Wanna know a secret???…read more There are waterfalls all over this region of the South just waiting to be discovered. Many are known and many more are unknown. While I've been hiking this area for nearly a decade, I only recently heard about this waterfall for the first time last year (2019). A well kept local secret indeed... but y'all dun let the wrong yelper discover this waterfall and the secret is about to be let out! [ THE DRIVE ] There are a shocking amount of natural waterfalls located on private property throughout this area. Thankfully this is not one of them and it can be enjoyed by all. The gravel road to the trailhead is known as Big Creek Road. Since we were coming from the King Creek Waterfall area near Tamassee SC, GPS lead us to the eastern end of Horse Cove Road, which is also known as Bull Pen Road closer to the Chattooga River (where you pass over a cool old iron bridge). I tell you these details because if you happen to follow our driving route on a week after heavy rainfalls, you are likely to see a great number of unnamed waterfalls off in the woods. We counted 5, and only one of them was a named waterfall on Google maps (Scotsman Falls). [ THE EXPERIENCE ] We traveled along Walking Stick Road until it took a sharp right turn towards Big Creek Road. On the day we visited, there was a locked gate blocking the drive onto Big Creek Road, so we parked in a small little niche near the gate and walked about 200 yards to the Secret Falls trailhead (which is marked with a narrow sign). The trail was very muddy, but the descent was slow and steady for the majority of the half mile hike. However, it gets considerably steeper as you approach the portion of the trail leading to the base of the falls. Here you will see poorly maintained wooden timbers actings as steps.They were so poor in fact, that we opted not to use them and walked alongside them. The waterfall was raging from all the recent rain, which limited some of our photo opportunities. It is a gorgeous waterfall with picturesque cascades both above and below it. The cascades below comes as the river takes a sharp left turn just past the pool of water at the base of the falls. Accessing the upper waterfall area is easily done by using a small obvious trail off to the left just before the wooden steps. A downed tree forces you to scramble over it and around large rhododendrons that are bent over from the weight of the fallen tree. Once through the brush, you will be directly on top of the falls, so be careful and exercise good judgement. [ THINGS TO KNOW ] Hiking Distance: 1.3 miles Difficulty: Easy and family friendly (but can be muddy) Creek Crossings: YES (3) Elevation Gain: 255 feet Waterfall Height: Approx 45 feet Access to top of falls: YES Access to base of falls: YES Pool of water @ base of Falls: YES Sitting areas @ base: YES RESTROOMS: NO PARKING: YES if gate is open. [ FINAL THOUGHTS ] THE SECRET IS OUT!!! This is a great waterfall for an easy family adventure. We came in the winter, but seems this would be a great picnic spot where kids could play in the water for hours in the summer. The drive to nearby Highlands, NC is only about 6.5 miles away for plenty of food options and even more waterfall adventures. Near Highlands are a number of GREAT waterfalls with very short hiking distances including Ranger Falls, Bust Yer Butt Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, Cullasaja River Falls and our personal favorites: Glen Falls, Dry Falls, Mud Falls and Estatoah Falls (which is hidden just next to the Sky Valley Scenic Overlook). ENJOY!!! 2020 / 4

I was somewhat surprised that there are not more reviews of this trail/waterfall. I believe that…read morethe real name of this falls is Big Shoals Falls. In his book on NC waterfalls, Kevin Adams referred to it as Secret Falls and the name seems to have stuck. For years, there was no official trail to this waterfall and the one unofficial trail which existed traversed private property. I've been visiting the area for thirty years and this (October 2021) was my first visit to this waterfall. Bottom line: It is awesome. Truly one of the more beautiful waterfalls that I've been to. I have to disagree with the previous reviewer: IMO, this trail is in horrible shape. Granted, reviews like these are entirely subjective. But I would definitely not bring young children or dogs here. When I visited, the trail was really in bad shape. The first part of the hike was fairly easy. But the farther you go, the worse the trail becomes. Erosion had taken a terrible toll. There are many rutted and washed-out areas. Some were so bad that hikers have bypassed the trail completely. The final descent to the base of the falls was the worst. Wooden steps had been constructed. But the erosion was so bad that much of the soil behind the steps had washed out making the steps all but unusable. There are two water crossings on the trail. One was a couple of planks stretched across a small branch. The other was on a split log over a somewhat larger stream. Neither was too difficult. Then again, the faint-of-heart would probably not care for either one. Trekking poles helped me on both. I was not able to find a path to the brink of the falls. I tried one crude path which seemed to be incredibly choked with rhododenron. So I gave up on getting to the top of the falls. There is a much smaller cascade downstream of the main falls. As with the brink, I could not figure out how to get to it. I visited early in the morning and had the place all to myself. The lighting wasn't terrific. I'm not sure what time or sky conditions are ideal for photography. I drove in on Rich Gap and Big Creek Roads off of Hwy 28 south of Highlands. It wasn't too bad of a drive in my 2WD F-150. But I believe that the drive out on Walking Stick Rd to Horse Cove Rd east of town was easier. If you love waterfalls, definitely put this one on your must-see list. But be aware of the fact that the hike is a challenge. Not so much due to elevation change (which is moderate) but, rather, due to the overall condition of the trail.

