Rutherford

The entrance to Chimney Rock State Park is off US 64/74A in the heart of Hickory Nut Gorge at Chimney Rock Village. You can’t miss it. Drive the entrance road to the top and park in the large gravel lot on the left just before the road ends. An admission fee is charged.

You’ll pass by the trailhead of Hickory Nut Falls Trail right before you reach the large parking lot. It begins at the sharp left-hand switchback of the road and is well signed.

For over a century, Chimney Rock Park was among the greatest tourist attractions in the southern Appalachians, and for good reason. I know of no other place that packed as much geology, biology, and aesthetic attributes into such a small area. The main attraction, then as now, is the towering Chimney Rock, clearly visible to travelers passing through Hickory Nut Gorge on US 64.

Moderate Class I bushwhack

Follow Hickory Nut Falls Trail to the base of the falls.

To reach the top of the falls, take the Skyline Trail, which is about 1.1 miles long and doesn't provide a good view of the falls at the end. The first part of the trail is mostly steps—I counted 376 of them—that ascend to Exclamation Point and one of the finest views in the park. 

Exclamation point is highly recommended. The remainder of Skyline Trail is a nice woodland walk, but it's a big letdown for those who remember hiking the original Skyline and Cliff Trails. 

Historical photo of Hickory Nut Falls by George Masa. (057A-04)

Early postcard of Hickory Nut Falls. (057A-02)

Early postcard of Hickory Nut Falls. This postcard was created using the same image as 057A-06. (057A-03)

Mountain Scenery, The Scenery of the Mountains of Western North Carolina and Northwestern South Carolina

, 1859. Caption says "Height of uninterrupted fall 350 feet height of precipice 900 ft. The stream in the foreground is Broad River." (057A-01)

Early postcard of Hickory Nut Falls. (057A-05)

Early postcard of Hickory Nut Falls. This postcard was created using the same image as 057A-03. (057A-06)

Early postcard of Hickory Nut Falls, postmarked 1922. This postcard was created using George Masa photo057A-27. (057A-07)

Early postcard of Hickory Nut Falls. This postcard was created using George Masa photo057A-31. This is a differently colored version of 057A-32. (057A-08)

Early postcard of Hickory Nut Falls. (057A-09)

Early postcard of Hickory Nut Falls. This postcard was created using George Masa photo057A-28. (057A-10)

Early photo postcard of Hickory Nut Falls. (057A-11)

Early photo postcard of Hickory Nut Falls. (057A-12)

Early photo postcard of Hickory Nut Falls. (057A-13)

Early postcard of Hickory Nut Falls. This is a heavily retouched version of 057A-22. (057A-14)

Early postcard of Hickory Nut Falls. This postcard was created using George Masa photo057A-23, with heavy retouching. (057A-10)

Early postcard of Hickory Nut Falls. (057A-16)

Historical photo of Hickory Nut Falls, circa 1880-1900. (057A-17)

Historical photo of Hickory Nut Falls, dated June 11, 1916. (057A-18)

Historical photo of Hickory Nut Falls by William A. Barnhill, circa 1920-1922. (057A-19)

Historical photo of Hickory Nut Falls. (057A-20)

Early postcard of Hickory Nut Falls, postmarked March 8, 1937. (057A-21)

Historical photo of Hickory Nut Falls. The photo has had something done to it to make it look more like an illustration. It was used to create postcard 057A-14. (057A-22)

Real photo postcard of Hickory Nut Falls, photographed by George Masa. This image was also used to create postcard 057A-15. (057A-23)

Historical photo of Hickory Nut Falls by George Masa. (057A-25)

Historical photo of Hickory Nut Falls by George Masa. This is either a crop from 057A-30 or else Masa made this image during the same session and shot from the same vantage point. (057A-26)

Historical photo of Hickory Nut Falls by George Masa. This image was used to create postcard 057A-07. (057A-27)

Historical photo of Hickory Nut Falls by George Masa. This image was used to create postcards 057A-10 and 057A-29. (057A-28)

Early postcard of Hickory Nut Falls. This postcard was created using George Masa photo057A-28. (057A-29)

Historical photo of Hickory Nut Falls by George Masa. Masa made this image during the same session and shot from the same vantage point as 057A-26 or else that image is a crop from this one. (057A-30)

