Catawba Falls

Catawba falls near Old Fort, NC has just recently become (legally) accessible to the public. It was only a few miles out of my way so I had to check it out. 

For some years, people have known about several scenic waterfalls located on the headwaters of the Catawba River in Pisgah National forest just outside the town of Old Fort.

The falls, including pictures, are featured in the popular waterfall hunter's bible North Carolina Waterfalls: A Hiking and Photography Guide by photographer Kevin Adams and people have been going there for years.

And why shouldn't they? The falls are on public National Forest land.

Unfortunately, while the falls are public, the trail crosses several dozen yards of private property between the parking area at the dead end of a road and the National Forest boundary. According to Adams' book, owners of the land haven't been friendly to visitors over the years.

Recent news articles have reported that public access to the area has been permanently secured, which is great news to hikers and waterfall lovers like me.

I read about the new access just a week before a trip to Brevard to visit some college friends -- a trip that takes me straight through Old Fort on I-40 -- so I didn't think twice about making the short detour.

I wasn't disappointed.

In fact, I think this area deserves a second visit (or third, fourth...) on my future trips to Western North Carolina. I only scratched the surface of the photographic possibilities of this area before it got dark on me.