These beautiful falls reminded me of visiting Mingo Falls in Cherokee, NC. Fortunately, the climb to these falls was not nearly so difficult! The trail leading to the base of the falls is fairly short and not too difficult. The trail is marked and there is a sort of wide spot in the gravel road where you can park.
Our youngest was too beat from the adventure at Angel Falls to make this trip; he fell asleep in the back of the truck. But our eldest had a grand time here. We let her take off her shoes and splash around in the pool, looking for lizards and cool rocks and generally just enjoying the water.
There hasn't been much rain lately so I'm sure the falls were not as spectacular as they could be. But the low water made it possible for us to easily cross the creek and explore a little trail going down the other side. We found an old spring collection barrel under a rock overhang... it doesn't seem to be in use any more but the barrel still held water and a well-defined trail led down the slope away from it.
The rhododendrons were in bloom and we finally found someone who could tell us the difference between rhododendron and mountain laurel. (I knew what rhododendron was but there was some confusion over whether mountain laurel was the same thing, or something different, and what it looked like.) The woman we met there told us that mountain laurel is smaller with blossoms that look more like azaleas and bloom in late spring. I suspect that it is the orange-y blossoms I've always liked in late spring in the mountains.
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