7-12-05 - My continuing story of these 2 waterfalls has finally ended - for now. I'll try to keep it short. We 1st tried to find Kiesee Falls in 2001. The Adams book said to follow the creek up for about 1/2 mile. There's no trail, so we decided to hike in and up the creek. We thought we had gone more than 1/2 mile and didn't see anything, so we wussed out and turned around. KT and Cathy tried the same thing later on and found Kiesee Falls, so I had KT's photo posted here to reward their persistence. Then local waterfall guru Bernie started reading my site and emailed me saying he had an easier way that actually followed an old logging road to the falls, with a descent down a bank to the base of the falls. I went to check out this new way and found the falls with no problem. KT's photos were outta here - end of story! That is, until Kevin Adams told me that my pictures weren't of Kiesee Falls. He saw mine and figured out that there are actually 2 waterfalls. He, KT, and Cathy had been to Kiesee Falls. Bernie and I had been to an upper waterfall. When Kevin went back to do research for his upcoming revised waterfall book, he found that the 2 waterfalls were very close to one another. So that meant that Bernie and I had to go back to find the real Kiesee Falls.

We finally got around to doing just that. If you haven't picked up on the directions to FR140, here they are. From the Blue Ridge Parkway, head south down Hwy 215 for 6.5 miles. Look for a sign indicting 'narrow bridge ahead', and turn left on FR140 just after the bridge. From Hwy 64, turn north on Hwy 215 at Headwater Outfitters. Drive 10.2 miles up 215 and turn right on FR140 just before the bridge. The plan was to hike up Kiesee Creek until we came to the waterfall, just like Kevin said to do. Access to the creek is through the roadside campsite which is just over 2 miles up FR140 on the right. You have to get your feet wet unless the area has been experiencing drought conditions (not likely). Once you cross the creek, a trail kind of follows an old logging grade up the creek, but it's overgrown and you'll end up in the creek anyway. Sometimes walking in the creek is easier than bushwhacking along the creek. It took us a while and part of the 'schwack was a little wicked and slippery, but I finally saw Kiesee Falls.

The falls is less than 20' high, but is in a real pretty setting with a nice swimming hole at the base. The water in Kiesee Creek was quite a bit higher than normal from all of the recent rain, but still clear as could be and cold. From here, you can't see the upper falls even though it's just up the creek. We knew the logging grade Bernie had mentioned was up to our left, so we looked for a safe way up. A wet weather 'waterfall' was coming down the rock face to our left and we found a place to get up just to the left of that. The soil is very fragile here and it was supersaturated, but we found enough downed timber and live roots and small trees to get up without disturbing too much. I don't think I would want to get down from this point along the logging road. The bank is too steep and slippery. From this point, we walked a very short distance to a small pile of rocks on the right indicating the point to get down to Upper Kiesee Falls. There's a faint trail that leads down to a point that's maybe 20' above the creek at the base of the falls. You might be able to get down without a rope, but you might slip and bust your head wide open also.

If I had been paying attention, I would have noticed that this waterfall wasn't the real Kiesee Falls. They are similar, but not really. There is another nice swimming hole at the base and both are 2 tiered. If you want to take Bernie's logging road/trail up to the waterfalls, continue up FR140 for about 1/4 mile past the campsite to the next sharp curve to the left. You'll see a stake with a yellow top on the right and a small yellow sign nailed to a tree saying 'closed to vehicles'. Park here - the old logging road is the trail. After 8-10 minutes of fairly easy hiking, the trail splits. Take the lower route. I think Bernie said the upper one to the left leads up towards Chestnut Falls. In about another 10 minutes, the trail approaches the Kiesee Creek. Look for the small pile of rocks on the right just past a wet weather drainage area. If you come to where the trail crosses the creek, you've gone too far.

End of story?? Maybe - maybe not...