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Gorges State Park

4.9 (62 reviews)

Gorges State Park Photos

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White water falls
Jill C.

Great time at Gorges State Park. Nice facilities , picnic tables, clean. Great waterfalls. Lots of camping options , from cabins to RVs to tents. We went hiking , but next time we come back we will camp. Not crowded on a Sunday afternoon in October

Big Sis
Diana P.

We went the first time with our beloved fur baby "Baby" 12 months ago. Then we moved here in Jan and went again in March w with my Big Sis who lives here in Sapphire. This time we went all the way to top fall. It took us 3 hours as I had a slight injury from my trampoline;) The walk and all the falls were beautiful

John B.

While I am a onetime NC resident and regular visitor to all parts of the state, this park was not on my radar. The windy entrance road leads to a massive LEED-certified visitor center; clearly some money went into it, which overlooks the valley below (probably getting into SC). I sampled one trail, and despite some mobility limitations on my part, made it far enough to witness a majestic waterfall ringed with fall colors (earlier signage suggested this was more of a cascade because the water rolls over rocks rather than free falling). The area is likely to hold wonders in all seasons for those game for a day hike.

Laura S.

This state park has everything an outdoor enthusiast could want! Located in Transylvania County in North Carolina, it's near the tri-point where NC, South Carolina, and Georgia meet. It features 26 waterfalls, rugged river gorges, sheer rock precipices, and a portion of the 70-mile Foothills Trail. And, admission and parking are FREE. We started our visit at the Grassy Ridge Visitors Center, which is perhaps the most beautiful and functional Visitor Center in a state park that we have ever seen. Environmentally-designed, it features a Ranger's Station, a gift shop, a modern auditorium that regularly shows an interesting orientation film, hands-on exhibits, clean rest rooms, and an outdoor viewing deck with a scenic view, and rocking chairs to enjoy the view from. In addition to watching the film, we spent some time with the very helpful ranger who highlighted hiking options for us and armed us with maps. While the park has 56 miles of hiking trails, 17 miles of biking, 12 miles of horseback riding, camping, fishing, picnicking, and birdwatching, it was getting to be late afternoon, so we would concentrate only on doing some hiking. We made our way to the trailhead for the Upper Bearwallow Falls Trail. Of note, there's a large parking lot, with a modern restroom plus a nice picnic area in that section of the park. The trail itself is only about 0.5 miles roundtrip, and has an elevation change of 157'. The state park classifies it as strenuous while AllTrails rates it as moderate. The trail was okay, but I probably wouldn't do it again. The trail was a bit washed out in places, and the gravel was slippery, especially if you don't wear shoes with good traction. The waterfall itself was narrow and not that impressive. We then drove to the trailhead for Rainbow Falls, Turtleback Falls, and Drift Falls, a 3.9-mile out-and-back trail if you visit all three waterfalls. (Rainbow Falls is at the 1.7 mile mark). Given the late hour, and the fact that we didn't want to hike in the dark, we agreed that we would hike to a certain hour, turning wherever we were at that time -- which would likely prevent us from seeing ANY of the waterfalls but we'd still have a nice hike in the woods and get some more exercise! We enjoyed this trail -- it's wide and well-maintained, easy to follow with regular blazes, and had a fair number of other hikers. From the parking lot, the trail was a steady descent -- and we crossed from the Gorges State Park into the Nantahala National Forest at 0.8 miles. We walked a bit more but didn't reach the stream crossing at 1.1 miles. We turned, and climbed back up to the parking lot -- feeling that we accomplished what we intended to do but leaving the door open for us to return in the future to actually see the waterfalls on the waterfalls hike! One final note. Be aware that this is bear country, and you should be familiar with food-handling practices that will keep the bears in the wild. As I write this review on Nov 5, 2023, the campground is closed through November 16th due to "unsafe Bear activity." Local newscasts show that a bear caused significant damage to a hard-sided camper in the campground a few days ago.

Turtleback Falls
Julie H.

This is a truly phenomenal park and a hidden gem! Over 8,000 acres and 26 waterfalls- amazing hikes. Today we hiked about 4 miles round trip to see Rainbow Falls and Turtleback Falls. So beautiful and we did indeed see rainbows in the mist surrounding the falls. There are hikes for all abilities in this park. The visitor center is beautifully designed and very interesting. There is camping here and yurts. Can't wait to return!

Andrea W.

Cool spot, came here to do Rainbow Falls and Bearwallow Falls. Both pretty short hikes, lots of parking, clearly marked trails with trail blazers. Not many people, gushing water, would recommend if you're around the area!

