Auger Hole Falls
7-7-08 - Construction has begun on the new facilities at the park. Effective 2-29-08, the Grassy Creek parking area off of Hwy 281 will be closed. You will not be able to park here for access to the Horsepasture River which is on Nantahala National Forest property. The Frozen Creek access to Gorges State Park will remain open.
That said, I have some recent info on how this work is progressing. You still cannot park anywhere along Hwy 281 where there are 'No Parking Any Time' signs. And you cannot park in the driveway for the construction entrance of the park at any time - 24/7. You will be ticketed and towed - no exceptions. Phase One of the new construction includes building roads and parking lots, and laying water, sewer, and electrical. There will be 6 parking lots down Grassy Ridge Rd with 350 spaces between them. One of the lots will be 70 spaces for a trail down to the Horsepasture River. The trail has been there all along, but hasn't been an official trail. It starts at Grassy Ridge Rd and goes down to the river below Rainbow and above Stairway Falls. Trails to other waterfalls in Gorges SP will also open. Completion of Phase One is scheduled for November 2008. The visitors center which will be about 3/4 mile down Grassy Ridge is scheduled for completion in 2010. Park superintendent Steve Pagano and his staff have done an excellent job in managing the park. I have talked with Steve a few times over the years since the park's inception. From this and what I've read, he really seems dedicated to making sure the park is a good neighbor to the community and is genuinely concerned for the safety of visitors and preservation of the 46 endangered plants and animals within the park's boundaries.
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North Carolina's most western state park was officially dedicated over the 1999 Labor Day week end. You can click here for the official web site - remember that their info, rules & regs are what you should follow - not what you may see here or any other non-official source. Be sure to read the Master Plan if you are interested in what is planned for the park's future. I would especially like to see Gorges acquire the waterfalls on the Horsepasture River. The US Forest Service has done little to nothing to maintain this heavily visited area and it's Steve and his staff along with local search and rescue that respond to accidents on the river - not the Forest Service.
If you have any questions about where you can or can't go, call the park office to confirm. People have been lost and died in this area over the years, so don't go wandering around on your own if you are an inexperienced hiker. Very few people visit the remote areas of the park on a daily basis and it is unlikely anyone would find you before night fall if you got hurt.
top section of Auger Hole Falls
I've been in this area many times now, both before and after the park was established and have seen some truly awesome scenery. Check the park web site if you want to see the exact park boundaries, but basically it lies in an area south of Hwy 64 and east of 281, west of Frozen Creek Rd. It doesn't include any of the Horsepasture River, but borders just east of Stairway Falls. The detailed map in the Thomas guide does include the park land, but the guide was written before the park was established, so some rules of where you can and can't go have changed. There are no established Park facilities yet, but a parking lot on 281 south has been constructed and parking along the road is no longer allowed. This lot is also used by folks visiting the falls on the Horsepasture River and is gated - the hours of access are available on the park website. If you have the Thomas Guide, the gated access at Grassy Ridge Rd into the park is further back towards Hwy 64, but there is no parking available there. Another parking lot on Frozen Creek Rd is also now open and 2 trails, Augerhole and Cane Brake trails, are marked for hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding. These trails are actually old logging roads. There are other old roads and trails off of the marked trails, but it is recommended that you stay on the marked trails.
At the present time, camping in the park is officially only allowed in 2 areas - the Foothills Trail which crosses the park in the southern end and some primitive sites near the Raymond Fisher Place. The park contains many waterfalls on the Toxaway River, Bearwallow Creek, and the numerous other branches and creeks, however most of them require strenuous hikes to see and only 1 has an official trail to it at the present time. Unfortunately, it just leads to a platform with a not so close view of a section of Bearwallow Falls (next photo). Trails to other waterfalls and areas of interest are in the planning stage, but some waterfalls will never have trails because of the rare plants and animals in the area. If you would like to see pink Lady Slippers in bloom, come to the park in mid May (usually) and take the Nature Trail out of the parking area near the info board. The orchids will be mostly on the right hand side not too far down the trail. Please do not pick or dig up any wildflowers!
It's debatable whether or not I should even post some of this info and photos, but I trust that if you decide to explore, you will treat the land with respect, disturb as little as possible, and use common sense. Don't explore beyond your capabilities! Kevin Adams' new NC waterfalls book has more specific directions to some of these waterfalls, so pick it up as an extra source of information.
Falls on Maple Spring
Branch
Click here to see the beautiful scenery along Bearwallow Creek.
Click here to see lots of sites along the Toxaway River.