Little Bradley Falls, Saluda, NC

Date	Distance	Time	Elevation Gain	Average Moving Time	Year to Date Miles
6/27/2021	2.3 miles	1 hour 31 minutes	102'	1.8 mph	131.4

Map: Gaia
Parking:

• 35.26224, -82.28431
• 5436 Holbert Cove Rd, Saluda, NC 
• Roadside parking

Route: Google Maps

CMC Waterfall Challenge: Little Bradley Falls

Today wasn't a good day for a long hike. It was warm and humid, with heavy downpours on and off. We had an errand to run in South Carolina, and decided we should be able to squeeze this short waterfall trip in on the way back.

Little Bradley Falls and Big Bradley Falls are both listed in the CMC Waterfall Challenge. The hikes start across the street from each other. There are some issues with Big Bradley falls - i.e. it is not safe to go to the bottom of the falls. And there is also a huge sign saying there is a restricted area for Big Bradley Falls. My guess is that you can hike to the top of the falls, and that's it. I'll need to research more, or ask the CMC for details on the hike.

Little Bradley falls starts across the street. The start of the trail is not marked, but you can find the painted blazes, or follow the crowds. We felt overdressed. There were folks hiking in their bathing suits, and many wearing water shoes. No one was in long pants. No one had hiking backpacks. I wear long pants by default, even when its hot, due to ticks. But this hike had well cleared trails, so it was shorts friendly. This hike does have some narrow bits, and a couple of water crossings, one easier to rock hop across than the other. Glen managed to rock hop the larger stream. I decided to wade through it - it was knee deep, and the rocks were still slippery with my trail runners. At a small stream crossing I saw a crayfish. I wasn't sure what it was at first, but then I googled, ad saw that they have them here in streams. It was missing an arm, but I read that they will re-grow a new arm. I also learned that if one grabs onto you, to put your hand back in the water, and it will let go to escape. We also passed some ruins, but I didn't find information on them.

This hike is very popular, because at the bottom of the falls, there is a swimming hole. There were tons of people out swimming and hanging out on the rocks. There were many dogs hiking as well - so not a good hike for unsocialized dogs, as the trail is narrow in spots, and might be hard for you to move your dog off trail.