Pano of the falls in fog and mist
Jonathan B.

Gorges certainly is the hidden gem I was promised. On a rainy and misty fall day I was absolutely floored when I rounded a bend and saw the most roaring waterfall I've ever experienced in North Carolina. Rainbow Falls was incredible and powering over the cliff side after a decent amount of recent rain. A 3.4 mile round trip took me to the falls and back (plus a small offshoot from the trail). Some would argue this is a strenuous hike - my watch read out 1,000 feet of elevation gain altogether. The rain, mud and slick rocks definitely made it harder than it could've been on a less dreary day. But all-in-all it was absolutely worth the views and I'd love to get back here on a clearer day. Speaking of which, park staff were friendly as always in most of the parks I've visited. They informed me due to the unique environment in the area it stays pretty well shrouded in fog for many days throughout the year. The park office seems to have been recently built or updated. The beautiful, modern building hosts standing exhibits with information on local wildlife, an auditorium and a cozy seating area with a fireplace. If only I had more time in my day, this would be a beautiful place to sit and read or write.

Rainbow falls view
Michael O.

This is a hidden gem! Short and interesting challenging hikes take you and your dog to high volume waterfalls and best of all some rock sliding! Turtleback falls is the redneck riviera of mountain water slides - short but thrilling; there are 2 falls with medium high jumping areas for the courageous. Rainbow falls is picture perfect for the less adventurous; turtleback is a must for daredevils!

River on the way to Rainbow Falls
Jacqueline T.

I was looking up good winter hikes and stumbled upon this, and more specifically Rainbow Falls. It was a bit of a long trip from Charlotte (a little over 2.5 hours), but it was worth it. We hiked out to Rainbow Falls. I would say the hike was moderate. There was a decent amount of up and down but nothing too bad. The falls was great. It big, tall, wide, and had a lot of volume. It was a bit muddy on parts of the trail. We continued on about a quarter of a mile to see Turtleback Falls. It was definitely a lot smaller but worth seeing since it's so close. There are also a couple of points that you can go down to the river which is really cool. Our hike totaled just under 4 miles round-trip. We finished by going to the Gorges Overlook which is just a stop off of a one way loop in the park. The park also has a very nice visitor's center with bathrooms. This is definitely a state park that's worth checking out for a day!

Gorges State Park, NC

Fantastic state park! The campground is beautiful, offering 16 tent-only sites and about the same in RV spots (some are pull through for big rigs, some for pop-ups), plus a few tiny-house cabins (no kitchen or bathroom, just beds basically). Bathhouse is nice and new, you can purchase firewood for an $8 donation, there is a filtered water-bottle filler at the bathhouse. Only slight negative is that the one bathhouse is about 0.25 mile walk from the tent sites, so other campers around us were starting up their cars all night to drive there. Also it would be great if they would add a dishwashing station at the bathhouse. We used what looks like a mop tub in the back--it worked but didn't seem to be set up for what we were using it for. The visitor center is absolutely beautiful! A leed-certified post-and-beam building with great gift shop and learning exhibits.

Simulated Water Fall at Welcome Center
Bill W.

One of my favorite places in Transylvania County When I was growing up, this was one of my favorite places. My father';s first cousin owned the property on the Housemaster River just below the bridge on the road going to Whitewater. This is where I learned to fish for trout. Back in those days, there was a parking area was private property owned by my cousins where we could park and camp and fish and hike into the gorge. That site was about 100 yards above Drift Falls which is above Rainbow etc. Things have changed and my father's cousin's property is now part of the park which is good because more people can enjoy it. Bad part is that people don't realize that one of the best waterfalls is just off the highway and you don't have to hike 1 1/2 miles to get to it. Still it's a big improvement and I welcome it. We did not hike any of the trails this trip. Had planned on Whitewater Falls but that proved to be a bummer since the area was closed due to a fire last November. Still the Welcome Center was a treat and gave a lot of information and the gift shop was great. Planning on coming back on Aug 21 for another visit and I'll let you figure out why.

Rainbow Falls
Meanole M.

Wow!! Spent the whole day after Thanksgiving at this beautiful state park. Stopped by the amazing visitor's center before hitting the trails. Pristine facilities, with one of the best educational opportunities to take advantage of about the history of the park and surrounding area. We spent about 30 minutes just walking around the visitor's center. Very welcoming setup. The drive to the trailhead was short and glorious, taking in all the late Fall views. Couldn't wait to get on the trails. We started on the Rainbow Falls trail and ended with Turtleback Falls. About 4.5 miles total. The trails were moderately difficult, downhill mostly traveling towards the falls, but a vigorous uphill climb back to the parking area. The trail also narrows significantly near the falls. There are amazing photo opportunities at the falls. This is the closest that I have ever been able to get to a waterfall without a protective barrier,but you have to be really careful going down to the rocks below the falls and even more careful getting back up to the trail. All in all this was a spectacular way to spend a beautiful day and we cannot wait to go back.

