ELK RIVER POLAR BEAR CLUB
Ever since I first visited
Elk Falls (Big Falls), years ago, I’ve had a mild obsession with the area. The Elk is a beautiful river, and below the
falls, it runs through a remote, rugged gorge.
I’d heard that there were more waterfalls downstream, and I’ve made
several trips over the years looking for them.
A few years ago, a section of the Appalachian Trail was re-routed along
the river, and we’ve hiked it a couple of times. However, most of the gorge remains inaccessible, except for
expert whitewater kayakers.
The most significant
waterfall downstream from Big Falls is Twisting Falls. I’ve found reference to this waterfall
several times over the years, but not much in the way of detailed information. A year ago or so, I drove up Poga Road, from
the Elk Mills community, in search of a possible route down into the
gorge. Going upstream from the Poga
Road bridge didn’t appear to be an option, as there is a house along the river
there. Farther up the road, I found a
place that may have provided a route down, but I wasn’t prepared to hike on
that occasion.
It wasn’t until last week
that I got another opportunity. I had a
job assignment in Mountain City, TN, but stayed in Boone. Prior to heading to Boone, I did some
additional research on Twisting Falls.
Here’s what “A Canoeing and Kayaking Guide to the Carolinas”, by Bob and
David Benner, has to say about it:
“The 2.5 miles of serious water ends with Twisting Falls, where the river cascades 160’ in .3 mile. The entrance to Twisting Falls is noted by the vertical rock walls that pinch the river down to a width of 20’….Below here are other rapids and two more vertical drops of 16’ and 45’ in succession. These drops have been run, but are not recommended unless you’ve been in some serious car wrecks and enjoyed the sensation.”
I found this rather
entertaining, but since I had no intention of approaching the area in a boat,
it didn’t help me very much. I did
another internet search for Twisting Falls, but this time, I actually found
something useful. I found a trip report
(http://www.waterfall-picture-guide.com/twisting-falls.html)
with directions! What did we ever do
without the internet? The directions
turned out to be mostly accurate, although I’ve added some details in the
paragraph below.
I finished my job early
Wednesday afternoon, and followed a series of windy mountain roads to highway
321 in Elk Mills. I turned off the
highway just before the bridge over the Elk River, and followed it a short
distance before crossing the river on another bridge. Just beyond, I turned right onto Poga Road, and began following
the river upstream. I crossed the river
two more times, before climbing high above the gorge. There are a couple of views of the gorge along here, but I kept
driving until I reached Clawson Road. I
turned right, and drove ½ mile to Dark Ridge Road, on the right. I followed this paved road to a fork, and
stayed right. Before long I passed a
house, and a driveway, on the left. The
road turned to dirt, but I continued ahead before stopping just short of a
gate. I parked there, near an old barn,
and gathered my gear for the short but steep hike down into the gorge.
I’m not sure if this is
private or public land, but the road itself is lined with red blazes, so it may
be the actual property line. If so, I
may have parked on private land, but it isn’t currently posted. Incidentally, this road is not shown on the
National Geographic map “South Holston and Watauga Lakes”. Clawson Road is shown though, and Dark Ridge
Road is gated near the gap just south of Round Knob.
From looking at the topo
map, I think the gated road ahead continues along the rim above the gorge. If I’m not mistaken, it eventually drops
down to ford the river, before eventually ending at the parking area near Elk
Falls (Big Falls). One of these days
I’d like to try to hike it, from Elk Falls all the way to Twisting Falls, and
back. I didn’t have time for that today
though. Instead, I picked up an ATV
route, which descends to the right just before the gate. I followed this route, which is blazed
yellow, before arriving below power lines.
There is a view of the gorge here, far below. At this point, a steep but obvious path drops down to the left.
I headed that way. The path wasn’t too bad at first, but it got
worse. It’s steep, but it isn’t
particularly hazardous, as long as you’re cautious. At one point the path joined a dry gully. Just when the descent was getting tedious,
the grade eased, and I strolled down to the river.
I found myself deep in a
remote, pristine gorge, on the bank of a beautiful river. Looking upstream, I could just see Twisting
Falls. The view from there was limited,
but it was enough to make me want a better look.
I worked my way upstream,
scrambling over rocks and following a faint path. After a few minutes, I scrambled up one last rock pile, and was
rewarded with a breathtaking view. A
30’ waterfall was directly in front of me, spilling over an impressive rock
ledge.
Many of the waterfalls I
hike to are on small streams that aren’t very impressive when water levels are
low. Not this one! The Elk is a powerful river. The bottom drop of Twisting Falls isn’t the
highest waterfall around, but it’s definitely an awesome sight! It’s as impressive as it’s big brother
farther upstream. In fact, since it’s
in such a remote, pristine setting, I probably like it a little bit more.
