Accessibility – Hard
Height – 20′
Distance – 36 miles (out and back)
Beauty – 3
Photo rating – 2
Solitude – 10
GPS Info: LAT 35.44887 LONG -83.68147
Last Updated – 12-23-2024
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Note: The hike can start at either end of the Lakeshore Trail, either at the Road to Nowhere tunnel in Bryson City or Fontana Dam. In a display of symmetry, Chesquaw Falls is 18 miles from either trailhead, putting it in the middle of a 36-mile hike. I happened up this waterfall while day-hiking the trail back in 2023. It could well be the waterfall furthest from a trailhead in NC. If you have a boat, you can shorten the trip, but even with a boat, it’s not exactly a prime destination. Before heading to either trailhead visit the park website for a current list of closed trails and roads at: https://www.nps.gov/grsm/index.htm
Where to park: Pick an end. You can park at the AT trailhead at Fontana Dam or the tunnel in Bryson City.
The hike: From the dam, follow the Lakeshore Trail east 18 miles to the falls. From Road to Nowhere, follow the Lakeshore trail west for 18 miles. If you have two cars, leave a car at one end, and start at the other, that’s what we did. I’m not giving a lot of detail because no one is doing this hike to see this waterfall. If you’re actually hiking this trail, you have my pin to know where the waterfall is and I bet after a hard rain, this one looks nice. If you’re thinking about making the trek, the 36-mile end-to-end hike took us 12 hours and 31 minutes, which wasn’t too shabby but we needed to get done before the Mexican restaurant in Robbinsville closed.