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11 years ago

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4 years ago

It's a beautiful park with access to several great hikes. Rainbow Falls is the best. The park was renovated a few years back. Really great

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9 years ago

Gorgeous park! The hike toward the two falls was rigorous and beautiful. Such a great use of our honeymoon time!

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Review Highlights - Gorges State Park

While we couldn't do them all today we did get to explore Rainbow Falls, Turtleback falls and Drift falls!

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Blue Ridge Parkway

Blue Ridge Parkway

4.9(185 reviews)
41.7 mi

Blue Ridge Parkway is such an incredibly beautiful drive and well worth taking a few minutes out of…read morethe way to enjoy this lovely detour. It should be a crime that the government wants to privatize all national parks and it's a shame that we may not be able to enjoy this stunning area of the United States much longer. Take the long way during your roadtrip and drive through the Blue Ridge Parkway with the windows down, you will not be disappointed! The fresh air and calming scenery is healing to the soul! There are plenty of overlooks, as well. Take your time, enjoy the ride!

The Blue Ridge Parkway spans several hundred miles long and a good chunk of it was unfortunately…read moreclosed when we came through due to hurricane damage but we were able to do a few hours on the road from the edge of the Smoky Mountains NP all the way to Asheville and it was GORGEOUS. The open stretch was in higher elevations (hence not impacted by the hurricane) which meant we had some really spectacular views of the mountains and terrain. It really was wonderful. There are a ton of scenic overlooks and a few maintained spots where you can pull over and enjoy a picnic or use the facilities (they're barebones restrooms but they have them) but aside from that amenities are few and far between so be sure to pack some food, drinks, and make sure your tank is full of gas so you can enjoy the views and explore stress free! The only trouble was there wasn't a lot of information available on what we'd find on the parkway (meaning what stretch was closed, what was open, must see overlooks, hiking trails, etc) as the visitors centers were closed and the Smoky Mountain NP visitor center we stopped into didn't have any brochures or maps or anything. Luckily once we got onto the parkway we were able to find a scenic overview with some signage that had a map so we took a picture of that and was helpful. The good news is is that I believe right after our trip they reopened another large stretch of the Parkway northeast for Asheville (which I believe has has all the amazing waterfalls) so we'll have to come back another time to enjoy all those views!

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Blue Ridge Parkway - Boone Fork Trail | Instagram: @telephonesmoothie

Boone Fork Trail | Instagram: @telephonesmoothie

Blue Ridge Parkway - Boone Fork Trail | Instagram: @telephonesmoothie

Boone Fork Trail | Instagram: @telephonesmoothie

Blue Ridge Parkway

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Waynesville Parks & Recreation - Awesome playground!

