RATtreks

South Harper Falls – 12-20-2013

I have been taking my long lost friend Sam to several waterfalls and cliffs in the Wilson Creek area of North Carolina lately so, I decided that on this trip we would go to the South Harper Falls.  I had hoped that our friend Bol’Dar would be able to come along as he has not yet seen these over 200′ high waterfalls and cliffs but, he was unable to make it which just means that we will have to go back which is fine with me. These falls are of the cascading type but, they are still nearly vertical and have cut out a very unique canyon and cliff area that makes them very impressive. The falls are in two parts, an upper section and a lower section connected by a short,  sloping section that you can actually stand on but, I must say that this is not a place to have small children or inexperienced hikers. People have died here. If the rocks are the least bit moist I would NOT attempt to walk on them.

After the 1+ hour drive, we parked at the trail-head on FR#58 and began the pleasant  2 mile walk to the falls. The last part of this trail skirts around some private property and comes out right at the top of the falls. It then intersects a trail that was the old MST that comes in from the right where it crosses the creek above the top of the falls and continues to the left following Harper Creek another mile or two down to North Harper Creek. To avoid any confusion, you will notice that on the map there is no South Harper Creek. These falls are only named this to separate them from Harper Falls and North Harper Falls. By going left at the trail intersection, you can easily find the access to the top of the falls and the top of the lower section of the falls where you will be standing between the two sections. This is a great view of the surrounding cliffs and the canyon below but I must reiterate that although when the rock is dry you can walk a long way down the top of the lower section but please use extreme caution as one little slip or stumble would mean certain death.

To try and show just how sharply these falls drop off and how dangerous it is to be on them, check out these pics I took of Sam standing at the top of the lower half of the falls:

We hung out here between the upper and lower sections of the falls getting some pics and taking in the beauty of these huge falls and colorful rocks of the cliffs before moving on to bigger and higher things. I had already been down to the bottom of the falls before and Sam was not interested in going down there so we decided to go back to the top of the falls, cross the creek where we could see the other smaller falls that are above these falls, and then make our way to the cliff top above the main falls where there is an overlook that allows you to see the entire falls at once. If you wanted to go to the bottom of the falls and go up into the canyon below which is an awesome place to see and explore, you would continue on the old MST a short ways down and then scramble down the steep right side to reach the creek below the falls. I have been to the butt end of this canyon and stood at the base of the falls and it is worth the effort.  There is also a deep swimming hole there. To see the small falls above the top of the main falls and get to the trail that leads to the top of the cliffs, you would go the other way, crossing the creek above the falls. You will see the small falls to your right above the South Harper Falls when you cross the creek. To get to the cliff overlook you would follow the old MST to the left. On my last trip here, I climbed the cliffs from the bottom of the falls to get the view because I did not know then that there was a nice trail to an overlook! I do NOT recommend that route !

It was cold enough to be a bit icy on this day and the creek crossing was slick. There was enough water flowing to make rock hopping very difficult. This is not an easy crossing and Sam slipped on a slick rock and was in up to his knees right off the bat. We did get across the creek and went to the right a short distance onto the private property just long enough to see the falls there and an old water mill contraption that is attached to a tree with a steel cable. It was in the creek last time I was here but it has since been moved up to a higher location on the trail that leads to the private property. We did not stay there long and then made our way back towards the cliff overlook.

The old MST trail crosses a small creek and continues uphill where if you keep bearing right it eventually switches back and forth until it reaches the top of the ridge where you will find a trail or two leading a very short ways down to the overlook. It is a very nice flat place with incredible views of the entire falls and you can also see about all of Grandfather Mountain off in the distance. We hung out here for quite some time.

I could see a cliff ledge just under us which is the place I made it to from the bottom up on my last trip here and I realized just how crazy and dangerous that was to do and why I could not get up on the actual overlook. I recall hanging to the rock there looking up thinking, I bet it`s awesome up there but being alone on the cliff and no rope I stopped there to get the pic and then went back down the way I had came which was just as difficult as climbing up.

On the way back we continued further up on the old MST as I wanted to see how far it was to get to the new MST because on the annual RAT Birthday Hike of 2012 we had came that way and wanted to come down to the cliff overlook but not knowing how far it was and not being able to talk Bol’Dar into it, we passed it by. After walking a very short distance we came right to it so now I really regret that I was not more persistent in persuading Bol’Dar into going down that trail that I had such a strong suspicion about. From there we went back the way we came and being downhill all the way we reached the creek crossing in just a few minutes.

We managed to get across the creek without getting wet this time and did the 2 miles back to the vehicle. It had became partly sunny and was warming up. It had been another awesome day in the woods. On the way out we stopped and I was able to get a pic of the Little Lost Cove Cliffs off in the distance before we got back on the paved road. I am sure I will be taking Sam there soon enough.

On the way home we passed Santa Claus on a bicycle. Either he got a SUI (Sleighing Under the Influence) charge, or his sleigh was in the shop !

To see the complete collection of photos of these falls and more, please visit our Photo Gallery here.