Historical photo of Hickory Nut Falls by George Masa, used in a publication by AAA Carolina Motor Club. This image was used to create postcard 057A-08 and 057A-32. (057A-31)

Early postcard of Hickory Nut Falls. This postcard was created using George Masa photo057A-31. This is a differently colored version of 057A-08. (057A-32)

Hickory Nut Falls viewed from Chimney Rock Village. (057A-145767)

Hickory Nut Falls viewed from Chimney Rock Village. (057A-113446)

Aerial view of Hickory Nut Falls. (057A-09317)

Hickory Nut Falls viewed from Chimney Rock Village. (057A-145764)

The crescent moon shines above Hickory Nut Falls. (057A-212033M2)

View of Hickory Nut Falls from the base. (057A-255208)

View of Hickory Nut Falls from the base. (057A-255209)

View of Hickory Nut Falls from the base. (057A-255216)

Tunnel leading to elevator at Chimney Rock Park. This is the "trail" to the top of Hickory Nut Falls. (057A-253918)

View from the trail toward the brink of Hickory Nut Falls. (057A-253962)

View from the trail toward the brink of Hickory Nut Falls. (057A-269114)

View from the trail at the top of Hickory Nut Falls. (057A-269119)

The upper waterfalls at Hickory Nut Falls, viewed from the trail. (057A-269172)

The brink of Hickory Nut Falls. (057A-269173)

View at the base of Hickory Nut Falls. (057A-IMG_7856)

One of the upper falls above Hickory Nut Falls, viewed from the trail. (057A-269116)

Close on the heels of Chimney Rock for attention is the park’s other major wow factor, Hickory Nut Falls. You can see the upper part of the waterfall from several points along the highway. While the distant view is impressive, it doesn’t satisfy the viewer. It simply whets their appetite for more. It’s a natural billboard for the park!

Before Hickory Nut Falls became part of Chimney Rock State Park on May 21, 2007, visitors could hike the spectacular Cliff Trail, which offered a terrific view of the waterfall from Inspiration Point and crossed the top of the falls. Once the state got hold of the property, it closed that trail after determining it was not safe. It also closed one of my favorite features of the park, Needles Eye. Never mind that tourists had hiked these trails safely for nearly a century, and that Cliff trail was among the premier hiking destinations of the park.

When the state closed Cliff Trail and Skyline Trail farther up the mountain, many people who had originally supported the new state park felt betrayed. I am one of them. There has been talk of reopening the Cliff Trail, perhaps as some form of via ferrata. This is briefly mentioned in the 2011 Chimney Rock State Park Master Plan. How wonderful this would be! I’m not holding my breath, though.

If you want to voice your opinion, send it to Raleigh, not Chimney Rock. The park superintendent and his staff are doing a terrific job. I’ve spoken with several of them, and they want Cliff Trail to reopen as much as anyone.

So, what are the current options for viewing Hickory Nut Falls? Hickory Nut Falls Trail hasn’t changed (except for the name of the trail) and leads to the base of the waterfall. Skyline Trail has reopened, but with a major rerouting. Now, the trail leaves the cliff face at Exclamation Point and winds through the forest all the way to the top of the falls. It doesn’t provide the grand views along the cliff face that the original trail featured, and more disheartening, it doesn’t provide a very good view at the top of the falls. The viewing platform at the end stops well short of the brink and compared to the original trail, it's a letdown. You can see the the upstream waterfalls, but the view is not that good and signs prohibit you from leaving the trail to get a better view.

The current operating situation of the park may be confusing and is indeed different from all other NC state parks except for Grandfather Mountain. The state owns all the land and manages it as Chimney Rock State Park. A small part of the state park, containing Chimney Rock, Hickory Nut Falls, and all the hiking trails that lead to them, is operated by a private organization called Chimney Rock Management as an attraction called Chimney Rock at Chimney Rock State Park. Except for the closed trails, the average visitor will realize little difference in their experience at the park than they would have had before the state took it over. 

The park’s entry fee and hours vary by season. Visit the 

Special Considerations

Chimney Rock became an official state park in 2007. Prior to the state’s acquisition, the park was a privately owned attraction called Chimney Rock Park, which began in 1902. Chimney Rock State Park is rather unique in that the main visitor attraction is managed by a private company, called Chimney Rock Management, which operates under the umbrella of the state park. The official name for the part of the park managed by Chimney Rock Management is Chimney Rock at Chimney Rock State Park. Grandfather Mountain is the only other park in North Carolina that operates in this manner.

