Earlier this year, I had the privilege to share a waterfall presentation with the Polk County Historical Association.

Preparing for the project was a blast, from the editing and research, to the actual presentation, but my favorite part were the hikes and photographing of the falls themselves.

If you’ve read more than one of my columns, you’ve figured out I like to avoid crowds, and with the exception of a couple of weeks of leaf lookers, fall is the beginning of my favorite time to be outdoors.

I did not realize until I completed the presentation, just how many waterfalls we have here in WNC. An estimate of several hundred would be safe, some very easy to get to, some very difficult.

I have to admit, my favorite falls are the ones I just happen upon, they are not marked on a map, no trails lead to them and they have no name. I guess the feeling of seeing something many folks have not seen has a draw of its own. Many of these are only accessed thru some considerable effort. But the nice thing about our area is, thanks to a wide range of agencies, many falls are being made easily accessible.

Wide, smooth walking trails, boardwalks to overlooks, and well-marked trails are a few of the improvements you will find to some of the area’s best falls. It’s a good thing that folks who can’t get around very well can now enjoy some of these natural treasures.

You may be surprised that many falls can be accessed with a walk of less than ½ a mile, some only a few hundred feet. And with the vast number of falls in our area, you can visit several in a day.

“Waterfalling” is something the whole family can enjoy. Just last year our 2-year-old made a ¾ mile walk in and out to a fall. The hike in can be fun, walking logs, catching spring lizards, climbing small rock out cropping’s and the like. And unless you are pushed for daylight, the hike does not have to be a race.

I have always felt folks miss a lot on a hike by just having their eyes on the ground just a few feet in front of them, there’s a lot to see and do on the way to point B. The picture is of Log Hollow falls, it’s in the Pisgah Forest near Sliding Rock and is easily accessed by a gravel road … but it’s up to you to find it.

Ok ok, if you need directions, you can email me: robsguideservice@gmail.com.