Waynesville Parks & Recreation

4.0(11 reviews)
27.8 mi

Hello, I hope that this will be taken seriously, in hopes that this never happens to anyone else…read more Since Helene destroyed our local Canton park we wanted to give the Waynesville Recreation pool. I called the day prior to get all the information I could gather, checked the website since we have not been in over a decade. The receptionist gave me all the information, dates, times, pricing, and and temperature of the pool. I asked if there was still a kiddy pool working with buckets, slides, splash area etc. and I was told yes. The next day we were very excited and happily payed our fee to enter.As we walked passed the 1st life guard posted at the shallow end of the deep pool we smiled and found a spot near the slide as we knew that was what our son was going to be the most excited about. We got our son in his swim vest for safety and goggles and off he went down the slide. All of a sudden I see a young blonde lifeguard running around the Side of the slide saying "NO NO NO!". My husband and I smiled and said "Its ok we are right here and he's safe (Thinking she was worried he was alone since we didn't even see her from where she was sitting)". My son was already coming down the slide when she was yelling at him, (He's autistic and doesn't always understand things or respond to others well). He made it down no problem and was swimming to get out when she said "we do not allow swim vest or life jackets on the slide!" I asked "why?" And she responded with "because of the bolts on the slide they can get hung up and get hurt." I Replied " so there are bolts sticking out on a toddlers waterslide? I think you should be more concerned with that cutting and hurting someone if thats the case, not be concerned with a protective swimming vest." She replied "Well he's to small to ride" I was confused since I called asked and check the website and the slide is on the kiddie pool. I said "ok" as my husband is trying to regulate our son and explain things to him but he just wants to slide. By this point there are only 2 life guards for both pools and my son won't stop trying to slide. I carry him over to her hoping if he hears it from someone else that he's not allowed it will help. It did not! I then am very upset that was the whole reason for coming and anyone with autistic children or any kids understand if you tell them something fun your going to do but then have to tell them they can not its never fun. I ask the girl if I can sign a waiver or anything to allow him to slide, she says"no" I ask can he take of his vest and slide and ill be at the bottom to help catch him if he needs it ( He's a very good swimmer for his age) to which she responded "parents are not allowed to stand at the bottom and help there child". I was blown away buy this since we have been going to canton pool, and Dollywood splash country where kids can wear the life jackets, swim vest, or floats on any slide and parents were always at the bottom to help catch them as well since its all about safety when around water! Well, expect here at Waynesville rec. center. I was upset by this point and asked her what and where are these rules since I was not informed.?" She says "its on the back of the slide". Again I was upset and said " well that a horrible place for rules against a back wall on a slide that not every sees until your back here, also I was not told this and just so you know for the future maybe you all could post your rules on the website and tell them when they call so this doesn't happen to other special needs family and regular families to! I could tell she was uncomfortable so I simply asked what would happen if he did go down the slide (as he can be a runner)? She said " I would ask you to leave" I said "ok" and walked away. So for reference and refresh you can call and check the website where these rules are NOT posted or come in pay inside change enter at the opposite side of the pool area walk always to the back wall behind the side, and on the back said you see this weird outdated slide rules. By this time I was wondering why no one was on the slide and its because you have to be 48 inch tall but not over a certain weight, no parents are allowed on the slide, parents cannot catch kids at the bottom, and no life jackets or vest are allowed. These rules do the opposite of keeping kids in the kiddie pool safe. And again you can go to canton pool, Dollywood splash country or many other water parks or pools and they encourage you to put vests on your child and stay close to your child in water. By this point there are a good amount of ;little kids in the kiddie pool I would say about 10 to 15 and more kids in the bigger pool about 10 as well and only 2 life guards. I'm sorry but I'm not going to rely on a lifeguard to see everything in a pool. But none the less we kept trying to explain it to our son and play in the kiddie pool and enjoy the best we can. Our son was having a melt down and other parents in the pool understood what was happe

We just moved to the area and took a tour of the recreation center here. We will be joining the gym…read moreafter Covid issues get better. They have the main staples of indoor pool, workout equipment, racket ball courts. It clean and people are very friendly. We use the outdoor grounds a lot. Our main use is the dog park. There is a small dog park and a large dog park. We are in the small dog area. The disc golf court runs past the dog areas which is cool. There is a great skateboard park that lots of young people use, even on bikes. Lots of paved pathways. I love that the pathways attract older and young people. And, the path runs alongside The bold creek. It is more like a small river. It is filled with trout should you want to fish. Definitely a major asset to our town!

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Waynesville Parks & Recreation - Playing at Waynesville park!!!

Playing at Waynesville park!!!

Waynesville Parks & Recreation
Waynesville Parks & Recreation - Creek by skate park

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Creek by skate park

Spring Mountain Community Center

Spring Mountain Community Center

5.0(1 review)
44.6 mi

Stumbled upon this cute little park area as we were driving around exploring side roads from Old…read moreFort to Asheville. What a gem! This little community center seems to have a lot to offer: - The playground is a lot of fun- both our kids, ages 4 & 7, loved it! A well-kept wooden playground with swings (3 regular & 1 baby swing), a seesaw, a tire swing, and a big plastic sea monster for climbing. - Short paved walking loop with some benches, picnic tables and grill, and 1 of those little exercise stops and a creek flowing by (great for kids to splash around in!) - Large grassy field - Basketball court (half court) - Community garden - Large picnic table area with covered pavilion - Leashed dogs allowed (please pick up after them - there are poop bags along the sidewalk) The community center appears to be closed right now and I haven't checked out the website yet but there's a board with some info by the playground. It seems like they offer yoga classes (Free maybe? Says "donations accepted"), there's an ad for reiki healing, and a whole calendar of events for children and adults. This center definitely seems to run on donations and volunteers. We were happy to contribute to the painted metal donation post by the playground. Peaceful, safe, beautiful park areas like this are hard to find these days. We're passing through, as we're just frequent vacationers to the area, but I hope the community keeps up this little local gem!

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Spring Mountain Community Center
Spring Mountain Community Center
Spring Mountain Community Center

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Gorges State Park - parks - Updated July 2026

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