Cute little park to while away a part of your day. On the river. Awesome bamboo area.read more

We took the perfect afternoon splash in the icy cold river water at Oconaluftee Islands Park. With…read moreeasy access from downtown Cherokee, the park offers shady picnic spots, swimming, tubing, trout fishing, or the pleasant option of simply basking and splashing around with friends and family. It was so easy to get to the river. I even found a scrap of a blue crawdad. Easy parking in the lot or along the park.

IF you want a challenging hike and are looking to score a bunch of amazing waterfalls on the SAME…read moreTRAIL, the Thompson River Waterfalls trail is your Huckleberry!!! Google maps has labeled the trailhead HIGH FALLS TRAIL HEAD just off Whitewater Road. As you turn onto Brewer Road, you will see a wide trail entrance on the corner. We parked along the side of the road near the entrance. There are multiple waterfalls along the trail as Thompson River makes its run down the mountain, dropping approx. 1,900 feet over 5 miles as it makes is way to beautiful Lake Jocassee. There are seven names waterfalls along the trail and 3 that absolutely should not be missed: HIGH FALLS, RICH FALLS & BIG FALLS aka THOMPSON FALLS. THE TRAIL The trail initially ascends about 60 feet but remains at a fairly consistent decline of about 500 feet along the entirety of the main trail. First up was REID FALLS at around .9 miles, but we decided to skip it. A split in the trail at around 1.1 miles leads to HIGH FALLS, a gorgeous 50 foot sliding ribbon waterfall. There really is no way to get an excellent picture of the falls without getting wet. The best vantage of the falls is across the river and a scramble over some large boulders to a beach like area. The pool in front of the falls is better than 6 feet deep, but most of the shallow areas were only ankle or calf deep. Back along the main trail we continued our descent down the mountain and next came to SIMON FALLS, which we also opted to skip. All of the falls (except High Falls) require a scramble downhill to view. Reid and Simon Falls have the least steep scrambles, but we wanted to conserve our legs for Big Falls, the steepest of the scrambles. We also bypassed Rich Falls around the 3.8 mile mark as we decided it would be best to see how we feel after tackling Big Falls. BIG FALLS Listen, however easy the trail seemed up until this point was about to SEVERELY change! The descent to the falls is about 535 feet in less that a quarter of a mile. IT IS VERY STEEP and some areas require sitting on your butt and sliding, other require holding on to low branches or roots and one area in particular requires mild vertical rock climbing. NOT KIDDING! But all of it is doable if you take your time and don't have any serious physical or health challenges. All of the MAIN trail is very easy to follow, but I would highly recommend downloading the ALLTRAILS map because it shows the exact entry points for the side trails to each of the falls. The side trail to Big Falls is easy to follow, but can be very faint in some areas. Once you make it down to the river, look for a side trail just before the final descent to the riverbank. It will lead you through a thicket of vegetation that leads to a boulder entrance to the falls. Navigate them as best you can to get to a great vantage point to view the falls. If you are not skilled at boulder hopping, this area will be very intimidating! But you MUST do it in order to view the Big Falls, which is not visible otherwise. NOTES / TIPS ~ Download ALLTRAILS MAP prior to your drive to the trailhead ~ There are 3 river crossings and yes you will get wet ~ Most of the falls require getting wet for best view ~ No restroom facilities at the trailhead ~ BRING PLENTY OF WATER & SNACKS FINAL THOUGHTS On our return, we were just too exhausted to attempt to see Rich Falls, so instead we used every ounce of energy we had remaining to make it back to the car. I was thoroughly exhausted. The 3.5 miles back seemed more like 10 and we'd run out of drinking water during our time at Big Falls. I recommend a minimum of five 16oz bottles to do this hike and more if you bring salty snacks. I'd also recommend you chug one bottle at the parking area before you begin. All in all this is an amazing trail full of gorgeous waterfalls. Big Falls easily has become one of my top 5 favorite southern waterfalls... but it is a beast of a hike! ALLTRAILS LINK: https://www.alltrails.com/explore/trail/us/north-carolina/thompson-river-waterfalls?mobileMap=false&ref=sidebar-static-map 2023 / 12

