Day 1: Nantahala..."Land of the Noonday Sun" and (for us "Land of Morning Torrential Rain!)
- Joanie Foley
- Apr 4, 2021
- 3 min read
Candler, NC
We scheduled a trip to spend a few days discovering the Nantahala National Forest and the Cherokee-Qualla Boundary. Our route was taking us through Cherokee where we planned to checkout a few waterfalls. We started from Westminster, MD to Roanoke, VA the night before. The morning of our drive ( roughly 5 hours) was nonstop rain until ~45 minutes before we were to make out first waterfall stop. Lunch was first on this list and we had the good luck to find the "Sweet Southern Funk" Food truck - in the middle of nowhere in Candler, NC. The food was so, so good! https://www.sweetsouthernfunk.com/menu
I had their BBQ Sloppy Joe / Rusty had the fried bologna sandwich OCT ( ode to "Old Candler Town) and apple crumble, The apple crumb took us both by surprise and wish we would have ordered 2 portions instead of sharing! The owner Paul waited on us and was so very nice - he was the first patch of "sunshine" of our rainy morning!
SOCO FALLS Maggie Valley, NC
SOCO Falls are literally right off US 19 between Maggie Valley and Cherokee, NC. There is a sign 1/2 mile before the pull off - but no sign marking the site so, like us, you may pass the parking and have to turn around if you aren't paying very close attention. Parking looks very limited. The very recent rain the night before and morning worked to our advantage - we were able to snag a spot. ( I cannot imagine this during peak season and sunny days - suggest go very early!) https://www.wncwaterfalls.info/waterfall/120/Soco_Falls
The break in the guard rail off the parking area is the beginning of the trail. It takes only a few minutes and not much effort to reach the very nice observation deck. The platform offers a nice view and the waterfall was really flowing due to the recent rainfall.
We decided to brave the short but very steep and very muddy trail to the base. We are not sure who is the trail angel responsible for the guide ropes down - but we would never have made the descent down or climb back up without them! Thank you "Guide Ropes Trail Angel" !
There is a spot half way down and via a few rock scrambles ( slippery but not muddy) where you can get a great view if you don't want to tackle the last half of the steep, muddy remains of the trail.
We "went for it" and really had no trouble by taking our time and using the guide ropes. The view from the base was amazing and there is an area to walk around along the bottom.
MINGO FALLS - Qualla Boundary- Cherokee
About 1/2 hour further down the road we stopped at Mingo Falls. The name "Mingo" means Big Bear in Cherokee and the falls are sometimes referred to as Big Bear Falls. The Falls are just off the Blue Ridge Parkway and close to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The first thing that struck me was we were hiking up to see these falls We did several waterfall hikes this year and usually hike down to see them! The hike is very short ( .4 Miles roundtrip). There are 161 steep ( very steep) steps that lead to a bridge across the base of the falls.
The falls are 120ft high - and thanks to the recent rain were very impressive. We could feel the mist from the viewing platform.
A short rock scramble took us down below the viewing platform to get some different perspectives.
As we drove around Cherokee - we noticed these cool bear sculptures. We learned they are the results of The Bears Project. The bear project started in 2005 to showcase different artist within the Qualla Boundary. Each bear represents an aspect of Cherokee culture. We only came across 4 of these stunning
bears but learned there are over 20....we intend to seek out the others next trip!
BASE CAMP - Robbinsville. NC
The town we stayed in , Robbinsville, NC, is very small (Population 620 per 2010 Census) and surrounded by some of the most lush, natural settings we had ever had the privilege to enjoy. This small town provides easy access and close proximity to all we had hoped to enjoy on our trip. We were fortunate to book a stay at the Hemlock Hide Away through AirBNB :
The cottage is a restored caretaker's cottage on a retired trout farm. A stream runs right next to the property and the cottage was so very inviting, cozy and comfortable. The three decks had gorgeous views and the deck off the bedroom had a hot tub facing the stream-perfect!
It was a great place to land after a long rainy drive and a day of chasing waterfalls. ( Sorry TLC- we're gonna keep chasing waterfalls! )
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