A Tour of the Gorges State Park Visitor Center
A brief look at the recently completed visitor center at Gorges State Park
Over 7000 acres of second growth forest with two of areas top waterfalls - Rainbow Falls and Turtleback Falls on the Horsepasture River.
Only 20 minutes from the Sapphire Valley Resort Community Center! Scroll down for more info and some great videos including a brief tour of the visitors center!
image: Rainbow Falls*
Gorges State Park, spanning 7,709 acres in Transylvania County, North Carolina, lies less than a 20-minute drive from Sapphire Valley Resort. This pristine park, nestled within the expansive 100,000+ acre conservation corridor stretching approximately 80 miles along the NC/SC state line.
Accessible via the Grassy Ridge Access off North Carolina Highway 281 in Sapphire, the park's primary entrance and the closest for Sapphire Valley Resort guests, features a welcoming visitor center equipped with informative exhibits and staffed by knowledgeable rangers. (See map below) This area is renowned for providing convenient access to iconic attractions such as Rainbow Falls and Turtleback Falls on the Horsepasture River, technically located within the Pisgah National Forest.
A brief look at the recently completed visitor center at Gorges State Park
Gorges State Park in Sapphire, North Carolina has beautiful waterfalls, new facilities, short and long trails for hiking. This video introduces you to Rainbow Falls Trail and Upper Bearwallow Falls trail on a summer day in the middle of the 2020 Pandemic.
Rainbow Falls is one of the most popular waterfalls in Western North Carolina. And with good reason - it is 150 feet high and can create multiple rainbows in the right conditions.
Rainbow Falls is located within Gorges State Park which is located off of highway 281 (also called Whitewater Falls Road). The hike to Rainbow Falls is approximately 1.5 miles. It is mostly downhill so expect the trek back to the parking area to be uphill.
We found 4 massive waterfalls in this 2-mile one-way stretch and 1 bonus smaller waterfall. Also, there were 3 additional landmarks in this amazing hike, too! Located in Pisgah Forest near the Blue Ridge escarpment, today we hiked alongside the Horse Pasture River to Rainbow Falls & Turtleback Falls. Gorges State park in North Carolina is an incredible location for hiking and camping, as we found many campsites along the way.
Directions to Gorges State Park
[Full Directions]
*Rainbow Falls header image: Jordan Mitchell, CC BY-SA 2.5
*Rainbow Falls header image: Jordan Mitchell, CC BY-SA 2.5 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5>, via Wikimedia Commons