Horsepasture River

Overview: The Horsepasture River is a waterfall watcher's bonanza with four impressive waterfalls (Drift, Turtleback, Rainbow, Stairstep) all readily accessible  within a few short miles of the parking lot.  A bit off the beaten path is Windy Falls where the river drops 700' in a quarter mile section. 

Event Details: We can try to catch the sights of the entire river on Saturday but I'd like to start by hiking on the Rainbow Falls trail as far as Stairstep Falls and selecting a campsite (less than 2 miles with packs).  After setting up camp we'll double back for a 4 mile somewhat strenuous round trip to Windy Falls.  After we arrive back at camp we can either relax and enjoy the afternoon or continue up the river trail to enjoy the upstream waterfalls.  Sunday morning will be a leisurely pack up potentially allowing for a hike to enjoy any of the falls we may miss on Saturday.  The return trip to the cars will be less than 2 miles with packs.

Overall backpacking distance will be less than 4 miles.  Dayhiking between Saturday and Sunday may total up to an additional 6 miles.

I've set the maximum group size at 6 as there are only a handful of campsites on the river and even fewer that support large groups.

The portion of the hike with packs will be relatively easy by backpacking standards so feel free to stuff all those creature comforts into the pack!  Steaks?  Cold beverages?  Don't see why not!

We"ll depart from the carpool at 7:30 AM and should get to the trailhead at Gorges State Park by 10:00.  We should return to the carpool around 5:00 PM Sunday afternoon.

I-85 north to exit 1 in South Carolina to HWY 11 north approximately 33 miles and turn left on Whitewater Falls Rd. Once we cross the NC State Line its another 7 miles to Gorges State Park entrance on the right. After entering the park drive approximately 1.5 miles to the parking area.