Spivey Falls, Spivey Gap Falls, and Big Creek Falls – 4-14-2015
I was very fortunate enough to be invited along on a trip to a local waterfall that requires permission from the landowner to access which is rarely given. This falls being known as Spivey Falls or as I refer to it as Middle Spivey Falls as there are what I consider to be an Upper Spivey Falls and a Lower Spivey Falls (also sometimes called Candler Cove Falls) and it helps to clarify which ones you are referring to although it may not be an official name by any means. The Middle Spivey Falls are located on private property beside a rental cabin which can always be rented during season which would give you full and private access to the falls during your stay. This would not be necessary on this day and despite a forecast of rain, we took our chances and went anyway. It was a good gamble and it did pay off as the rain stopped during our entire time there at the falls and it was somewhat cloudy so it was possible to get some usable pics of these magnificent falls.
Middle Spivey Falls (John Forbes, Jeff Dean, and Dan Till)
This was made possible by a fellow waterfall enthusiast and friend, Jon Phillips who made arrangements for not only myself but, others in this group would include John Forbes, Ken Woody, Derrick Hamrick, Jeff Dean. Dan Till, Joe Brickey, and Larry Jarrett. We all started at the bottom of the several small drops below the main falls and worked our way up.
Middle Spivey Falls
Middle Spivey Falls
Ken Woody makes his way towards the falls at a brisk pace !
Middle Spivey Falls
Middle Spivey Falls
Middle Spivey Falls
Middle Spivey Falls
Middle Spivey Falls
Larry Jarret and our host Jon Phillips at Middle Spivey Falls
Middle Spivey Falls
Middle Spivey Falls
Upper drop of Middle Spivey Falls
Middle Spivey Falls
Small part of the falls
Derrick doing whatever it takes to get ‘the shot’ !
This is one of the shots Derrick got ! (Photo by Derrick Hamrick)
John and Jon getting some shots at Middle Spivey Falls
Middle Spivey Falls
Middle Spivey Falls
Middle Spivey Falls
Isolated part of the falls
Same isolated part of the falls with delay
John, Jeff and Dan still checking out the lower parts of the falls as I begin to make my way to the upper drop which required backtracking to where we started
Middle Spivey Falls
Some of the better shots were obtained from up above near the cabin as they included the blooming dogwoods and peach trees in the shots. We spent awhile at these falls getting what pics we could before it finally came time to depart.
Pretty flowers along the trail that leads beneath the cabin and to the upper part of the falls
More beauty found along the cabin trail
Upper drop of the falls as seen through the iron gate archway along the trail below the cabin
Upper drop of the falls as seen through the archway
Falls through the archway
Falls framed with the iron archway
Iron gateway
Falls as seen through the archway
Upper drop of Middle Spivey Falls
Upper drop of the falls with the white dogwood and red peach tree blooms
Looking down from my position I can see Joe Brickey straddling a rock like a Junior Camel Servicer and Ken Woody below at the base of the upper part of the falls
Looking across to the top of the falls from my high perch beside the cabin. Imagine having this view every time you look out your window !
Perhaps one of my best shots of these falls
Another decent shot of the upper drop of the falls
Upper drop of the falls
Upper part of the falls
Upper drop of Middle Spivey Falls
Upper part of Middle Spivey Falls
Upper part of the falls
Upper part of Middle Spivey Falls
Another one of my favorites from this day
I can never decide which I like best so I am posting them all !!!
Making my way down to the base of the falls for more shots
Getting closer to the base of the falls
Upper drop of Middle Spivey Falls
Up close and personal with the upper drop of the Middle Spivey Falls
View from the base of the falls
Hanging out at the base of the falls
It had been at least 20 years since I stood at the base of these falls
Base of the upper part of the falls
John Forbes chilling out at the base of the falls
Looking up towards the cabin from the base of the falls I can see the rest of our group (left to right) Dan Till, Ken Woody, Jeff Dean, Larry Jarret, and John Forbes) Jon Phillips is somewhere out of sight !
Some final shots from the base before I made the ascent to the cabin to leave
As seen from the base
Looking downstream from the base of the upper drop of the falls I could see John Forbes in his typical gnome pose on the edge of a cliff high above the lower drops of the falls
John`s view from the cliff, of us at the base of the falls (Photo by John Forbes)
Getting some final shots of the falls before leaving
Close up from the base
I think this was my best shot from the base of the falls
At the base
Last shot from the base of the upper drop of Middle Spivey Falls
The group split up into two groups from there as Jon, and Larry went in different directions to see other falls and the rest of us ventured farther over the mountain into North Carolina to visit Big Creek Falls. This is a South facing falls and the sky had brightened significantly so I found it hard to get any good shots of the falls but, it is still a really nice area to visit anytime.
Big Creek Falls (NC)
Big Creek Falls (NC)
Big Creek Falls (NC)
Big Creek Falls (NC)
Big Creek Falls (NC)
Big Creek Falls (NC)
Big Creek Falls (NC)
Big Creek Falls (NC)
Big Creek Falls (NC)
Derrick Hamrick getting a shot at Big Creek Falls (NC)
Big Creek Falls (NC)
Big Creek Falls (NC)
Derrick focusing his ‘Eye of The Tiger’ on Big Creek Falls (NC)
Big Creek Falls (NC)
Looking down on the group from the top of Big Creek Falls (NC)
Big Creek Falls (NC)
Big Creek Falls (NC)
Big Creek Falls (NC)
Looking down on John Forbes and Big Creek Falls (NC)
Big Creek Falls (NC)
Me atop Big Creek Falls (NC)
Backtracking from there we stopped at another smaller falls that my son Tyler and I had found earlier in the year upstream. These are somewhat hidden below the road and to my knowledge have no name but, nonetheless are well worth checking out. It did come a fairly steady rain while we were there yet, that did not dampen our spirits nor did it stop us from getting some pics of them !
