I was fortunate enough to receive an advanced copy of the newest edition of Kevin Adams' North Carolina waterfall guide book (due out in June of this year). I had been seeing some mention of Melrose Falls on social media lately and looked to see what new info Kevin had for this waterfall. Most of the current online talk has you following some RR tracks to the creek that the waterfall is on, but Kevin talks about a new trail he found built by the Pacolet Area Conservancy. I was really impressed with this area and think you will be also if you decide to go. Directions can be found on my site here - http://www.ncwaterfalls.com/melrose1.htm
There's only enough room for 2 vehicles at the trail head. This is a good thing as long as you aren't the 3rd vehicle planning to stop here. There was no one here when I went and I didn't see anyone the entire time I was here. If I had done this hike a week or 2 earlier, I would have been treated to masses of blooming wildflowers. The side of the trail and surrounding woods were covered by them. Sweet White Trillium was a pleasant surprise, but most of the blooms were past peak. I did manage to find one that was still photo-worthy. It was windy today, so I skipped the wildflowers for the most part and headed towards the waterfall.
Sweet White Trillium
Solomon's Seal
Before I headed out, I looked online for any additional info and came across SCJack's blog entry where apparently they found the same trail. There was no mention of where the trail head was and it was hard to tell from his photo just how nice this waterfall is! The sun was not my friend again today and I couldn't catch a break with any passing clouds, so I didn't get the photos I wanted. Here's what I did get of this 50-60' waterfall. The viewing area is a small rocky outcropping, so the shooting angles are kind of limited here - but that's OK!
Melrose Falls
Along the way to the falls, the trail split with one way heading down towards the North Pacolet River. I had time and decided to check this trail out before heading back to the vehicle. I thought it would end up at the river, but it took a turn back towards Big Fall Creek and ended up on top of a smaller waterfall below Melrose Falls. I could see the bottom section of Melrose Falls up through the trees and could also hear vehicles through the trees on the road just on the other side of the river - oblivious to the beauty they were passing by. Below are some photos from this area, then a video of the day's activities.
When I got back home, I called Kevin for some additional info and he said it was OK to add the waterfall to my site before his book hit the shelves - thanks friend! There's still some more investigating to be done in this area, so I'll be back!
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