Late winter/early spring in the mountains is a wildly varying time of year with highs in the 80s and freak snowstorms. One pleasantly warm day we went for a hike with my mom up in Panthertown. Panthertown is a lovely piece of National Forest land straddling the border of Jackson and Transylvania counties. Called by…
The closest hike to the cabins is High Falls on the north side of Lake Glenville. It is also my favorite hike in the Cashiers / Glenville area, taking you down to a stunning box canyon with a double drop waterfall. The lakeside entrance to the waterfall was put in only a few years ago…
The rugged mountains of western North Carolina slowed the settlement of the region, but by the late 1800s it was starting to bustle. The town of Glenville was actually the largest in Jackson County in 1891. Cashiers and Highlands were also growing as desirable escapes from the lowland heat. In fact at one point there…
While the NC mountains are colder than most of the south, the weather is still pretty mild in comparison with the rest of the country. So when temps drop to the single digits, we hunker down, let our faucets drip, and dream of summer. But there is one perk to the extreme cold: frozen waterfalls….
The end of fall in the mountains spells an end to the tourist season. But what the average visitor doesn’t realize are the many spectacular secrets that the cooler weather reveals. Crystal clear vistas and hidden views, fall and winter around Lake Glenville are a reward for the off season traveler. Once such stunning cold…
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…
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…
This week, Mike and I hiked Whiteside Mountain. It is a gorgeous hike along the ridge of a exposed rock face that overlooks parts of North and South Carolina. It is one of my favorite hikes for bringing my visitors, and it is only about 15 minutes from home. I have only done this hike…
Difficulty Level â â High Falls is a spectacular waterfall located in box canyon below Lake Glenville. Until just recently, it was only accessible through private land. Duke Energy recently did a ton of work to create a public trail down to this stunning natural wonder. Part of the reason was to open up…