Accessibility – Moderate+
Height: 50′
Distance – 3.5 (out and back)
Beauty – 8
Photo rating – 7
Solitude – 8
GPS Info: LAT 35.60965 LONG -81.62355
Last updated – 12-26-2024
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Parking: The trailhead parking is in South Mountains State Park at the same place as for High Shoals. The parking lot is located at: 35.60238, -81.62932. It can get pretty hectic on weekends in the summer so get their early. Check with the park office of their website to verify the park is open before visiting. Per the website it is still closed after Hurricane Helene.
https://www.ncparks.gov/state-parks/south-mountains-state-park
The hike: The hike starts at High Shoals Trailhead, but unlike everyone else here to hike, this hike does not follow the High Shoals Trail. The Little River Trail departs from the same trailhead, heading up, from the start, something it will keep on doing. After 1.2 miles it will pass the Turkey Ridge Trail on the right and 0.2 later it will pass a side trail to the Little River Campground on the left. The good news is the trail stops ascending in another 0.1 of a mile, and another 0.1 after that, it’s time to bushwhack. On my first visit back in 2019, I took the trail all the way and climbed down to the base of the falls on river left. On my way out, I climbed the bank on river left and walked up the mostly open ridge spine back to the top of the ridge.
The point I intersected the trail and have subsequently left it on my other visits is at 35.60878, -81.6245. If you stay on the ridge spine, it will drop you out at the base of the falls without having to contend with the cliffs on the other side. If you don’t know what “stay on the ridge spine” means, I’m not sure what to tell you. When I first visited Little River Falls, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I hadn’t seen any pictures of it, and boy was I amazed. The rocks have so much color, and not two minutes after I got there, the skies opened up, making for ideal photo conditions. I’ve been back numerous times, but the conditions have never been as good as that first time. Little River Falls is definitely a hidden gem in South Mountains.
