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 on April 29, 1999 by the state from Duke Energy Corporation. The transaction created a 2,900-acre gameland managed by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission and a 7,100-acre state park with 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 see trail photos from this hike to Rainbow Falls: October 14, 2013, January 21, 2022 (password required)
- click to see more trail photos from this hike along the Horsepasture River: February 10, 2001
- click to view a trip report of this walk in the Nantahala National Forest: October 14, 2013, November 28, 2019, January 21, 2022 (password required)
- click to view maps of this trip near Gorges State Park: area map, detailed map, park map
- click for the Southeastern Destinations discussion forum
- click to access the guidebook North Carolina Hiking Trails which has details on this destination
Speak Your Mind