Linville Falls question

LBarr2002

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 16, 2009
Location
SC
We're going to be up in that area next weekend. Is it better to go to the visitors center off the parkway or the entrance from Old NC 105? Which has better views and shorter hike? We'll have kids with us.

Also, is there a must see on 105? Overlook or anything? I doubt we'll have time to go the full length.
 
LBarr2002 said:
We're going to be up in that area next weekend. Is it better to go to the visitors center off the parkway or the entrance from Old NC 105? Which has better views and shorter hike? We'll have kids with us.

Also, is there a must see on 105? Overlook or anything? I doubt we'll have time to go the full length.
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Old 105 is a poorly maintained, often washboarded gravel road. Come in from the parkway side on the north. The hike to the top of the falls is short and easy but not much to see if I remember right. The hike to the bottom isn't too bad, and is more interesting once you get there. Once you get done at the falls, go to down old 105 to Wiseman's view. The road is typically well maintained to there, and its a paved trail that's a couple hundred yards from the parking lot to the overlook. If you happen be an early bird, hit it at sunset and watch it rise between Table Rock and Hawksbill mountains. I think the falls trail off of 105 is also fairly short and has better visibility of the falls. But personally I find Wiseman's view to be more interesting than the falls.
 
There is definitely some cool stuff in the Gorge, but the trails dropping down into the gorge are not for the faint of heart. Cabin trail and Pinch-in have sections where you could practically slide down for a couple hundred feet. This is an actual section of trail on Cabin trail:
1627580949172.png

(and of course the picture doesn't do it justice)

The Babel Tower trail isn't terrible, and the view from Babel tower is amazing. You're on a rock perch about 300ft above the river and Table Rock is directly to the south, framed by the river valley.

1627581054578.png


Wiseman's at sunrise in March:
1627581241171.png
 
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We just went to the falls this week. We parked at the visitors center off of the park way. Pretty easy hike in and out. Lots of traffic for a Wednesday Morning. I felt like I was climbing Everest with the traffic jams.
 
Sorry missed this post back when it was posted but we visited on Memorial weekend. The parkway had a section closed so GPS took us to 105 and it was terrible. Parking are was full of foreigners which doesn't matter to me except they could not park. Really made for a tough start to the hike when the fam was in two vehicles. Hiked down to the visitor center and saw the lot was only about half full.
 
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