High Falls Loop, Dupont

Date	Distance	Time	Elevation Gain	Average Moving Time	Year to Date Miles
1/30/2022	3.7 miles	2 hours	307''	2.1 mph	49

Parking: High Falls Parking Lot (large parking lot, easily accessible after snow)

Maps:

• Pisgah Map Co. Dupont

Directions:

• Take High Falls Loop Trail from the parking lot. The loop trail splits, and we stayed straight/right so that we'd be doing a counterclockwise route. Turn right onto the Covered Bridge Trail, and take that to the bridge, where you can see the top of High Falls. Turn around and return the the High Falls Loop trail. Turn right onto the High Falls Loop Trail. Pass an overlook of High Falls. Turn right onto a spur trail to the base of the falls. Walk to the end of the trail for another view of the falls. Turn around and return to the High Falls Loop Trail. Turn right onto the High Falls Loop Trail and follow next to Little River. Turn right onto the Triple Falls Trail and descend steeply for views of the falls. Turn around and return back to the High Falls Loop Trail. Turn right onto the High Falls Loop Trail. Turn right again at the next intersection to return to the parking area.

Carolina Mountain Club Challenges

• Waterfall Challenge, High Falls 
• Waterfall Challenge, Triple Falls

We were itching to get out after a very cold weather day yesterday. Actually, when I woke up it was 8 degrees! Nights can be cold here in winter, but luckily daytime temperatures tend to be mild. On Friday I went for a skin cancer screening, and they found a basal cell carcinoma which they promptly removed. The removal was easy, but I have a chunk of skin missing on my back. As a result, I decided it just might not be the best idea to wear a backpack for a few days until it heals more. So, we chose a short hike. It feels so awkward to be hiking with a man wearing a backpack, and me not wearing one. It makes him look like my sherpa!

This is my second time at Dupont. The trails I've been on are wide and easy. The area is very popular, with several cars in the parking lot. The trails were a mix of being completely bare and being completely icy. I ended up wearing my microspikes. But then there would be large sections of bare ground, so at times I felt silly. But I didn't want to constantly take them on and off. Glen went without until after we passed the bottom of High Falls, and the trail was a sheet of ice.

The covered bridge reminded me of Vermont. And the Catskills. There were two horses on the bridge - Krummholz was respectful. The covered bridge overlooks the top of High Falls. The trails are very well marked. And the map I had was excellent.

Krummholz wanted to swim at the base of High Falls - he doesn't care that it's winter. On the way out, I noticed a group of people next to the river. A few of them were naked from the waist down. Going skinny dipping in January? Nuts!

The overlook for Triple Falls is closed, but you can still get a good view of the falls from the trail. There is also a herd path to the base of the falls.