we had a wondrous time at Bakers Mountain (more like BAKED mountain - see photo). It was foggy but…read moreit was still a good hike. The leaves made it slick which made it more fun. Anyway we had a great time, saw a bird and a turtle!

Whoever said hiking was fun, they lied !!!…read more I would recommend this trail to everyone! Beginners trail, but might be hard because of rain. The trail was well marked so you won't get lost. Make sure you grab a map before you start. The bathroom was nice and clean! There are walking sticks available if you want to use one. At the top was a awesome view and a gazebo to rest. You could see various mountain tops from there. Through out the trail there are benches and picnic tables to rest at. So if you're in the area, stop bye and take a hike!!!!

Loved it!! Beautiful falls and swim hole. I can't wait to be back. Water shoes for when you get…read moredown to the water hole are recommended. It's a nice hike with lots of roots in the way so you need to be careful. But definitely worth it!

It is my absolute pleasure to introduce UPPER CREEK FALLS to Yelp!…read more If you are a hiker and lover of waterfalls, then you just might want to spend an entire weekend in the Newland, NC area. The mountains surrounding this area are a treasure trove of sights and sound for your soul to behold. Amongst them is the highly popular Upper Creek Falls. Now let me be honest, you're gonna burn some calories on this trail so don't let the short 1.5 miles round trip distance fool you! There is SIGNIFICANT elevation gain that will surely bring a little heavy breathing to your lips and sweat to your brow. However, the payoff is tremendous. **** The creek consists of multiple waterfalls, cascades and swimming holes, but the largest waterfall requires venturing to one of the lowest points on the trail to fully view. It will require detouring off the main yellow blazed trail and mountain-goating it down a steep side trail, then back up to the main trail before continuing the loop back to the parking area. According to ALLTRAILS, the loop starts at an elevation of around 3,215 feet and drops as low as 2,790 feet for a gain of approx. 425 feet in 3/4's of a mile. My personal trail tracker logged 436 feet of gain. The lowest point of the trail leads to a wonderfully exposed area of stone that almost acts as a raceway for the creek. The topography is such that you can walk on an island of stone that splits the creek in two for a short distant before rejoining and continuing its descent. I can only imagine how many more waterfalls are below this point as the creek continues its slide down the mountain another 460 feet over the following mile according to topography maps. *** FEATURES 1) There are two trailheads, but each links to the other. The trailhead on the left side of the parking area behind the information board leads first to the top of the main waterfall before crossing the creek and descending towards the base. You can get some terrifying pics on the dry stone near the crest, but don't drift too close to the edge! 2) Once you cross the creek, look to the left to spot a faint trail leading back up the mountain. Follow it and you will be rewarded with a gorgeous 15 foot waterfall. Here locals us the fall as a slide, complete with a rope to help you get back up to the top of this ultra-smooth cascade. 3) There is a fairly deep pool of water here and opposite of the climbing rope is a tire swing to launch into the pool. 4) Continue down the trail until you see side trails leading to the base of the largest waterfall. WARNING: The side trail is steep, but worth it to view the larger fall in its entirety. 5) As you continue down the trail it will once again cross the creek. This crossing is most likely tricky in high water and probably not advisable. It was only at average flow when I visited and I still got my feet wet doing my best jump. It is here you will discover another small pool of water and a large area to camp out on the stone outcrop. Even though this is the lowest point on the trail, it is actually an overlook of the mountains below. Very open and majestic. 6) Once across the lowest creek crossing, the trail switchbacks up the mountain OR you can find the shortcut trail that goes straight up the center! But fair warning, it's a leg burner! This portion of the loop will return to the parking lot on the opposite side of the upper creek trail. In total I logged 1.5 miles after visiting the sliding falls, main falls and lower raceway/overlook. *** FINAL THOUGHTS Upper Creek Falls in my opinion is 5+ stars despite its difficulty because of the multiple points of interest along the loop. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this waterfall to avid hikers! While I personally would have thought it to be too much for kids and elderly... we saw SEVERAL older couples in the area above the main falls as well as a school bus load of 6 to 12-year-olds trekking along the lower falls trail well ahead of their parents. There was also a very large family of about 20 members (all age ranges) picnicking at the lower overlook, so I guess its safe to say its doable for all ages and skill levels. If you have any energy left, to the northeast are: - Grandfather Mountain - Big Lost Cove Cliffs - Harper Creek Falls - Gragg Prong Falls - Huntfish Falls And to the southwest are: - Linville Falls & Linville Caverns ENJOY! 2021 / 116

This is now closed for 4 years for Dam maintenance. Otherwise a great walk on the woodsread more

So fun and beautiful. 2 mile walking trail one way, a if you're into running a scenic route you can…read moreget in 4 miles there and back. There are picnic tables along the way and I think even bike trails.

Fantastic wooden playground! My 2 year old loved it. It's all wooden or roped with the exception of…read morethe slides. Bridges, nets, rope climbs throughout! I reallllly appreciate how this playground is designed ie not having multiple cutouts at the very top (so I don't have to worry about my toddler falling). This playground reminds me of the ones I played on way back in the 90s. Lots of parking. Nature center on site. I will be back when in the area!

