These waterfalls were reached by the Deep Creek Loop Trail, in the Great Smoky Mountains. This loop trail was a relatively easy 4.6-mile trail found just outside of Bryson City, North Carolina.
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Chau-Ram County Park is a relatively small recreational park in upstate South Carolina, off of Hwy. 76, between Westminster, SC and Clayton, GA. The name comes from the Chauga River, that flows through the park, and Ramsey Creek, which provides a nice little waterfall. The Chauga River has some beach areas for picnics and swimming, and across the bridge from the park entrance, there is a network of hiking trails on the western side of the river.
Station Cove Falls is reached by a trail that starts from the Oconee Station State Historic site, in upstate South Carolina. This site is one of the state's first frontier outposts in the mountains, and the waterfall is an impressive tiered cascade that is reminiscent of Yellow Branch and Issaqueena Falls. The trail itself is a relatively easy hike of about 2.5 miles round trip.
This trail, in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, is a 3.5-mile round trip trail to the top of Andrews Bald, a peak near Clingman's Dome. Clingman's Dome is the highest point in the Smokies, but Andrews Bald, at a highest point of about 6300 feet, provides a wonderful view of the Smoky Mountains, and is a moderate hike.
The Whittleton Trail is a 2-mile in-and-out trail in the Natural Bridge State Resort in Kentucky. This park is in the Red River Gorge area, and this trail follows Whittleton Creek. My wife and I did not do the entire trail, but did a significant portion of it on this trip.
The Natural Bridge State Resort boasts a number of trails in the area, including the two represented by this gallery. The Natural Bridge Trail is about .75 miles and starts just a few yards from Hemlock Lodge, a hotel/visitor's center for the for the area. The trail isn't particularly difficult, but it does go up about 500 ft. during its length. This trail also shows the Balanced Rock Trail, which I used to get back to the lodge from the Natural Bridge. Both trails feature complex rock formations and fantastic erosion patterns.
The Angel Falls Trail is a relatively easy 1-mile trail, with a moderate elevation gain. The main sights are Angel Falls itself, but also Panther Falls, about halfway along the trail.
I returned to Paris Mountain State Park in Greenville, SC to go on the Sulfur Springs Trail again. This is one of the park's highest difficulty trails, but it's certainly worth the effort, and it varies its major elevation changes with some nice straightaways. This time, rather than following the entire trail, I took the spur up to an abandoned fire tower, and then came back down the way I started. This time, the trail was much lusher and more vibrant than the last time I went, which was in the winter.
The Andrews Cove Trail is a 2.0-mile in-and-out trail in the North Georgia mountains, north of Helen, GA. The trail begins at a camping area and heads up to Indian Grave Gap, where you can pick up the Appalachian Trail. The latter part of the trail on the way up can be challenging, as it is quite steep, but overall, it is a moderate hike. There are not as many pictures for this hike, because of the rain which was on and off during my time on the trail. It seemed prudent to keep the camera secured in its waterproof case, as the rains could suddenly start up.
These images were taken during a brief hike back at Glassy Mountain, just outside of Pickens, SC. On this hike, I found a side trail that went down to a large rock face that overlooked the rural countryside. Last time I was here, it was in the dead of winter, but this time, it was summer, and much greener.