a bridge crosses over Grassy Creek. Beyond the bridge the road intersects Lake Imaging Road. Go to the left and up the hill. Less than 0.25 of a mile from the intersection the Grassy Creek Falls Trail is on the left. It is signed and hard to miss. Bypass the Hilltop Trail on the right once you’re in the woods and stay left. The Grassy Creek Trail leads to the top of the waterfall.
The view from the top of the falls is cool but it makes for an awful picture. This is where things get interesting. There is a trail to the base of the falls but it blocked by a fallen tree that has a small “Do Not Enter” affixed to it. I did some exploring on my July visit and located another trail to the base of the falls. This is something you will have to seek out for yourself but I can tell you that getting to the base of the falls is not easy. Getting back up to the Grassy Creek Trail was just as difficult. You’re going to have to decide on how you want to approach this. If you’re not used to off-trail hiking, you’d be best served with the view from the top.
The hike is kid friendly with the exception of the scramble to the base which I would not allow my 6-year-old to attempt when we returned in October of 2015. She is a veteran of more than 100 waterfalls and more scrambles than I can count but this isn’t one of them. Perhaps when they open the trail in the future.
You can take a shot from the top but with this kind of waterfall it’s very hard to capture from above. Check out the last picture and you’ll see what I mean. Don’t have anything else for you on this one. If the trail opens in the future I will check it out.
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