Accessibility – Hard
Height – 25′
Distance – 3.2 miles (out and back)
Beauty – 4
Photo rating – 3
Solitude – 8
GPS Info: LAT 35.09641 LONG -82.88958
Last Updated – 12-23-2024
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Where to park: The parking is at the Frozen Creek Parking Area for Gorges State Park which is on Frozen Creek Road about three miles from US64. The parking lot is at 35.10878, -82.88368. Google knows how to find Frozen Creek Parking Area.
The hike: You really have to have it in your head that you want to see this waterfall because getting to it is hard, it’s covered in downfall, kind of like Maple Springs Branch Falls that’s below it. That said, here we go. The hike follows the Auger Hole Trail out of the parking lot, across a bridge and eventually onto Auger Hole Road, which is also the trail. The trail is going to climb to a T intersection at the top of the ridge. The Auger Hole Trail goes to the right. Make a left onto the Canebrake Trail. The hike follows this to another intersection in less than 0.2 where Canebrake goes left and the Heath Pine Ridge Trail goes to the right. The Heath Pine Ridge trail is the one you want. Follow it for 0.3 of a mile and look for a good place to plunge off the side of the mountain.
You will be leaving the trail at around the 2250 ft elevation and the waterfall is way down at 1800 ft so it is a fun 0.4 of a mile to get to the base of the falls. If you have the waterfall GPS in your tracking app, and you should, you want to aim to come out below it. I can’t tell you how to so this other than to thread the needle because if you get too far downstream, you will run into some steep cliffs. The last 0.2 is wildly overgrown and steep. It requires patience and an eye for picking a safe route. There isn’t much more than I can tell you. Like I said, you really need to have it in your head that you NEED to see this one. When you get to the waterfall, you will find it hidden behind some impressive logs, and down here where the sun don’t shine, everything is green and mossy. I may be making it out to be worse that it really is, but I don’t think I am. This was one of the worst bushwhacks I’ve had to do.
As far as leaving, here is my advice, cross the creek and climb out on river left. It’ll be thick but if you hug the rock line, it’s not too bad. Our line had us moving upstream and parallel to the creek once we got around the rock wall. We kept this line and picked up an old road that took us back to the Canebrake Trail. Make a left and after a mile, you will be at the split with the Heath Pine Ridge Trail. But, if you’ve come this far, you might want to consider making a right and visiting Upper and Lower Fisher Hole Falls.