Brief History Of Chimney Rock State Park

I’m breaking format here by spelling Hickory Nut as two words, even though the USGS topo map has it as one. The reason is that it is listed as two words nearly everywhere else, even in publications dating from the 1800s.

Early names for the falls are Appalachian Falls, Ribbon Falls, and High Falls.

Naming

Four Hundred and Four feet. Hickory Nut Falls has been listed at that height for as long as I can remember. It remains listed at that on both the official Chimney Rock Park website and the Chimney Rock State Park website. But is it accurate? And when and how was it measured?

The answer to the first question is it depends. To the second, who knows?

If the height was listed as 400 feet, I would think of it as an estimate, perhaps one made by adding up the contour lines on a topo map, but why would someone pull 404 feet out of the air? Surely, an attempt was made to get an accurate measurement. But was there? I’ve talked with several officials from the park over the past thirty years and no one knows when or how that measurement was obtained.

 listed the falls as an uninterrupted fall of 350 feet, which was remarkably accurate for 1859.

Lindsey's Guide Book to Western North Carolina

, 1890, says “A creek large enough to turn a mill plunges over one of these embattlements and falls in a single stream a distance of over thirteen hundred feet, known as Hickory Nut Falls, said to be the third highest falls in the United States.”

, 1955, lists it as 400 feet, which likely was a rounding down from the park’s published measurement.

, Todd B. Morse, who owned the park before the state bought it, states “Another story around Freeman’s time [Jerome B. Freeman bought the property around 1890 and sold it in 1902] involved the height of the waterfall. Around 1885, boys who lived in the area wanted to figure out how tall the waterfall actually was. ‘A gourd and a long string were dropped to the bottom. At a shotgun blast from the boys at the bottom, the string was cut at the top, and was carried home to be measured.’ Though the article failed to mention what that number was, we would hear various numbers over the years. Our family would later promote the falls as being 404 feet tall, but I even found a family photograph from the 1920s that included a caption that the falls were 310 feet tall and 15 feet wide. Ultimately, I’d be told the falls measured 350 feet, 385 feet and 404 feet, although to my knowledge, we never did an official measurement.”

Morse gives other accounts regarding the waterfall’s height. He mentions a 1901 article he found in the Rutherfordton Tribune that describes the falls as “1,000 feet in a single leap” and as “the highest water falls east of the Rocky Mountains.” This article calls it "Appalachian Falls.”

 Another account is a 1903 article in Raleigh News & Observer, which calls it Ribbon Falls and says it is 1,300 feet high and the third highest falls in the United States.

Clearly, the Raleigh News & Observer article is using info from 

. I suspect the Rutherfordton tribune article could have been inspired by an old postcard that captions the falls “Appalachian Falls” and “First leap 969 feet.” Or, it could be the other way around, with the person writing this caption taking info from the newspaper article.

In 2004, a couple of rogues who worked at the park slipped in and dropped a string over the falls. The measurement from the point they considered the brink to the plunge pool at the lower observation deck was 351 feet. Assuming there was no stretch in the string, this would be an accurate measurement of the length of fall, but not the height. Despite it appearing nearly vertical, there is a fair amount of curvature to the falls.

Counting contour lines on standard USGS maps is never an accurate method of determining height. It’s impossible to know exactly where the waterfall starts and stops, and a lot can hide within a 40-foot contour interval. But LiDAR mapping is extremely accurate. Brian Bockhahn, retired Regional Educational Specialist for NC State Parks, is an expert at measuring waterfalls. Using LiDAR, he determined the main drop of Hickory Nut Falls to be 338 feet. Keep in mind, though, that while LiDAR is accurate, interpreting it still requires a human assessment of where to start and stop counting the lines.

Bockhahn also measured the falls using a rangefinder and clinometer from a position where he had a decent line of sight to the top. His measurement for the main drop was 320 feet. Interestingly, his measurement for the lower section was 83 feet, which when added to the 320 feet equals 403 feet feet, only one foot off from the historical measurement.

So, what is the final answer? Sorry, there is never a final answer when it comes to measuring the height of a North Carolina waterfall! But I will give you this from Brian Bockhahn, which I think is as close as we will ever get to answering the question. “Hickory Nut Falls is a complex series of waterfalls including one main ribbon of over 320 feet, about 83 feet of slides down below, and two upper cascades with drops of 38 and 33 feet. This adds up to a grand total waterfall height of well over 400 feet, specifically 474 feet.”