I took a few photos, which
was challenging, thanks to the heavy spray from the falls. Then I started looking for other possible
compositions.
The river splits into two
just above the falls, and the left side of the falls is hidden from view from
the riverbank. From my perch, I could
see a long rock ledge extending across the river, just below the falls. If I could get out to it, I’d be able to see
the falls in their entirety. However,
getting there looked like a challenge.
I packed my gear, and
descended the rocks ahead of me. This
required a great deal of caution, as the footing was very slippery from the
constant spray. At the bottom is a
large pool, and further progress is blocked by a tall cliff. Luckily, someone had placed a log at the
base of the cliff. The log looked like
it would serve as a bridge over to the next pile of rocks. From there, I could climb the rocks to
access the ledge.
I inched across the slippery
log, knowing all too well what the penalty for failure would be. The footing was awkward, thanks to the
proximity of the rock wall in front of me.
Somehow I made it to the rocks without incident. Here I used some hand and foot holds to
scramble up onto the ledge. The rocks
were incredibly slick, but I never gave a second thought to how I would get
back down them!
Once on the ledge, I inched
my way out towards the middle of the river.
My efforts provided two immediate benefits. First, I could see the entire falls for the first time. Second, I passed out of the spray zone,
which provided a more pleasant viewing experience, and made photography much
easier. I took a few shots, and found
myself wondering if there were more falls above. It’s apparent that the river drops dramatically through here, and
it seems likely that there is more to see above. However, I didn’t see a good way to get there from my ledge. Going up the right side would be
exceptionally steep, and would require crossing the river. The left side is guarded by sheer cliffs. Back where I first stopped, I noticed a path
climbing up and around those cliffs.
It’s possible that following that path might provide a route to explore
the river further upstream.
I packed my gear, stashing
my camera in my pack, for the hike back.
I followed the ledge back to the cliff face, and gazed down at the route
I had taken up. Climbing up here had
been fairly easy, but how was I going to get down? The rocks were as slippery as a bathtub covered in greased banana
peels. Unfortunately, the way I had come
up was the only plausible route back down.
I sat on the ledge, and
slowly lowered myself down to the first foothold. So far, so good. I
shifted my weight, to drop down to the next step, and suddenly I was hurtling
downward. In the split second before I
hit the water, I had time for two thoughts.
The first was, “Thank God I put the camera in the top of my pack”. The second was, “This is going to be
unpleasant”.
From above, the water looked
no more than knee-deep. Imagine my
surprise when I plunged in up to my abdomen!
I jumped out of the river almost as quickly as I fell in. What a rush! If it had been any colder, I would’ve expected to see icebergs
floating by.
I started the hike back, all
thoughts of trying to explore farther upstream banished from my mind. I knew I was flirting with hypothermia. Fortunately, I had plenty of warm clothes in
my car, which was less than a mile away.
I found the trail heading back up out of the gorge, and quickly warmed
up as I climbed steeply up from the river.
By the time I reached my car, I was actually almost comfortable, except
for my water-logged boots. Still, it
was a relief to change into warm, dry clothes.
It was only 4pm, so I
decided to drive over the Valle Crucis to check out Craborchard Falls. Although I lived in Boone for four years,
I’d never heard of this waterfall before reading about it in Kevin Adams’ guide
to North Carolina Waterfalls. From Dark
Ridge Road, I followed a series of back roads through some of the most remote
settlements in the Appalachians before finally rejoining highway 321. I followed 321 to the Watauga River, where I
turned off onto Old Watauga River Road.
This road looks like a shortcut on the map, but it probably isn’t. It’s a dirt road, and it was slow going. On the upside, it was very scenic, as it
offered many fine views of the river. I
eventually reached highway 194, which I followed through Valle Crucis and on up
the mountain to the Valle Crucis Conference Center.
At the conference center, I
followed the signs for “waterfall parking”.
There weren’t any cars there, so I was pretty sure I’d have this
waterfall to myself, too. I parked, and
followed the dirt road. The route is
well-marked with signs, and after a fair climb, I turned off the road in favor
of a trail. I descended on the path and
a staircase to reach the base of the falls.
Craborchard Falls is a long series of pleasant cascades. It’s a pretty nice waterfall, but it seemed
insignificant immediately after visiting Twisting Falls! Unfortunately, there are a couple of fallen
trees in the pool at the base of the falls.
As a result, it was difficult to make a good photo here, despite the
ideal weather conditions.
I hiked back to the car, and
headed for home. Originally I had
planned to stop at Upper Falls on the way, but it was getting late. I’d spent more time at Twisting Falls than I
had originally planned, what with the swimming and all. I can’t wait to get back there to explore
further, but I’ll probably wait until summer, when the water is warmer!
Back to Tennessee
Back to Hiking and Backpacking Trip Reports
Please remember to Leave No Trace!