I am apart of a homeschool co-op and we found this campground for a group camping experience…read more When we arrived we were proudly greeted with "We are a no frills, 70s style campground." Yes, this is lol Like another reviewer said check and double check your deposit. There are no cards taken- only cash and check mailed to them. The front desk has a large reservation notebook with highlighters going all through it. We had some small issues because of their lack of technology. One family got double booked on a campsite, and one family was not reserved with their deposit. It was a confusing mix-up which Lazy J apologized for and made right. I feel like this is what camping should feel like. The tubing river was calm enough where I would let my kids, boys ages 6-10, go tube the river by themselves. Thus my husband and I didn't have to supervise or entertain them. We knew they were either tubing on the river or playing on the "beach". Which, BTW, the best spots in Lazy J are A7, A9 & A10 - these sites had access to the beach area and a nice swim hole. We were in A7 so we could see and hear them when they were playing on the beach. On the website map the river is cut off at the bottom. The river actually swings around so A3, 5 and 7 have the river behind them. Some tent sites are TINY - as in a 2 person tent, max. C3 and C4 were so small a mom had to move to a bigger site to fit her family tent. A6 and A8 are right next to each other - which would be a good option if you're camping with friends but feels awkward if you're next to a stranger. The swings are very tall which made them a lot of fun to swing on. I think the best part is going in June and you'll get to see the synchronous fireflies (if it's not raining) in the big field in front of the bathhouse. Bathhouse was clean (I didn't use the showers for our short stay) and well stocked. I think our group has found it's yearly camping spot. It was a great stay.

Nice forested campground next to a flowing river. Stayed in a tent site for $17 with showers and…read moretrash service. Debbie at the front desk was very open to letting us choose any of the tent sites available. The only negative remark I have is that a long term resident, "Mary", approached me while talking to my spouse through the bathroom door. She was very very rude and claim she worked there but when I asked her name, she changed her mind, noting she was only a camper and "used to" run the camp. I can only imagine as to why she "used to" run the campground.

Its a long hot hike in the summer, but when you finally make it to the falls, the water is cold!…read more The climbing rope is not very safe, I slipped due to so many people being there and the rock being so slippery and had massive bruises on my knees for weeks. A little overcrowded in the summer.

Turtleback Falls was always so much fun. Everything in this area is spectacular. It is a giant…read morefalls shaped like a turtle's back and you can slide off of it! The rock surface is so smooth and when you slide off the turtle's back you fall 10-15 feet into freezing cold water. There is a hole on turtle back that you can slide into and lean your head back to find an air pocket. You can also swim behind the waterfall and just chill. On the opposite side of the catch pool (natural), you find a giant rock that you can jump off of. I'd say it's roughly 15-20 feet so you may want to wear shoes to assuage the impact on your feet.

This was a surprise for me that there was a sweet little waterfall so close to my sister's new…read morehometown. It's located in a park, yet there's no where to picnic. It's just the falls, unless I missed some hidden walking trails. Nonetheless, the falls are calming, and not at all congested like Looking Glass Falls in Pisgah National Park.

Undoubtedly a beautiful & scenic location as two creeks (Carson Creek and Batson Creek) separately…read morefall into one of North Carolina's mini-gorges to form a third waterfall known as "the silver slip". The formation of the falls collectively is a "Y-shape" as Connestee Falls meets Batson Creek Falls to form Silver Slip Falls. It is one of the most unique waterfalls I've ever come across and would be much better photographed with a drone. There is an overlook on the Batson Creek side that faces Carson Creek, however, it is only accessible from a private trail in nearby Connestee Falls Subdivision. Thusly, the best view you will get as a non-resident will be from this nicely constructed boardwalk. The boardwalk hangs over Connestee Falls, so your view is very limited. Batson Creek Falls is visible, but not in its entirety as trees block most of the upper half of this nearly 100 foot tall sliding beauty. Topography maps show the elevation around Connestee Falls dropping roughly 65 feet before merging with Batson Creek Falls. Sliver Slip Falls is nearly impossible to see with the exception of the crest. [ FINAL THOUGHTS ] A staff member from our hotel told me about this waterfall and I'm so happy he did. It was our very last stop on a waterfall chasing weekend that included Upper White Water Falls, Toxaway Falls, Gorges State Park, Looking Glass Falls & Skinny Dip Falls. While it isn't a destination waterfall and rather difficult to properly view, it most certainly is a nice add-on when touring the area. 2021 / 67

