Silver Falls
!
Everyone knows about Hickory Nut Falls, but most people have no clue that Chimney Rock State Park has another waterfall that nearly rivals it. Silver Falls is like a mini Hickory Nut, if a 100-foot-plus waterfall over a massive wall of gneiss can be called mini.
People don’t know about it because the park doesn’t advertise it, and for good reason. It’s nearly impossible to access without crossing private property and getting there requires bushwhacking over horrible terrain. Park officials understandably don’t want the burden of the inevitable when inexperienced people attempt to see a waterfall like this. It’s possible that in the future this waterfall will have an official trail to it, but for now I’m not providing directions.
Interestingly, the waterfall was more well known over a hundred years ago than it is today. George Masa photographed it, and at least one silent movie produced in the early 1900s featured it.
Chimney Rock State Park has several other notable waterfalls that are mostly unknown. Visit this page for a general discussion of them.
Silver Falls. (057W1-123324)
| Accessibility: | |
| County: | Rutherford |
| River Basin: | |
| Watercourse: | Silver Creek Creek is not named on USGS maps. |
| Watershed: | |
| Type and Height: | Steep slide and free-fall, with a main drop of 110 feet Height measured using rangefinder. This is the height for the main section that you can see from the base. There is more falling water above that, as well as slides below. |
| Landowner: | Chimney Rock State Park |
| Beauty Rating: | |
| Elevation: | |
| USGS Map: | |
| Hike Difficulty: | |
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| Waterfall GPS: | |
| Parking GPS: |
Photo Gallery
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Historical Gallery
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