More about measuring Hickory Nut Falls

Measuring

Geology buffs should plan to spend a full day in the Hickory Nut Gorge region, with Chimney Rock Park taking up a most of it. Few places in the state cram so much striking geology into such a small place. Everywhere you go, you are literally between a rock and a hard place, and both have a fascinating story to tell.

Geology

Well, I don’t guess this is really a legend, but it is far-fetched and it illustrates well how some legends get started. Besides, I don’t know where else to put it.

The Resources of North Carolina: Its Natural Wealth, Condition, and Advantages, as Existing in 1869 

provides a report on a magnificent North Carolina waterfall. “Mitchell Falls, located on the eastern slope of Blue Ridge, near the Hickory Nut Gap road, is one of the most beautifully picturesque scenes to be found on this continent. The water falls over a solid rock three hundred feet high; trickling down its sides, empties itself into three large pools, and from thence down the mountain sides. The pools are clear as crystal; no bottom has ever been found to them.”

There is no such waterfall in North Carolina. The real Mitchell Falls is not on the eastern slope of the Blue Ridge, nor anywhere near Hickory Nut Gap. I suspect the culprit is a poor job of the author interpreting what they read in Charles Lanman's 

, or more likely, in Henry E. Colton’s 

, which quoted from Lanman and other writers. In one paragraph of Lanman's book, he describes Hickory Nut Falls and Bottomless Pools, and if the reader isn't paying attention, they might think he is talking about one waterfall.

I suspect Colton's book is the source because a lithograph of the real Mitchell Falls is included in the chapter about Hickory Nut Gap instead of the chapter about the Black Mountains.

One thing I noticed early on while researching the history of waterfalls is that early authors copied others extensively, sometimes with attribution, but oftentimes not. I guess it shouldn’t be surprising considering how often the same thing happens today.

Legends

In addition to all the historical references listed above, here are two more.

, published in 1849, states “Over one portion of this superb cliff; falling far down into some undiscovered and apparently unattainable pool, Is a stream of water, which seems to be the offspring of the clouds.”

Picturesque America; or, The land we live in

, published in 1872, F. G. De Fontaine describes the view of Hickory Nut Falls as one travels through the gorge, “Far off, in the distance, he looks in admiration at the beautiful falls of Hickory Nut Creek. The sun glistens on the spray-like stream, splintered into showers of diamond-drops by a fall of three hundred and fifty feet, and throwing out a thousand rainbow hues.”

Ida F. Chunn, or Miss Chunn, as she refers to herself in 

Descriptive Illustrated Guide-Book to North Carolina Mountains, Their Principal Resorts

, 1881, wins the prize for the most flowery description of Hickory Nut Falls.

A gleaming strip of silvery-white paints a sudden flank of the wall. Is it silver or mica inlaying with its bright mosaic the rugged grayness? But no, it moves; if silver, it is molten silver, and a nearer inspection shows, far above, the High Falls, slipping from the topmost ledge down the sheer awful rocks.

But whence does it come? We see naught but the mountain side and the bending arch of the sky, and perhaps 2000 feet above where we gaze the venturesome sliding water, swirling into snowy meshes of foam, at each slip of its mad journey, down the thousand or more feet of the unyielding rock. We only see the miracle of its glinting apparition, and its acrobatic leaps. We cannot from our lowly standpoint search out its spring-fed source on the broad plateau, stretching back unseen from the mountain's ledge. Crossing Broad Biver on a foot bridge, we may with a guide penetrate to its cool feet, if we dare a hearty climb along a round-about path. A nearer view of this giddy trapeze, veiled in tangled drapery of milk-white foam, and a refreshing bath from its spray, amply repay the toils of the way. Yet more enterprising spirits may mount to the top of the falls; and, if they choose, follow the guide by a rambling path to 

 in a neighboring glen; but well-trained muscles and much energy are demanded for this.

Literature

The premier big-screen waterfall in North Carolina, Hickory Nut Falls has been cast in a dramatic role in two Hollywood films.