A series of gorgeous waterfalls along beautiful Thompson River as it makes its way from the higher…read moremountain elevations down to the Jocassee River. The trail offers a great experience for anyone at any hiking level. If you are like me and prefer more leisurely hikes, The first three waterfalls (Reid Branch, High Falls & Simon Falls) are fairly easy to reach. High Falls in particular is great for families with small children and has a wading pool of water at its base of different depths. There is even a small beach like area to relax and have a picnic. Just know you must get wet in order to reach the beach area, which also has the best view of the falls since High Falls kind of sits recessed into a little nook making it difficult to see in its entirety. But for those who are more like my husband and don't mind a more difficult hike, Rich Falls and Big Falls further downstream will give you plenty of challenge. Although I must say, my husband was sore several days after his hike and while he thought Big Falls was stunning, he was miserable on the return. He said the side trail to Big Falls was extremely steep and challenging, both on the way down and especially on the climb back out. It drained him completely at age 54 and he still had to endure a 3.5 mile hike back to the car running on empty. Knowing him he'll do it again! MEN... LOL Also near the parking area is a trail leading to White Owl Falls. A very short hike to a beautiful 20 foot waterfall. Walk west on Whitewater Road from the parking area and look for an opening with a pink ribbon tied to a tree branch about 900 feet from the trailhead.

This was my second time visit and stay at Devil'sFork State Park and it was just as beautiful as…read morethe first time. First let me say Bridgett, one of the park rangers, is an absolute gem. I've never met someone more helpful, thoughtful and genuinely kind and appreciate everything she did for us. She went above and beyond. The park itself is kept very clean, including the bathrooms at the campsite. We stayed at site 44 which is used for RVs and tents. We had a tent and a car tent so this site was perfect and spacious for both. There is a power box and water hookup on all the RV sites. The water at Lake Jocassee is as beautiful as everyone claims it to be. We spent hours on the water swimming, floating, and kayaking. There are tons of fish to see if you feel like snorkeling or scuba diving (yes you can dive here! Many people come here to get certified.) We got caught in the rain but that didn't hinder the trip at all. There was no noticeable flooding of any kind. We did witness an emergency on one of the beaches and the rangers were very quick to act and attentive. The man was stabilized and all was well fortunately but I appreciate how quickly the staff acted. (This is one of many reasons why it is so important to fund our packs and keep the appropriate people employed here!)

Loved camping here! We booked a last minute overnight camping trip at this park. We were gonna get…read morethere after the office hours since we were coming from out of state. They were so accommodating and helped us over the phone to book sites. It was dark by the time we got there and we woke up to a surprisingly beautiful view! The water looked sooo clear. We weren't too far from the bathroom (they have showers + hot water)! We had water/electric connections as well and it was really affordable. There are many waterfalls that you can drive to nearby and hiking trails too. We ended up staying another night because we really enjoyed it!

Great place to go for a picnic. Also the kids will enjoy the beach. beautiful lake viewread more

Great place to visit,kids can have fun play grounds for ur lil ones .it's the place where u and the…read morekids enjoy.nothing like wearing the kids out they'll sleep so well plus u have the Georgia mountain fair grounds directly across the street we'd take kids there first then to the beach it's a full day of enjoyment

Yesterday was our second summer rafting the river with this company. The river is perfect for…read morerafting with kids. We had so much fun last summer that we requested the same guide again this summer. Douglas was great! He even played some of his music for us to enjoy afterwards. Thank you for another amazing day!

Highly recommended for groups with all ages. Took my 4 year old and my parents on a guided trip. It…read morewas a great time and my daughter loved it. She had fun on the rapids and was pretty entertained throughout. Our guide, Dave, was great and so was the rest of the staff. We will definitely be coming back!

Sand was awesome. I loved the waves and especially the beaming sun. I love beaches! The way the…read morewind felt on your face hit my heart. I could feel my freedom in the clouds and the amount of floats for the ocean was great.

Well, our kayak sank. Someone not in affiliation to the company had to come save us after 40…read moreminutes of swimming. The reason I am still giving 4 stars is because sometimes unfortunate things happen in businesses. What is important is how they handle it. They quickly refunded us and apologized very sincerely. I would specifically like to thank Yvette and Joseph for their kindness.

