Tanasee
GPS
track: https://www.gaiagps.com/public/kZ9su8jUbvIwBNH2Zo7FBUk8/?layer=GaiaTopoRasterFeet
I
studied the topo map for Tanasee Creek, in the Little
Canada area of the Nantahala National Forest a couple of years ago. I didn’t see much potential for waterfalls on
the main creek, and I thought the tributaries feeding it would be too small to
have significant waterfalls. I was
wrong. When Kevin Adams released his new
guidebook to North Carolina waterfalls, the Tanasee
Creek Gorge was one of the first places to get my attention. It turns out there is a small waterfall on Tanasee Creek itself, as well as numerous waterfalls on
various tributaries. The tributaries are
low-volume streams though, so I decided to wait until water levels were
high.
Memorial
Day weekend came right after a long stretch of rainy weather. On Monday, Spencer, Thomas, Justin, and
Amanda joined me for a hike through the gorge.
We met at the upper trailhead on Charley Creek Road and shuttled down to
the lower trailhead on Wolf Mountain Road.
Unfortunately, the upper part of Wolf Mountain Road requires high
clearance vehicles, so we had to take the long way (30 minutes) through Balsam
Grove. We started our hike at the lower
trailhead around 10am.
We
followed an old roadbed high above Tanasee Creek,
through abundant blooming mountain laurel, all the way to “tributary #7”. In the guidebook, Kevin Adams numbers the
tributaries, which are all unnamed. We
crossed the creek and headed uphill through open forest. A fairly easy bushwhack led to the base of
Horseshoe Falls. There, the stream
plunges over a sheer 100’ cliff. The
waterfall is breathtaking, but the real highlight for me was the cliff
itself. Conditions were poor for photos,
but that didn’t stop us from trying. We
took a few photos before heading back down to the old road to resume the
hike. It is worth noting that there
could be additional waterfalls upstream from Horseshoe Falls. I thought about trying to get up there, but
that would require bushwhacking up and around the cliff. There is a lot to see in the Tanasee Creek Gorge – more than what can be done in a
single day. Since we had a full agenda
already, I didn’t even suggest that exploration.
A
bit farther up we passed a small tributary (# 6 ½?) that isn’t even shown on
the map. It has a nice sliding
cascade. We circled around above the
cascade on the old road and continued up the gorge.
Before
long we finally reached Tanasee Creek. An easy ford brought us to the far side. We continued on the old roadbed to an area
that has a lot of deadfall and rhodos. Some people
make the mistake of crossing the creek here, but that isn’t the best way. We fought through the deadfall and regained
the relatively clear roadbed. A bit
farther up, at the base of some rapids, was the second ford. This one was more challenging, with thigh-deep
water and a strong current. At this
point Justin and Amanda decided to turn back, as they had a long drive
home. I regret that they didn’t make it
to Cavern Falls, as that was one of the biggest highlights from a great day. Still, it was nice to finally hike with them.
After
a short distance we passed the correct route heading
uphill away from the creek. We continued
ahead to check out a nice cascade on Tanasee Creek
that Brenda had mentioned. It had
clouded up, and photo conditions were much better than they’d been that
morning. After a few photos
we backtracked and found the old road climbing up the hillside. We followed it to tributary #5. After crossing the creek
we climbed up through open forest. After
a ¼ mile or so we veered back over towards the sound of falling water. I thought we were approaching Cavern Falls,
but it was actually Lower Cavern Falls.
This one is pretty nice, but only marginally photogenic. More bushwhacking brought us to the base of
Cavern Falls. This one is another
overhanging waterfall, about 100’ high.
It is named Cavern Falls because you can easily walk along the base of
the cliff behind the falls. We took
turns doing just that. I also scrambled
up along the base of the cliff to a perch on River Right. From there I got my favorite photo of the
day, of Thomas and Spencer at the base of the massive waterfall.
