Accessibility – Moderate+
Height – 35′-40′
Distance – 2.2 miles (out and back)
Beauty – 5
Photo rating – 4
Solitude – 7
GPS Info: LAT 35.05101 LONG -82.84825
Last Updated – 12-28-2024
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Where to park: The trailhead for this hike is the same as Virginia Hawkins and several other hikes that have destinations on the upper leaches of Laurel Creek. The gate on Canebrake Rd isn’t always closed, but for the sake of this hike, the journey begins at the gate. The parking GPS is: 35.04404, -82.83827.
The hike: The hike begins on Canebrake Road heading up the grade. At times the road is steep and other times it levels off over the first 0.4 of a mile. At 0.4 the Foothills Trail crosses Canebrake Road. If the gate was open, it would be possible to park the Foothills intersection. Make a left onto the Foothills Trail, and less than a tenth of a mile later, make a right to remain on the Foothills Trail. For the next 0.7 of a mile the trail will snake down the mountain and eventually draw even with Laurel Fork. Almost directly across from where the trail flattens out, Bushwhack Falls tumbles over a high cliff on the other side of Laurel Fork. If the leaves are off, you can see it, but if you want to get a better look, you can cross Laurel Fork and find out for yourself why this one is named “Bushwhack” Falls.
Depending on what you want to do from here, you can either reverse course and hike out the same way to continue downstream on the Foothills Trail to Virginia Hawkins Falls and make this trip into a loop. That’s the way we did it, and it made for a nice hike. Below you can see the view from the trail and the view from the base. It’s not easy to get to the falls, but I think it’s worth the effort.