Misc falls on Big Creek
Small falls on upper Big Creek
falls on Big Creek
Isolated shot of the left side
misc falls on Big Creek
Isolated shot of the right side (you can see how hard it is raining !)
Small falls located upstream from Big Creek Falls
Huddling under umbrellas in order to get shots of the small falls along Big Creek
I am closest in this shot as we all hunker down under our umbrella`s in the pouring rain getting pictures of the falls ! (Photo by John Forbes)
Isolated shot of the left side falls
Me, John Forbes, Dan Till, and Ken Woody atop the small falls located upstream from Big Creek Falls (NC) (Photo taken by Derrick Hamrick)
The rain did stop again and it was then decided that we would let Dan lead us to the not very well known Spivey Gap Falls which he had learned of by speaking to some locals while in the area one day. I personally was unaware of them and there is not any information to be found about them. After seeing them I really hope it stays that way as it is a very pristine area that I would hate to see trampled to death by the masses. I was surprised to see just how close they were to my AT trail section. These are a very unique falls that flow through a miniature slot canyon of sorts with rather large cliffs and rock formations on each side. They have a unique beauty all their own and I felt privileged to see them.
Dan leads the way through the old Hemlock forest towards Spivey Gap Falls
There are still some very large living Hemlock trees along this route
This feather was actually sticking in the ground near a rather large pile of them. There was also some bones.
Bone structure found near the feathers
On approach to the falls. They are well hidden between the two cliffs
Almost to the falls. You would never know they were there until you get right to them !
Looking up the hill I knew I would be exploring above those cliffs before we left !
Making our way around the large moss covered rock obstacles that help hide the falls
Dan O continues to lead us through the rocks to the falls
Wildflowers found in the area which I believe are a Scarlet Trillium and Squirrel Corn
Large group of Squirrel Corn
John getting a close up of a scarlet trillium growing out of a large rock
My blurry close up of the scarlet trillium
Close up , again with hand cam, no tripod
As I come around this large rock, I see Jeff Dean enjoying the view of the falls and Joe Brickey is already at the base of them
Wildflower
Getting closer and closer to the falls !
John ‘The Gnome’ Forbes can not resist climbing one of the large moss covered rocks
Me standing beside one of the larger rocks near Spivey Gap Falls (Photo by John Forbes)
Spivey Gap Falls
John Forbes at Spivey Gap Falls under intense sunlight
Spivey Gap Falls
John at Spivey Gap Falls
Find John in this pic of Spivey Gap Falls !
Best shot I could get under the bright conditions
John giving some scale to Spivey Gap Falls
Group shot at Spivey Gap Falls (Photo by Derrick Hamrick)
John exploring the gnome home beside the falls
Looking through the rock chasm beside the falls
John poses while standing on some very slick and steep slanted rocks
John at the top of the rock chasm
Trying to display the enormous size and beauty found inside the large rock chasm beside the falls
View of the upper part of the falls before it enters the slot not seen from the base (Photo by John Forbes)
Side view of the base of the falls
Side view of the base of the falls
We spent quite a bit of time there exploring the area in and around the falls and the cliffs above them before it came time to leave. I can not wait to revisit these falls again in different seasons.
Dan O standing in Spivey Gap Falls
Dan O : “Hey look ! It`s a waterfall !! “
Dan O at Spivey Gap Falls
Dan attempts to climb right up the gut of the falls
Looking through the keyhole at Spivey Gap Falls
Making my way up to the cliffs to explore them
As I make my way up the base of the cliff I can look down and see John and Derrick still at the base of the falls
Looking down from about half way up the cliff
A trio of fiddle head ferns I found near the cliffs
Making our way up around the upper end of the left side cliffs
Higher on the cliff I can still see John as he looks much smaller now at the base of the falls
Another shot looking down at John and the base of the falls from my puckering perch along the cliff base
Ken standing in the large alcove of the cliff
Derrick and John join the rest of us on the cliffs
John giving some scale to the cliff
Looking down at the falls from the upper part of the cliffs
Looking farther up the side of the cliff as I can not get them all in a picture even by turning my camera sideways
Continuing to climb higher to get to the upper side of these magnificent cliffs
Me standing under the cliffs (photo by John Forbes)
Looking down on the alcove at the end of the cliffs
Taking the high road back as we leave, this is looking down on the upper end of the cliffs
Spivey Gap Falls as seen from above
Spivey Gap Falls as zoomed from above
Tree cluster seen on the way out
Another tree cluster found along the way out
If you are one of those that hikes for the most miles and how many falls we can see in one day, you will most likely miss such things as this ‘deer horn tree’ we spied along the way out
Close up of the deer horn tree
Cool looking red tree on the edge of the old growth Hemlock forest on the way out
There are some impressive Hemlock trees along this route
It had been a grand day of water-falling with some grand like minded friends and I can not wait until our next adventure. Until then,,,,,
My name is 'RAT' and I love the mountains and waterfalls of the East TN. area where I live and I hope you enjoy this blog about my outdoor adventures.
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