Hiking Linville Falls, part 2
Blue Ridge Trip '24 #24
Linville, NC - Thu, 5 Sep 2024. 7pm
In beginning this hike toward the end of a long day, we hoped we'd get a good view of Linville Falls after the first 1/2 mile of Linville Gorge trail. Alas, it was not to be. The upper viewpoint was directly above the falls. Above the falls is almost never the vista you want for appreciating the falls. Fortunately the trail continued to two more viewpoints, at least one of which seemed sure to offer a good view. But would we have the stamina for the extra distance and ascent?
We first walked out the to the most distant of all the viewpoints. It seemed like it was actually easier, as a hiker near the intermediate viewpoint , the Chimney View, cautioned us that the it was steep and narrow. It was so steep and narrow that she'd noped out of it, opting to wait up on the canyon rim while her partner risked life and limb climbing below. So we continued on to the far viewpoint. It was... too far. Yes, we could see the falls, but only in the distance. We returned to the Chimney View... and found that the trail down was nowhere near as tough as that one hiker opined. There were lots of stone steps, and a wooden staircase in the steepest part, but we've hiked far worse.
From the Chimney lookout we enjoyed a pretty good view of the falls. Would it be better from closer up and down in the canyon? Sure, but it's prohibitively difficult to get down in the canyon. There is a trail that descends around the other side, but it approaches the falls from an angle far to the side that makes it not a great view. I know, because I now remember hiking that trail 30 years ago when I came here with a grad school friend.
Of course, if it's not reasonable to hike closer to the falls, I can get closer to them, virtually, with the help of a zoom lens. Yes, I carried my long zoom lens, the one I use for close-ups of birds and flowers, on this hike. It was part of the tradeoff I chose to make back at the trailhead.
The other part of that tradeoff, BTW, was not carrying any water. 🥵 Hawk had one bottle of tea in her sling, and she agreed to share it with me. I rationed my sips carefully to help make it last for both of us on a hike that ended up being 2 miles roundtrip.
Linville Gorge isn't just about Linville Falls. There's also, well, the gorge. In places it's over 1,500' deep. The photo above shows a stretch of Linville Gorge just below the falls.
After resting at Chimney View for a while we began the hike back to the car. It was late, and we were tired after a long day. We were in the mode of just putting one foot in front of the other. Back at the parking lot it seemed almost comical how ours was one of about 5 cars in a huge lot built for well over 100. I'm glad we were here at a sparsely visited time. Places like Chimney View would have been a lot less enjoyable with dozens of people lining up and waiting turns to cram into a narrow spot.
Linville, NC - Thu, 5 Sep 2024. 7pm
In beginning this hike toward the end of a long day, we hoped we'd get a good view of Linville Falls after the first 1/2 mile of Linville Gorge trail. Alas, it was not to be. The upper viewpoint was directly above the falls. Above the falls is almost never the vista you want for appreciating the falls. Fortunately the trail continued to two more viewpoints, at least one of which seemed sure to offer a good view. But would we have the stamina for the extra distance and ascent?
We first walked out the to the most distant of all the viewpoints. It seemed like it was actually easier, as a hiker near the intermediate viewpoint , the Chimney View, cautioned us that the it was steep and narrow. It was so steep and narrow that she'd noped out of it, opting to wait up on the canyon rim while her partner risked life and limb climbing below. So we continued on to the far viewpoint. It was... too far. Yes, we could see the falls, but only in the distance. We returned to the Chimney View... and found that the trail down was nowhere near as tough as that one hiker opined. There were lots of stone steps, and a wooden staircase in the steepest part, but we've hiked far worse.
From the Chimney lookout we enjoyed a pretty good view of the falls. Would it be better from closer up and down in the canyon? Sure, but it's prohibitively difficult to get down in the canyon. There is a trail that descends around the other side, but it approaches the falls from an angle far to the side that makes it not a great view. I know, because I now remember hiking that trail 30 years ago when I came here with a grad school friend.
Of course, if it's not reasonable to hike closer to the falls, I can get closer to them, virtually, with the help of a zoom lens. Yes, I carried my long zoom lens, the one I use for close-ups of birds and flowers, on this hike. It was part of the tradeoff I chose to make back at the trailhead.
The other part of that tradeoff, BTW, was not carrying any water. 🥵 Hawk had one bottle of tea in her sling, and she agreed to share it with me. I rationed my sips carefully to help make it last for both of us on a hike that ended up being 2 miles roundtrip.
Linville Gorge isn't just about Linville Falls. There's also, well, the gorge. In places it's over 1,500' deep. The photo above shows a stretch of Linville Gorge just below the falls.
After resting at Chimney View for a while we began the hike back to the car. It was late, and we were tired after a long day. We were in the mode of just putting one foot in front of the other. Back at the parking lot it seemed almost comical how ours was one of about 5 cars in a huge lot built for well over 100. I'm glad we were here at a sparsely visited time. Places like Chimney View would have been a lot less enjoyable with dozens of people lining up and waiting turns to cram into a narrow spot.