Triple Falls and High Falls, NC, A Tale of Two Waterfalls, Part 2

Triple Falls and High Falls, NC – The Waterfall Trek Gets A Bit Easier

In Part 1 – Linville Falls, NC, I talked about my trek down the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina to shoot waterfalls, stopping first at Linville Falls. As mentioned, I have a bit of trouble walking distances and find uphill and downhill grades a challenge. The trek to the Chimney View was quite a bit more strenuous that I had anticipated. After continuing down the Parkway doing a bit of sightseeing, I stopped in Asheville for the night to regroup and plan the next day’s waterfall trek.

Both the guide to Hiking Waterfalls in North Carolina, by Melissa Watson, and Kevin Adams’ North Carolina Waterfalls – A hiking and Photography Guide, suggested that the Brevard area southwest of Asheville had some great easy access waterfall locations. I decided to head to the DuPont State Forest to shoot Triple Falls (seen in the Hunger Games) and High Falls.

What most attracted me to these falls was not just their beauty, but their accessibility for the aging photographer. If you are a visitor with disabilities, you can obtain a permit to enter the gate at the High Falls access area on Staton Road and drive to High Falls, Triple Falls and the covered bridge. After my too strenuous Linville Falls adventure, the idea of driving to a waterfall, instead of hiking miles of forest road, was very appealing.
•A vehicle permit must be requested 48 hours in advance of your planned visit.
•Permits are only available Wednesday through Sunday between the hours of 11:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.
•To schedule a visit, call the Forest Supervisor’s office at (828)877-6527.
•You will need to provide your name and the date you would like to visit.
•A ranger will meet you at High Falls access area with a vehicle permit and a trail map. Don’t be late for your scheduled appointment, or no one will be at the gate to open it for you.
•You must display your vehicle pass on the dashboard of your car while driving in the forest.
•You may only drive to the specific locations on the permit.

The RomanticAsheville.com website had a good bit of detailed information about the Forest and the falls on their DuPont State Forest page.

For the location and directions to DuPont State Forest, see the Getting to DuPont State Forest section at the end of this article.

The Hiking Waterfalls in North Carolina guide categorized the hike as Moderate, with a 1.2 mile roundtrip distance to Triple Falls, and a total 4.8 mile roundtrip hike to both Triple and High Falls. Driving to Triple Falls was a somewhat bumpy pleasure. You traverse narrow forest roads (be careful if your vehicle has particularly low clearance) to reach a small turnaround with a picnic table, just above Triple Falls. From there it is a moderately steep trek on the trail down to the Triple Falls overlook (use your trekking poles!!). Fortunately, you’ll be hiking for less than 200 yards down to the overlook. Going down is easy, coming back up loaded with photo gear is a bit harder. More fortunately, when you arrive back at the turnaround, your vehicle will be waiting for you.

From Triple Falls, you can drive back out to the main forest road and turn left on the road to High Falls. The road is a bit bumpier and steeper (in some spots, you might have to stretch a bit in your seat to see over your hood), ending at a large overlook with a picnic shelter and porta pottys. The view of the falls from the overlook is magnificent. If you are able, you can also walk down a long set of stairs to getting a lower and more intimate view of the falls.