My husband and I are staying (late Sept, 2023) at the Club Wyndham-Sapphire Valley, and we were…read moregiven a "Sapphire Valley Master Association Amenity Card" for use of amenities while staying on-site. One of the amenities is access to Fairfield Lake, an 80 acre lake at 3,160' elevation in Sapphire, NC. The lake's length is 1 mile, and it is 35' at its deepest point. The amenity card also allows us to use the private beach, picnic tables, a grill, rest room, and to rent motor boats, canoes, kayaks, paddle boards, fishing poles, etc. at the boat house. There is also a Lake Trail around the lake, which is the private property of Camp Merrie-Woode. However, the trail is open to the public (at your own risk) for hiking purposes only during daylight hours from August 15th to May 15th, when camp is not in session. Dogs are allowed but must be on leashes. We saw two brochures, one of which stated that the trail is a 3.3 mile loop while another said that it's 3.8; my Fitbit recorded 3.55 miles. The trail is mostly flat, with an occasional incline or descent, and has a variety of trail surfaces (gravel, pine needles, small rocks, tree limbs, etc.). Besides the lake, there are a few highlights on the trail -- (1) Fairfield Falls. With a height of 25', the waterfall is created by the stream of the Trays Island Creek, a tributary of the Horsepasture River, which runs along the western side of the all Bald directly into Lake Fairfield. (2) Presley Pass. The Iron Bridge across the stream above the waterfall was built by Camp Merrie-Woode caretaker, James Presley, in the mid-1950s. (3) Intersection with the trailhead for the Old Bald Trail, a more strenuous 3 mile hike. The trail is mostly well-marked with small green-white tags. We walked clockwise, and got a bit confused relatively close to our ending point (after a paved road when the signs seemed to disappear).

We did the walk while in Sapphire for the week, and it was beautiful! Luckily, the camp was closed,…read moreso we are able to do the entire loop around the lake. It ends up being about 3.5 miles from end to end. There are some steep areas, and some areas are challenging to navigate due to the rocks, but it was worth it. There is even a waterfall you pass if you need another reason to check this out. The photos do not do justice to the beauty.

ONION FALLS is not a destination waterfall. Why you ask? Because it is primarily a spillway for the…read moreLake Glenville Dam in North Carolina and its orientation and property restrictions make it difficult to view. In fact, it is waterfalls like this that have given rise to my desire for a drone. Apparently this is not the original Onion Falls. When the river was impounded in the 1940's, the first waterfall was covered over by the dam according to some sources. Still, mapmakers used the same name for the new waterfall location. The name is inspired by the look of the water as it cascades over the round rock surface and gives the appearance of the skin of a white onion. Based on topography maps, the crest of Onion Falls lies just beyond the dam floodgates at around 3,485 feet and falls like a giant waterslide to its base around 3,245 feet, making the total overall height around 240 feet. *** PRO TIP - There is a small parking area near the dam power house, but signs restrict anyone from following the service road down to the base of the falls. The signs warn of police arrest if caught trespassing, so I took heed despite my overwhelming temptation to risk it! THEE BEST VIEW will be just beyond the dam where a small pull-off across from the lake leads to a trail that allows for a distant view of the falls. You will see a metered power box and two metal poles to mark the beginning of the short trail. It also appears possible to bushwhack to the falls by following the river upstream from the High Falls trail, but not sure that is advisable considering the trespass warnings. *** [ THINGS TO KNOW ] Total Hiking Distance: 200 feet Difficulty: Super Easy Creek Crossings: NO Elevation Gain: maybe 10 feet Waterfall Height: around 240 feet overall Waterfall source: West Fork Tuckasegee River WATERFALL ATTRACTIVENESS - 7 out of 10 TRAIL ATTRACTIVENESS - 5 out of 10 Access to top of falls: NO Access to base of falls: NO (heavily restricted) Pool of water @ base of Falls: NO Sitting areas @ base: N/A RESTROOM FACILITIES: NO PARKING: YES (space for about 5 cars) *** [ FINAL THOUGHTS ] While the falls flow is heavily restricted by the dam, the gates have scheduled releases at least 4 times a year making this waterfall a BEAST!!! I highly recommend looking up the "bypass" release dates and planning a trip accordingly for the best and most spectacular look of the falls. On those dates, use Onion Falls as a bonus waterfall as you hike to nearby High Falls downstream. Both High Falls and Onion Falls go from attractive to flat out stunning during the dam release. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND visiting on those dates! Also be sure to check out the The Pines Recreation Area to make it a full day of hiking, waterfall chasing and beach fun and on the opposite side of the lake is Hurricane Falls for a little more waterfall exploration! 2021 / 84