Update 10-19-05  I received an email from a visitor to the web site stating he had seen on the forest service web site that the trail to Elk Falls has been closed due to damage from the hurricane floods of 2004. That's what it says, but I just got another email from Bethanie saying she had just been to the falls and had no problems. I called the forest service to get the scoop and they said you can still access the waterfall, but the picnic area is closed.

Elk Falls had been high on my list of falls to visit and I finally made up there in late June '03. The falls are very popular and on a nice day you can expect a crowd. Unfortunately, this has led to a lot of trash in the area.

The falls are in the Pisgah National Forest's Toecane Ranger District near Elk Park on Hwy 194. Get a map out and figure out your best way to get up that way. We were coming from Boone, so we came up 105, took a right on 184, followed that to 194 and took a left. At the intersection of 19E, we took a right and went just under a mile and took a sharp right on SR 1303. There's a sign pointing towards the falls. A short way down is a left turn on Elk River Road. Follow that for 4 miles to the parking area for the falls. The trail to the 60' falls is about 1/4 mile and fairly easy.

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