Cove Creek Falls 2-3-08
Cove
Creek Falls 2-3-08
2-3-08 - The Cove Creek area is really beautiful. Hikes are moderate and mostly kid friendly and there are several cascades in addition to the 50' Cove Creek Falls pictured above. For really small kids you could skip the main waterfall and just hang around the creek in the group camp area. It's about 1.25 miles to Cove Creek Falls.
Directions: From the intersection of Hwys 280/64/276, drive 5.2 miles north on 276 and turn left on the paved FR475 towards the Pisgah Center. Drive 3.2 miles and park on the left just before the 1 lane bridge. The gated road to the group camp area is on the right and that's where the hike begins. The road soon crosses through Cove Creek - a side trail to the right crosses it on a foot bridge. In 10-15 minutes you'll pass a scenic cascade on the right, but it's a scramble down the bank for a good view.
cascade
on Cove Creek 2-3-08
Continue for a short distance and take the blue blazed Caney Bottom Loop Trail on the left to get to Cove Creek Falls. In a short distance, the trail turns to the right and crosses a small stream. Look for the blue blazes on the trees. You'll pass a side trail back down to the group camp area that you can take on the way back. In another 10 minutes or so, the trail splits. You can go either way, but I think it's a prettier hike taking the blue blazed Caney Bottom Trail to the right. The yellow blazed Cove Creek Trail continues straight and is easier, but you run the risk of being run over by mountain bikers. Follow the Caney Bottom Trail down through a primitive campsite area among some nice pines. In the camping area, the blue blazes head to the right, but you want to continue through the camp area and pick up a non-blazed trail up the creek. In maybe 10 minutes, you'll hear the falls and spot it through the trees. Look for the side trail to the right that leads past a big piece of quartz and to the base of the waterfall. If you would rather take the Cove Creek Trail, continue straight at the start of the loop for 10-15 minutes and look for a side trail to the right just past a hemlock with yellow blazes on it. Head down and take the side trail on the left to the base of the falls. You'll have to cross the creek for a good hang out spot. There are a couple of fallen logs in the falls now, but I'm hoping they won't stand out as much once it greens back up.
If you want to make a 4.5 mile loop hike out of this and see a couple more falls, read on. From the base of Cove Creek Falls, head back up to the Cove Creek Trail and turn right. Follow the yellow blazes carefully until you come to another fork that reconnects on to the blue blazed Caney Bottom Trail. Follow it for a bit and Caney Bottom Creek will come up on your left. You'll pass this smaller cascade...
The cascade continues past this but it's a scramble to try to get a picture. Continue a short distance farther and you'll come to the larger waterfall. Again, the best view is from the other side and it's a wicked scramble for a good view. This would be a really nice waterfall if it were more open and the logs weren't cluttered near the base. The main part of the waterfall is maybe 30' high.
Continue down the Caney Bottom Trail and follow the blue blazes carefully to get back to the group camp areas. If you take that previously mentioned side trail to the grassy area, you can head to the left and back towards the creek where you'll find this slide area.
