Accessibility – Moderate
Height – 15′
Distance – 2.4 (out and back)
Beauty – 4
Photo rating – 4
Solitude – 7
GPS Info: LAT 34.99796 LONG -82.87354
Last Updated – 01-11-2023
Last Visited – 02-19-2022
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Upper Distillery Falls is the uppermost waterfall on this unnamed trib of Mill Creek. The waterflow is going to be pathetic in the summer, but after a decent rain, this hike might offer some impressive sights. This final waterfalls is about fifteen feet high. The upper part is a freefall with a slide below. I’m going to give the basics of the hike to get here as well as links to the other sights you will see along this hike. The early part is on a road, but there is some bushwhacking. The woods are relatively open..
From the Mill Creek Road Trailhead at 34.99113, -82.87516, continue walking past the gate. You do not want to follow Mill Creek Road which goes off to the left, You want the one on the right that heads up hill. At 0.25 of a mile from the gate, would be where you would bushwhack off the left side of the trail to see Prince Cove Falls. In another 0.25 of a mile, look for a place to head down on the right to get to the base of Enchanted Falls. You want to keep this waterfall and the cliff it flows over on your left to get to the base..We’re going off-trail now. To continue upstream, head up on river left. When the creek splits, you want the branch that forks to your left when looking upstream. It is the one that is NOT Mill Creek if that helps. Forgotten Cove Falls will be the first thing you see when you start up the trib.
When it was time to continue, we were on river left at this point. Umbrella Rock Falls is less than 0.1 of a mile upstream. These falls are all close together. There is an Unnamed Waterfall at the midpoint between Umbrella Falls and Distillery Falls which only 0.1 a mile further upstream. Upper Distillery Falls is less than 0.1 of a mile futher up. We got above Distillery Falls and stepped over what was left of the creek. Instead of following the creek back, we walked through the woods, which were fairly open. We picked up a road along the way and it led us to where we left the road to go down to Enchanted Falls. Half a mile later, we were at the car.
I will eventually go back after a good rain to see how these look. One pic of Upper Distillery Falls.
HIKINGWNC 