Upper Whitewater Falls

  

                                 Upper Whitewater Falls, North Carolina's Highest Waterfall

 

Whitewater Falls is the highest waterfall east of the Rockies, falling 811 feet! The Upper Falls plummets 411 feet and is 60 miles from downtown Asheville in the Nantahala National Forest. It's on the Whitewater River in the Jocassee Gorge area of North Carolina. The 400-foot Lower Falls can be accessed from a different location in South Carolina.  - Source

 

To get these images below, we had to exit a platform area and climb down an embankment - not dangerous, but a bit of work - to a spot just below the platform, where we had unobstructed views.  That's as close as we'd get to these falls.  And when you consider that many people have died - 18, I believe - after foolishly walking along the sides of Upper Whitewater Falls, you'd know why we and most visitors practice caution when visiting.  Our plan Sunday was to also visit Rainbow and Turtleback Falls, which are in the vicinity.  However, we left early in the afternoon, rather than in the morning.  In hindsight, it's best to get started early.  And the other piece of advice I'd give:  If you are arriving from Asheville, Greenville, Brevard or any city, bring your own water and food items with you.  Everything in Sapphire, NC, especially at the "country store" leading to Upper Whitewater Falls, is a ripoff.  And don't expect prices on any items in the store....until you check out.  Crazy.