The fish hatchery offers self gu8ded tours all day long and closes at 4 on daily…read more The drive to it is absolutely stunning, a picturesque road that turns into fish hatchery drive which is narrow and full of hair pin turns. Take it at the speed limit that they say, especially if it's unfamiliar terrain. Next door to the hatchery, sharing a parking lot is a picnic area and hiking path. The picnic area is really over grown, there are signs that wood has recently been cut, but the grass is high and covering the grills making them useless. Some of the tables too, are beyond useable. There is one covered structure that seems in good repair, but the path up to it is over grown az well.

Great park with a variety of hiking trails and some beautiful waterfalls to check out. The trails…read moreare well marked, but you'll want to either download the trails map ahead of time from their website, or take a photo of the park map at the parking lot, because they don't have maps along the trails & there are several trails to chose from. We hiked to High Falls and Triple Falls (both beautiful!), which I would say are moderate-level difficulty due to the inclines & some portions of the trail are loose gravel. Easy for The Hubs and I, but a tad more of a challenge for my in-laws. There are some spots with rocks just the right size to sit on and have a rest if you need a break. There are restrooms at the High Falls trailhead parking lot, and a gift shop. I'm not sure about restrooms elsewhere in the park.

Waterfall Central. 10,400 acres of beautiful hiking trails leading to some of the most amazing…read morewaterfalls / waterways in the Carolinas. It's packed in the summer and parking is at overflow levels. We had the trails and waterfalls all to ourselves 11/10/25 and it was snowing. What an incredible experience. Park is clean and well managed. Trails are marked and wide. Can't wait to go back this coming summer.

We got incredibly lucky with this one. I read online that you didn't have to make reservations…read morebecause there were 70 pull up spots. Turns out in the high months like summer you definitely need to make reservations. Lucky for us. Somebody paid for an extra night, but drove away. The Rangers are some of the nicest I've ever met in my life. They let us have the site for free and we're friendly the entire time we were there. The space was kept incredibly clean for the amount of people that were there. And when I say amount of people that were there, I mean so many people there. This is not my jam, and I probably wouldn't return to the campground just because of the sheer velocity of other people all around us. Jampacked. I'm pretty sure at any given time you could see 10 to 15 people from your site alone. The sites did have plenty of space for a 10 and a car or multiple cars. They also had a nice set up for bath houses too. They were clean and well stocked and plentiful. We were so lucky to have a guy playing a banjo across from us and we had a nice campfire with banjo playing nearby. Bought wood from the gas station but it ended up being wet so maybe even more expensive $10 wood from this campground would've been smarter . You can walk to an amazing spot to view stars and it's a very short hike to the river. Love the nature nearby as an allowed us to get away from people want to be in the moment. Seems like people are fishing nearby.

TLDR: Great camping spot, right next to the Art Loeb trailhead! Would definitely come back…read more BOOKING: Due to COVID-19, you must book online. You can do so on your phone if needed. Pretty easy, just need to know which site you want. The cost of each spot varies some. The people who greeted us at the entrance to give us our passes and let us in were very nice! FACILITIES: We stayed at camp spot #9, which had access to two outlets (which we didn't use), a picnic table, a fire pit. We were close to a communal a water spigot, bathrooms with flushing toilets and showers which had running water and were reasonably clean. My friends and I are used to backpacking, so this place felt like glamping! The only downsides are that you are required to pitch your tent on gravel (rather than grass) and that you can't wash pots in the bathrooms or with the water spigot because it's not connected to sewage lines.

Wow! Breathtaking!!! The weather was a little chilly but I can imagine sitting out here reading a…read morebook or just star gazing in 70 degree weather. No graffiti allowed but clearly people didnt follow that rule. Lol It was still pretty cool to see it on the rocks minus the expletives The view is to die for. No, literally and physically speaking. Lol If you walk down far enough and you're clumsy like me, prepare yourself for a continuous roll.

Beautiful as always and much cleaner due to the new hike in to see it. My only suggestion is the…read moresignage needs improvement. 290 Persimmon Road ..the gravel road could be marked better. And the trail markings definitely could be better. There are small hidden tripping stumps along the way which could easily be cut out. We enjoyed the stroll through the woods to Bald Rock. Didn't see the glass as we had in the past.. no evidence of fires as in the past. Seemed nicer.