Wilson Creek is located in the Grandfather district of Pisgah National Forest. It starts in Calloway Peak and stretches for 23 miles before dumping into the John’s River. It is used for trout fishing, whitewater rafting, kayaking and swimming. The area is absolutely gorgeous, picturesque and quite popular. Picnic tables abound around its banks. We hiked two trails that lead to beautiful waterfalls.
Phillips Branch is located at the end of a one mile hike. It is easy with a few steep parts. The waterfall descends some 40ft over the rocks.
The second trail led to Harper Creek waterfall. This trail is 2.8 moderate miles but at the end, one has to hold on to ropes and hike down on steep rocks to get to the bottom of the falls. The rocks were slippery and wet. There was no other way down. We did not feel comfortable climbing down the slippery rocks so we opted to play it safe and turn around. Several younger people did use the ropes successfully to get to the bottom of the falls. We simply walked a bit further to sneak a peek at the upper portion of this fall.
I do recommend the Phillips branch falls trail. Harper Creek Falls Trail is moderate until you reach the end. This last part is not for everybody.
References Wilson Creek Experience, Phillips Branch Waterfall, Harper Creek Waterfall
Nearby Blogs
- Newati Trail, NC
- Tanawha Trail – Viaduct to Stacked Rock, NC
- The Linn Cove Viaduct and Tanawha Trail
- Rough Ridge along the Tanawha Trail
- Hawksbill Mountain
- Grandfather Mountain State Park
- The Cone Manor
- Flat Top Mountain Trail
- Wilson Creek, Philips Branch Falls, Harper Creek Falls
- Upper Creek Falls
- Jane Bald via Apalachian Trail
- Jones Falls, Elk Falls
I loved your vids! You got a good pic of the trumpet shaped mushroom. I enjoyed your pics and a trip down memory Lane.
Thank you! It was a fun trip even though we didn’t get to see all of Harper Creek Falls