One of mine and my husband's favorite things to do in North Carolina is hike. Not only is it a cheap date (usually free unless there are park fees) but it is a great secret workout. And one of our favorite places to hike is Catawba Falls, located about a half an hour from Asheville in Old Fort (or Old Fart, as my husband likes to call it).
The hike itself is fairly easy (to the lower falls), meandering through streams and forests at about a mile and a half long. There are a couple of areas where you have to hop across rocks to make it to the other side and you may end up with a soggy shoe with misstep.
The waterfall is about 100 feet tall and can best be viewed at the lower fall area. This is also a great place to dip your feet in and have a picnic.
If you choose to go up further, the views aren’t as good, but the bragging rights are. My husband, friends and father hiked up until the rope ladder to get up even further. (I chose to stay grounded at the lower falls). This is definitely more dangerous and I would recommend that only serious hikers venture up that far, it would not be something I would want to do with young children.
We took our dog, Monkey with us and he REALLY enjoyed it, although there were some parts that he struggled a bit and had to be coaxed into jumping (note the picture, he was panicked here, but loved the rest of it). If you are going to go, make sure you bring water! Most of the the trail is shaded by trees, but we still lathered on the spf. There is a bathroom and a trash area at the beginning of the trail, but nowhere else. Also parking has been closed for over a year, so you will have to park on a side road. But the trail is open!
Our trip by the numbers:
1 soggy shoe
3 streams crossed
16 other hikers
1 baby snake
38 pictures taken
Do you like hiking? Where is your favorite place to go?
You can check out more of Lauren's take on life in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina here.
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