Waterfalls and Views with Easy Walks Near Cashiers, NC

Waterfalls are among the things in life that must be seen in person to truly experience the beauty and power that they have.  We decided to take the opportunity to visit the Cashiers, North Carolina, area to see some sights and do a tour of some waterfalls.  We wound up enjoying even more places than we planned to visit!  We took many, many pictures, and we will share some of them with you.  To spread them out a bit, this is part one.  We hope that you will return to view the following posts.

During our weekend getaway, we found ourselves in two states, three counties, and six different towns.

Wigington Overlook

Whoa!  Pull over!  As we were driving on the connector route, 413, in South Carolina, suddenly there was this view.  We pulled over on a whim.  While this was not one of our stops, it was well worth the few minutes that we took to pause and appreciate it.

There was a large pull off where we parked the car and then stood admiring our bird’s eye view of Lake Jocassee.  I wonder how far we could see from that spot in Sumter National Forest.  We enjoyed the view for a bit and then headed on our way along the hazy mountain.

Whitewater Falls, NC

Our next stop was Upper Whitewater Falls in North Carolina.  We planned for this to be our first stop, which goes to show that plans can be flexible.  Lower Whitewater Falls, in South Carolina, is only a few miles down the river from Upper Whitewater Falls and is said to have an impressive, 400 foot drop.  If we had realized that the two waterfalls were so close when we were there, we might have detoured to the see Lower Whitewater Falls, too.

Whitewater Falls is part of the Whitewater River, which is off of Hwy 281 in the Nantahala Forest in NC.  It is worth noting that the United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service tells us that the Upper Whitewater Falls is the highest waterfall east of the Rocky Mountains!  That is pretty neat, right?  The falls drop 411 feet.  To give you an idea of how high that is, the Statue of Liberty stands 305 feet tall.

When you get to the parking area, there is a $2 cash parking fee.  At the end of the parking lot is a path.  At the top of the path is a viewing area for the falls.  There is also a sign cautioning viewers to behave responsibly.  You will likely be safe if you do not attempt to do anything risky.

Off to the right of this viewing area, there is a set of stairs.  There are about 155 steps down to another viewing area, and there are platforms along the way down the stairs if anybody might need to stop for a moment.  At the bottom of the stairs we found ourselves looking right into the cascading water of Whitewater Falls.  It is stunning!

Silver Run Falls

After leaving Upper Whitewater Falls, we dipped back down into South Carolina to scoot over to Hwy 107 and head back into North Carolina.  Up 107 a few miles, on the right, is a parking area.  If you are coming from the other direction, it is about four miles south of Cashiers and would be on the left.  The parking area for Silver Run Falls is well marked.  After we parked, we walked the path for just a few minutes to the falls area.

The path crosses a water area where you can either cross by the man made bridge or by downed tree bridge.

We spent a lot of time here!  Silver Run Falls drops about thirty feet into a pool of water where children — and adults — enjoy playing.  This was one of Boy’s favorite waterfalls for that reason.

As many people were there at Silver Run Falls, simply changing perspective for some pictures made it look like we were all alone with nature.

Is that beautiful or what?

Rhodes Big View Scenic Overlook

Rhodes Big View on US-64 is a place to see another amazing view off of the side of the road.  There is a place for a few cars to pull off and park.

You can see the view from your car.  However, if you want to take pictures, then you might want to cross the road.  Bear in mind that this spot is on a blind curve in both directions.  It is a precarious place to cross the road.

When you are there at Rhodes Big View Scenic Overlook, you can see for miles.  Ooh, and what sights there are to see!

It is said that this formation makes a shadow that looks like a sleeping bear in the autumn.  How apropos is that during the time of year when bears might be preparing for hibernation?

The weather was both sunny and rainy on and off throughout the weekend.  While the sky to the left was more blue than the sky to the right, the picture above and the picture below were taken at the same time,

Cashiers Sliding Rock

As you saw with Silver run Falls, some of the places that we went were more than sights.  They were interactive!  Cashiers Sliding Rock is just what the name says — a rock in Cashiers on which you can slide.

We also spend a good amount of time here.  There is a shallow pool at the bottom where children and adults can play.  There are interesting formations and holes in the rock.

Did I mention the swirling waters in the hot tub sized pool that is right in the rock, part of the way down?  Mind you, while it swirls and bubbles like a hot tub, that mountain water is far from hot.  Brrr!

Slightly upstream from the sliding rock is a smaller waterfall that drops only a few feet.  By slightly upstream, I mean that you can practically see it from the top of the sliding rock.

Between the small waterfall and the sliding rock, there is another, small, water area.  Do you see that tree down across the water in the background?

Here is one of us walking along that tree while another one of us stands by the small waterfall taking this picture.

You could pack a picnic lunch and spend hours playing and relaxing here at Cashier’s Sliding Rock.  There is even a little beach area.  It has dirt and not sand, but it is still beachy.

More Waterfalls to Come

We have lots more to show you, so please be sure to come back for the continuation of Easy to Access Waterfalls and Views Near Cashiers, NC.  By the time you are finished, you might want to look into booking your own trip!

Oh, that was a sneak peak of what will be coming in the second part of this series.  Enjoy!

Be sure not to miss Part Two and Part Three (coming later this week)!