A Short Hike to A Pretty Waterfall On a hot day last summer, Mike and I took a short jaunt down the Glen Falls Hike, at the end of Glen Falls Road of Highway 106 in Highlands. It is a bit steep with many steps. We didn’t hike the full trail which is over a…
Fall is my favorite season here in the mountains of North Carolina. The weather is usually crisp and dry with skies as blue as lapis. Once the leaves start to turn, the colors change almost overnight. On Monday, the leaves were green, and by Friday they had almost all begun their transformation. Brilliant yellow, vibrant…
Mike and I went out to kayak on Lake Glenville the other evening. It was the first time we have been out so far this year, and it was spectacular. The weather has been pretty hot during the day, well, hot for us, high seventies/ low eighties. But the evenings are just right for a…
Although the Glenville and Cashiers, NC areas are a tourist destination, some local residents still farm and raise cattle. Today I photographed some of the barns (mostly abandoned) on Cullowhee Mountain Road. This road goes from Lake Glenville down to Speedwell and Cullowhee, home of Western Carolina University. NC barn architecture is quite varied. Some…
Several friends had been telling me to take a hike up to the top of Yellow Mountain, so when the weather warmed up for a day we did. Wow, was it worth it! The 360 degree views from the peak are spectacular. Yellow mountain is 5127 feet tall, making it one of the tallest mountains…
We were on our way to visit some friends when we decided to stop at Balsam Lake on our way. The last several times I had been by the lake it had been empty, but this time it was back to full again. It is such a peaceful lake, and it reminds me of the…
I found directions for a hike to caves on the Glades Road in the Highland Hiker’s Guide to Day Hikes, and I have never been on this hike before. This is not a particularly well known hike in Cashiers NC, but it is interesting and a little different from the other hikes we have been taking….
Between Cashiers and Brevard lies Sapphire, NC. Much like Glenville, it is little more than a few stores and a post office, but it is home to some of North Carolina’s most stunning waterfalls including Whitewater Falls. I have a lot of family that lives in Brevard, so I am up and down this road…
After a spate of freezing weather, it finally warmed up for a nice long hike. Mike and I hiked in Panthertown, next to Glenville and Cashiers, NC, for the afternoon. Panthertown is a gorgeous and huge valley full of trails and views very popular with hikers and mountain bikers alike. I have hiked here a…
Just south of Cashiers on Highway 107 is Silver Run Falls. This NC waterfall is an easy hike and very pretty. Mike and I went to see it during the deep freeze. If you want just want a quick and easy walk to a lovely NC waterfall, you can’t do much better than Silver Run…