We
returned to the old roadbed. There,
Thomas decided to head back, as he was feeling the miles after hiking 4 days in
a row. Spencer and I decided to continue
on and finished the hike. Thanks to good
planning, we had left Justin’s car and Thomas’ car at the lower trailhead,
while Spencer and I were parked at the upper trailhead.
The
next stretch was confusing at times. We
hit multiple junctions where one road continued ahead close to creek level
while another climbed gradually away from it.
At the first we took the lower road.
It led down to Tanasee Creek, which we
followed a short distance upstream to tributary #4. We forded the creek there and climbed up the
tributary a short distance to see Banded Rock Falls. Although smaller, this is one of the prettier
waterfalls in the gorge. From there we
backtracked to the correct roadbed and continued up the gorge.
We
took Kevin’s advice and skipped the waterfalls on tributary #3. At another junction
we mistakenly chose the low road. It was
a happy accident. We weren't expecting
to discover any new waterfalls in the Tanasee Creek
Gorge since we were just following the directions in Kevin’s book. However, due
to our fortunate navigational error, we accidentally ended up at creek level a
short distance upstream from tributary #3. We were surprised to find a really
nice double waterfall on an unnamed, unmapped tributary on River Left. Since
this is between what Kevin calls tributary #2 and tributary #3, we are
(obviously) calling this one "Waterfall on tributary 2 2/3". This was one of my favorite waterfalls of the
whole hike. I’m not sure how it looks in
drier weather, but it was flowing nicely when we were there.
We
returned to the correct roadbed and eventually learned that the upper fork was
usually the correct choice. Navigating
through this gorge would be easier heading downstream! We continued on to another unmapped tributary
on River Right. This time I caught a
glimpse of a waterfall upstream. There
is a cairn beside the trail just beyond the creek crossing. I decided to check it out, while Spencer hung
back. If think that was the first time
that I’ve added something to a hike while Spencer skipped it! The bushwhack was nasty at times, but it was
worth it. Just before the waterfall I
reached the remains of a still beneath a small bluff. There are a couple of barrels, and a hose
running from the base of the falls to the still. The waterfall itself is pretty nice, but not
particularly photogenic. It is almost
impossible to photograph it from the base due to the thick vegetation. I had a little better luck from a spot on River Left close to the base. We were going to call this one Waterfall on Tributary 2 1/3, but decided to go with White Lightning Falls instead, in honor of the still.
I
rejoined Spencer and we resumed the hike.
The next stretch was much easier and we made good time. There weren’t any confusing junctions, and
the roadbed was clearer. It was getting
late, so we decided to skip tributary #2 and tributary #1. Getting to the waterfalls on those
tributaries would’ve required multiple creek crossings and a lot of
bushwhacking. Instead we continued to
the confluence of Tanasee Creek and Pinhook Creek. An
easy bushwhack there brought us to the base of Tanasee
Creek Falls. It is a small waterfall –
just a big cascade really – but it is scenic.
Blooming mountain laurel here added to its beauty. Just above the falls, we noticed a nice run
of cascades and small waterfalls on Pinhook Creek
just above the confluence. We thought
about checking it out, but the lure of dinner and beer won out.
We
continued on the old roadbed above the falls and reached our final
crossing. This one was an easy ford. We followed the old roadbed on the opposite
side of Tanasee Creek to a junction. Here a good trail heads
right, presumably out towards the road.
We went the other way. After a
short distance the road disappeared. At
that point we could’ve bushwhacked along the bank or
waded upstream. Instead we climbed the
steep hillside on River Left to reach the road.
From there we walked down the shoulder a hundred yards to our cars.
It
wasn’t horribly late, and we made it into Brevard before all the restaurants
closed. Hooray! We had a nice meal at The Square Root in
downtown Brevard. It was a great way to
end a fun adventure! I do want to return
to the area. Next time, I’d like to hit Pinhook Falls and the other waterfalls along Charley Creek
Road. Then I’d hike the upper part of
the gorge, including the waterfalls on tributaries 1 and 2.
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