CHEROKEE WATERFALLS

 SOCO FALLS and MINGO FALLS

SOCO FALLS- Traveling on NC Highway 19 through Maggie Valley, the road rises to the famous Soco Gap.  At this point the Blue Ridge Parkway intersects with the state highway.  Just over the ridge is the Qualla boundary line of the Eastern Cherokee Nation. Pass the sign welcoming you and look to the left.  There is a small parking lot on the side of the highway.  This is the trailhead for the Soco Falls.

From the parking lot there is a short walk down a well worn path to the observation deck.  From the observation deck there is an acceptable view of the main waterfall.  The secondary cascade is hard to see from that vantage point.

To get a look at the secondary falls, you have to scramble a bit down a very slippery, steep, well worn path.  Climbing ropes have been erected to assist with the traverse down the hill.  On the day we visited the falls were very crowded and while the FBWG is not shy to venture into a waterfall scramble, I worked my way halfway down the trail to take my pictures to avoid muddy scramble up return trail.  

The best vantage point for me turned out to be on top of the secondary falls from which I took a couple of really nice pictures of the main cascade.  

There I met  a young lady named Kayla from Florida whom I watched free climb up to my perch. Told her I would make her famous!  Her boyfriend joins her in traveling the Blue Ridge Parkway this summer.

Great quick stop on the road to Cherokee. I hope the Tribal Leadership will invest some of their casino profits improving access to the base of the falls.  With the amount of traffic the trail down is getting some steps are in order.  Give this fall a rating of 8...would have been higher if access was better.

MINGO FALLS - The other waterfall found near Cherokee is the Mingo Falls.  This one is a bit harder to find. It is off NC Highway 441 on Big Cove Road.  It is right up the road past the KOA campground.  The trailhead features steps...150 steps to be exact...a nice way to start a hike!

After climbing the stairs the trail follows the Mingo Creek to the base of the falls where there is a nice bridge from which you can observe the falls.  The falls are majestic!  Standing over 120 feet tall, the waterfall is one of the tallest I have seen in North Carolina. 

All waterfalls have souls and you must get up close

to them to feel them.  Fortunate for me a lady took off up the stream to get close to the falls. Seeing how easily she made her way up stream, I quickly jumped in and started my own scramble, leaving my Faithful Hiking Companion on the observation bridge.  Getting close to the falls I made some great pictures, but when I turned around I found my Faithful Hiking Companion photographing me!

The Cherokee called these falls, the Big Bear Falls. I am not sure where the name "Mingo" originated for the falls aside from the fact that Mingo was Daniel Boone's Cherokee friend that Ed Ames played in the Disney movie we all watched as children.

These falls are rated as 10...not a better one in North Carolina.  Easy access...great one to visit.