Horsepasture River (via Grassy Ridge Trailhead)
Gorges State Park
P.O. Box 100
976 Grassy Ridge Road
Sapphire, NC 29774
(828) 966-9099
Gorges State Park is one of North Carolina’s newest state parks. The property was purchased by the state from Duke Energy Corporation, and the transaction includes a 2,900-acre game land managed by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission. The 7,100-acre state park has plunging waterfalls, rugged river gorges, sheer rock walls and one of the greatest concentrations of rare and unique species in the eastern United States.
This hike along the Horsepasture River starts at the Grassy Ridge Trailhead in Gorges State Park. (Many people previously accessed the river from NC 281 – but parking is now prohibited along the road.) The hike begins in the recently developed and beautifully built Gorges State Park. Drive past the visitor’s center to the Grassy Ridge Trailhead and follow the Rainbow Falls trail down to the river and then up to a series of waterfalls – with Rainbow Falls being first and most impressive. It’s a 3 mile hike to the falls and back but if you have the energy you can continue on to see Turtleback and Drift Falls which are just upstream. All the falls are actually located in the National Forest and not in the State Park. You can expect to see a lot of people on this trail especially on weekends and during the busy summer season. Give yourself extra time for the hike out – it’s a long one.
- click to watch a video of Rainbow Falls after a storm blanketed the area with 1 1/2 feet of snow
- click to see trail photos from this hike to Rainbow Falls: January 21, 2022
- click to view a trip report of this walk in the Nantahala National Forest: January 21, 2022 (password required)
- click for a park map of Gorges State Park printed in 2023
- click to compare a park map of Gorges State Park from 2013
- click for a topo and profile map of this hike to Rainbow and Turtleback Falls (via the Grassy Branch trailhead) (password required)
- click for a topo & profile map to Rainbow Falls with a spur trail to Windy Falls (password required)
- click for a hike to the nearby Rainbow Falls via NC 281 in February 2001 and August 2008
- click for a hike to Rainbow Falls via the Grassy Ridge parking area in October 2013 and November 2019
- click to access the guidebook North Carolina Hiking Trails which has details on this destination
- click for other North Carolina hiking and backpacking books