Beautiful park! The county has spared nothing when they planned this park. They have paved trails,…read morekayaking, kids playground, dog park and more. They have picnic stations and tables with umbrellas. They also have a nature center and a ranger on site. I was very impressed with this park and will return. This is well worth a visit and can't wait to return.

One of the tallest waterfall in NC. Route is not that long from parking lot so it is popular site…read more Park center consider the trail as difficult because of the stairs and rocks. It is a steep climb but thanks for the park rangers and contractors that build the trail, you can hike it with sneakers even when the ground is wet. You can't swim in the pools but the water is very clear and we should keep it that way At the viewing platform, there are trash everywhere like a Walmart parking lot. Nasty people can't keep the place clean. Water bottles, socks, and plenty of cookie wrappers . Probably same people who hike with Crocs or with a cup of coffee on hand.

Awesome water falls. It isn't for people with very bad knees because there's like 700 steeps and…read moresome of it is straight up!!

Great parking area with bathrooms. Incredibly well-marked trails. Beautiful place for a hike.read more

Like South Mountain it isn't worth the drive. A bit moderate with somewhat strenuous incline but…read moreit's mainly so-so. To many properties around it & a lot of fun fire from them.

Incorrect...Not the correct trail. This is a map of the highway 200 route!!!…read moreCome to Great Falls. Go to the old train depot( now apartments) at Mount Dearborn dam and walk behind the twin towards Fort Lawn. About 4 miles of the most beautiful scenery on the Catawba River. While here view the famous "paper clip" entry into the rapids which is one of only two in the world. Viewed from the Tom Mamgus Bridge on highway 200 looking south.

We love this trails system. It's a huge network of trails in North and South Carolina. When we…read moredon't feel like driving to the mountains, we usually end up on a portion of the Carolina Thread Trail near Charlotte. Recently, we've done the portions near Baxter Village, Waxhaw, and South Fork Trail. I know we've done way more than that, but those are the ones that come to mind recently. The trails are well maintained and typically well marked. If you're looking to get outside in the Carolinas, check out their website to find a trail near you.

Great views but don't hike this if you're out of shape or inexperienced hikers. Part of our party…read morehad a hard time keeping up, and we didn't get to hike the whole way up. But it was still beautiful as you had a view from lake James all the way up the mountain.

I think this should be Shortoff Mountain Trail (which starts at the end of Wolf Pit Road). From…read morewhat I could find, there's no such thing as Wolf Pit Trail. This hike starts out fairly steep. It cuts off to the right (follow the sign) and then there's a series of switchbacks to the top of the mountain. It merges with the mountains to sea trail and then levels out after a bit. There are great views of Lake James and the mountains on the whole hike up. Once we got to the top, we continued on for a while past a pond to some more views of Table Rock. I thought the initial views at the summit were the best though. The estimates I saw for the hike were 4-5 miles, so I'm not quite sure exactly how long it was. The parking situation is pretty terrible. There's not really any good spots, but everyone kind of makes their own. I can't imagine how bad this would be in the summer. This is a great, not too strenuous hike with good views throughout.

Elk River Falls is an open recreation area. As such it is not developed and the path is not…read moremaintained. Nevertheless the road into the parking lot is safe and easily passable by typical cars SUVs cans or trucks with either two or four wheel drive. There are no rest rooms or food so you must bring your own food and water. The path is firm and slopes upward gently becoming rocky with prominent tree roots. The 65 foot high big falls is spectacular. It is not a straight fall down. Many deaths have occurred as visitors attempt to dive from the top of the falls. Elk falls ranks in the top 3 waterfall related deaths. The rocks surrounding the first pool are beautiful but have a slippery surface. This park recently reopened after extensive restoration following Hurricane Helene. On the first day it opened there was a fatality of a falls jumper. Despite these challenges this park is a great example of the outdoors in nearly natural and breathtaking state.

The falls are closed as of late April 2026. Road is blocked about 2 miles out from town.read more

This is a really nice trail in the Charlotte area that not many people know about…read more We first did the South Fork Catawba River Greenway which is about a mile round trip. It's starts at Goat Island Park south of 85. Another weekend we came back and did the South Fork Catawba Trail which is north of 85. That was about 4 miles round trip. I really hope they connect the two because they're so close together, but there is a small gap between the two, so you can't hike straight through. I saw some signs that made it look like there were plans to extend it, so hopefully that happens. If you're looking for an easy walk that's not crowded, check out either of these two trails!

While not quite "over the river and through the wood" type of trail, getting into the heart of it…read moretakes some maneuvering, especially from the parking area nearest I-85. Once you have crossed under the overpass (which some might find intimidating), walk another 200 yards until the trail quiets down. Ahhh . . . you are on your way. South Fork Trail is one of the few Carolina Thread Trails that has a legitimate natural surface with two parking areas, each at either end of it. At about 2 miles in length (or 4 miles to go out/back from whichever end you parked), it's a lazy stroll along the south fork of the Catawba river. I've seen deer, turkey, turtles, snakes, along with various birds and foliage. Mostly, I feel alone on the trail (depending on the day), sometimes meeting the occasional hiker or bike enthusiast. OK, that works. When I want to want hike to clear my head, avoid the crowds, and sometimes walk barefooted, this trail scores. Beware, however, of the height and roll of the river. Too much rain can turn this little trail into a deadly torrent. Otherwise, I say "give it a whirl."