This Saturday, February 6, at 9 a.m., the Asheville Hiking Meetup Group will meet at the Ingles supermarket on Long Shoals Road in Arden to carpool to the state forest on the Henderson-Transylvania county line.
Rabin Aryal will lead this hike which will visit four waterfalls in DuPont State Forest, starting at the Hooker Falls parking area. The 8-mile hike is rated as easy to moderate and will take about four hours to complete. The hike is free and open to the public.
"It's a waterfalls hike, so this is a great time to look at them and get some good photographs,” said Aryal, who is an amateur photographer always in search of spectacular nature scenes. Recently, he took a hike to Twin Falls in Pisgah National Forest and was surprised to find the falls completely frozen, making for great pictures.“These might be frozen, you never know,” he said.
Aryal recommends hikers dress in lots of layers and bring plenty of food and water, and pay attention to the weather forecast.
The hike will start at Hooker Falls, then head to Triple Falls and High Falls. The group will then take a lunch break at Reflection Pond, and then hike out to Bridal Veil Falls. Aryal said there are some steep sections, but none of the trails are technical. However, you should wear sturdy shoes and be prepared for icy patches.
Directions: Meet at Ingles to carpool, or if heading out on your own from Asheville, take Interstate 26 east to the Asheville Airport Exit 40. Head west (right) on N.C. 280 toward Brevard for 16 miles. Turn left on U.S. 64 East and drive 3.7 miles. Turn right on Crab Creek Road. Drive 4.3 miles and turn right on DuPont Road, which turns into Staton Road. At the bottom of a long hill is a bridge over the Little River. The parking area is on the right just before the bridge.
For more information you can e-mail Aryal at aryalrabin@gmail.com or visit www.meetup.com/asheville-hiking. For more information on DuPont State Forest, please click here.
Jeff
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