I have been going to Buckeye Falls (over 400+ feet vertical) for well over 30 years and I never tire of seeing it. It is such a special and sacred place to me and I am probably more partial to it than any other falls or location I have ever been. Having seen it from every vantage point possible including the base, the left and right side ridges, the top, Chigger Ridge and Sampson Mountain, it always amazes me and leaves me with a feeling of rejuvenation each and every time. No matter what location you choose to visit this waterfall from, you will earn it as, it is one of the most difficult to reach no matter which way you decide to go. The most common and I hesitate to say ‘easiest’ way, is to its base via Clark Creek but, this is still a long and very strenuous off trail hike. The route is not marked although you are following a creek, and there are several blow-downs and flooded out areas to navigate plus, you must know which tributary to turn off on to begin the difficult and dangerous steep climb up to the base of the falls. This is not a place for young children or inexperienced hikers. An injury there would become a very serious matter as getting you out would require a massive and very time consuming undertaking. Once you reach the base you can only see part of the falls as there is a vertical drop of over 400 feet that you will only be able to see the lower part of because the top part will not be visible from there. Here is a picture of my son Tyler for scale. Don`t get me wrong, I love the base as much as anywhere but, these days I prefer seeing the falls in their entirety which requires a considerable effort. My favorite is the left side ridge but, coming in a close second is the more distant view from Chigger Ridge. Despite many trips to each I have yet to get any good pictures as the conditions are either too sunny and bright or fogged in total whiteout with no falls visible. On this trip we would choose Chigger Ridge and were lucky enough to be blessed with the best conditions I have ever experienced.
Buckeye Falls
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Posted on 31 March '16 by RAT, under RATtreks. No Comments.
My friend Tommy ‘Bol’Dar’ Warden and I always try to go on a hike every New Years Day if we can. Maybe it`s because of an old saying my mom used to say that was, ” Whatever you are doing on New Years Day, you will be doing for the rest of the year “. Of course when mom was alive that would be eating black eyed peas, some form of greens and cornbread but, in the years since we have always tried to go hiking somewhere. On this New Years Day we would find ourselves in nearby Lower Higgins Creek. Not sure why. Perhaps because it is close and the water levels were up, who knows ? What I do know is that we had a grand time as we seem to always do no matter where we go. It was not one of those crack of Dawn starts, maybe she needed to sleep in but, rather it was after 10am when we met up and headed towards Lower Higgins Creek. It was not too cold nor was it too hot and there was no snow or ice yet, there was lots of water. It was very cloudy throughout the whole day which made for near perfect conditions to which we took full advantage of.
UPPER Higgins Creek Falls
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Posted on 23 March '16 by RAT, under RATtreks. No Comments.
The access to the trail head for these falls was blocked off a few years ago by a landowner who owns property adjacent to them. He does NOT own the land where the falls are as that is all on US Forest Service property however, the USFS road that leads into the area does cross a very small section of his land. That road was discontinued many years ago by the Forest Service after a new road was built and was only opened for hunting season which was also stopped a few years ago as well. Of course the government has an easement there and will always be allowed to access it over the private property yet, the general public is not so lucky which has somehow permitted the landowner to block all access to it. I have heard first hand reports of him coming out with gun in hand and impolitely forcing people to leave and only one instance of someone being allowed to park there and access the route to the falls. Although that type of behavior is uncalled for, I can understand his frustration as in recent years there has been so much popularity in waterfalls spread by social media, and websites listing all the known falls and their map coordinates, etc., that masses of people were parking on his land at the USFS gate which resulted in mud holes and lots of trash being thrown out there. So, rather than attempt to speak with him to hopefully get access (which I was told would be futile) I opted a few years ago to find another route to the falls that did not require crossing any private property. After researching property ownership maps I was able to locate the perfect route to the falls that was not much longer or more difficult. Having hunted and explored all over the area there for many years when I was younger aided in my being able to find the perfect route to take. I have been a few times since then and it seems a small handful of others have also been traveling this route as well. It goes over state owned property which connects to the USFS land and apparently there have been issues as I noticed on this trip they have put up bright yellow property boundary markers to clearly show where state property stops and the private property begins which is a good sign as I take it to mean the state does not mind hiking over their property. I hope no one does anything to cause them to block that off because any other way in to the area would require a MUCH longer hike, so long in fact that it may not even be possible for many to accomplish on a day hike.
Upper Simmons Branch Falls
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Posted on 3 March '16 by RAT, under RATtreks. No Comments.
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.
