Wayah Bald and Dicks Creek Falls

For the past couple years I have vacationed in a quiet, unassuming little area of western North Carolina near Franklin. From my base along Wayah Creek, one of my early explorations was to drive left on Wayah Road up the mountain. The key attraction is down a long forest service road to Wayah Bald. As you near the ridge top the trees are noticeably short and thick as if they are crammed against the sky. In 1937 the Civilian Conservation Corps built the fire tower which commands a sprawling view of the region to the north, east, and south. More views from Wayah Bald Lookout Tower.

Back at Wayah Road proper, there remain several more choices: so many in fact, that it took two vacations to explore most of them.

Wayah Road from the Franklin, NC side winds up and up like a private Blue Ridge Parkway through gorgeous forest. When it finally slips down the other side of the ridge you are passing Nantahala Lake. The waters that drain from the dam below the lake are unmarked. It's easy to assume this is the famous Nantahala River, but locals refer to it as Dick's Creek.

True to its Cherokee name, the Nantahala gorge is narrow, deep, and dim even at noon.  Just below the man-made lake, Dick's Creek twists around bends and crashes over boulders. Trout fishermen cast a line at every calm opportunity. The original Nantahala River rejoins Dicks Creek before it gets to the power plant. As I recall, this fall was after the two waterways had rejoined, putting this on the Nantahala River...but I have to admit, I have YET to find a map that actually names all the creeks and roads in that area. It seems to be the provenance of local lore.

Here is the largest falls, called 'The Cascades' very near the bottom of Dicks Creek.