Mingo Falls, Cherokee, NC

Date	Distance	Time	Elevation Gain	Average Moving Time	Year to Date Miles
11/17/2021	0.5 miles	24 minutes	241'	1.2	464.9

Map: 

• North Carolina Waterfalls by Kevin Adams (both a book and a map)

Parking: Mingo Falls, Eastern Cherokee Reservation, Cherokee, NC

Carolina Mountain Club Challenges:

• Waterfall Challenge, Mingo Falls

Our third hike of the day, close to the Mingus Creek Trail and the Oconaluftee River Trail. We had some excitement - we saw more elk on our drive. We had to stop in front of the Cherokee school, because an elk was crossing the road right in front of our car. The school is all fenced in - I wonder if it was to keep the elk out. There was actually a school official who was shooing away the elk from the entrance of the fenced schoolyard. We also saw several along the side of the road.

The hike is just off a main road, and has easy parking. The hike starts out by climbing many steps (maybe 158?), and then continuing on a dirt trail. I would still rate it pretty easy. Plus its very short. The hike leads to a viewing platform with a nice view of the falls. There were a handful of other people here, but it wasn't too crowded. The falls were very striking.