, in 1987, featured the falls in several scenes. The principal scene shows Mike rappelling beside the falls and Jim shooting his rope, causing him to plunge into the pool below the falls. When Mike plunges into the pool, the next view is an underwater shot of him sinking into the watery depths. This part obviously was shot a different location, as the pool below Hickory Nut Falls is small and only inches deep.

 wasn’t a big hit, but five years later the waterfall and Chimney Rock Park received national attention on huge scale after the 1992 epic 

 was released. Several scenes show Hickory Nut Falls, including the movie’s climactic fight scene between Chingachgook and Magua, which occurred at the brink of the waterfall.

When you hike to the top of the falls along Skyline Trail, you pass by a small clearing just before reaching the end of the trail. That clearing is not supposed to be there. According to Todd Morse in 

, the filming crew cut this clearing to make room for their catering tent. There was a rumor that someone was paid off to look the other way, as this was clearly not something sanctioned by the park.

Read more about these movies and the waterfall scenes on the 

Hollywood

Chimney Rock Park is a terrific family destination. Just don’t let the kids run free on the trails.

Family

When the state closed Cliff Trail, the photographic opportunities of Hickory Nut Falls went down considerably. You can still make good photos from the base and from Chimney Rock Village.

Photography

It would be impossible to compile a list of all the famous people who have visited Hickory Nut Falls. How would anyone know all of them? Of course, we know some of the actors in 

 have been there, but untold numbers of others must have hiked to the falls over the past century.

An intriguing and likely possibility of a visit from someone famous comes from Todd Morse’s book 

 In it are photos of former president Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalyn, posing on Chimney Rock in 1943. The Carters were on their honeymoon at the time, and were staying at Chimney Rock. While there’s no mention of them visiting the waterfall, it seems likely that they would have.

Famous Visitors

Chimney Rock State Park

Hickory Nut Falls

Hickory Nut Gorge

Broad

Narrow, very steep falls over 350 feet high.

 book, 2007] I saw this photograph hanging on the wall of the Old Rock Café at the entrance to Chimney Rock Park and knew immediately that I wanted it for the book. I was directed to speak with Mary Jaeger-Gale at the park. She told me that this particular print was owned by her husband, Steve, and that it was the only known copy. Imagine my delight (and trepidation) when Mary entrusted me to take the print home so I could take it out of the frame and make a digital copy. This is just one of many examples of people going out of their way to help me with this project.

 book, 2007] The economy of Hickorynut Gorge today is almost entirely tourism related. Lining US 64 in this photograph are gift shops and ice cream parlors. The building on the far left is the Old Rock Café, where I discovered the historical photo. The chair lift on the right opened in the 1950s and operated until the early 1980s.

 book, 2007] At the time of this photograph, the popular Chimney Rock Park was already more than a half-century old. Lucius B. Morse and his brothers purchased the fledgling park in 1902. They built a bridge over Rocky River in 1916 and constructed a road up the mountain to the base of the chimney, seen on the left. Well-known Asheville architect Douglas Ellington designed the stone entranceway, constructed in 1935. The most ambitious project occurred just before this photo was taken. To create a unique tourist attraction and to relieve visitors from having to climb some 470 steps from the base of the chimney to the top, the park installed an elevator inside the mountain. Workers spent 18 months blasting a 198-foot entrance tunnel and a 26-story elevator shaft out of the solid rock. (057A-then-01)

 book, 2007] Traffic backing up into the street necessitated the construction of a new ticket plaza farther up the mountain. With the old stone entranceway no longer serving its original function, the parking spaces were landscaped. Other changes include the large white building behind the entranceway and, as is often the case, additional power lines. The elevator still operates and draws tourists. And, of course, the one thing that won’t change in the blink of geologic time our human lives represent, is the mountain itself—the park’s biggest attraction. The massive chimney on the left, Hickory Nut Falls on the right, and the spectacular cliff face between them will continue to inspire awe for generations to come.

Accessibility:	Hiking trail
County:	Rutherford
River Basin:	Broad
Watercourse:	Fall Creek
Watershed:	Very small
Type and Height:	Narrow, very steep falls over 350 feet high
Landowner:	Chimney Rock State Park

Beauty Rating:	9
Elevation:	2420 feet
USGS Map:	Bat Cave
Hike Difficulty:	Moderate Class I bushwhack
Hike Distance:	0.7 miles
Waterfall GPS:	35.43358, -82.25843
Trailhead GPS:	35.43077, -82.2488

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