Western North Carolina waterfalls and wildflowers
Originally published March 31, 2019; updated March 27, 2025.
It’s technically spring here in the Boston area, but not nearly as far along as in North Carolina, where we were just visiting family. We spent most of the trip in and around Columbus, about an hour west of Charlotte, and while it was brief, we got in a little hiking and sightseeing with the kids.
I still can’t get over how many waterfalls this state has! I know we have our fair share in Massachusetts, but there are so many easy-to-find waterfalls in North Carolina. [March 2025 update: Western North Carolina was sadly heavily damaged by Hurricane Helene and some areas have been closed for restoration. Where possible, I have noted current status, but please check the links provided for the most up-to-date visitation status.]
Pearson’s Falls and Glen
I’d been eager to visit Pearson’s Falls and Glen in Saluda after reading about it, and getting there was an adventure—driving through back roads, some of which were unpaved. [March 2025 update: Pearson’s Falls and Glen was heavily damaged by Hurricane Helene and has been closed for restoration. Please check the website for current visitation status.]
Rhododendron-lined stream on the drive to Pearson’s Falls. Photo: Emily Dahl
Arriving at Pearson’s Falls, we took the family-friendly hike up to the main waterfall past a few smaller falls, along stone paths, skirting dripping, moss-laden rock ledges. Our five-year-old enjoyed himself immensely, which was a relief, as hikes have sometimes been a challenge.
We played a wildflower-spotting game and I told him he’d get his official wildflower-finder’s badge if he pointed out flowers he found along the way. I recognized trillium, and back at the bottom of the trail, matched up the other flowers we’d seen with the poster identifying them. Before we left home, I bought a used Nikon 105mm FX macro lens at our local camera store; I’ve wanted to try macro photography for a while, but didn’t feel ready to make a big investment in a lens, so this was perfect. I’ve been able to hand-hold it and the vibration reduction has come in handy. I made the wildflower photos and close-up of dripping moss below with the macro lens.
Shunkawauken Falls
We also visited the Shunkawauken Falls, coaxing our rental car up winding roads to drive by the falls (the road is narrow and signs discourage parking in the road or walking in the area). This is a really impressive waterfall, with the road separating an upper and lower portion, both of which steeply cascade down the mountainside. [March 2025 update: some road closures may affect your travel plans; please check the VisitNC site for the latest road status.]
Shunkawauken Falls. Photo: Emily Dahl
Carl Sandburg Home (National Historic Site)
Another fun half-day trip from Columbus was the Carl Sandburg Home, a National Historic Site that’s the former home of the Pulitzer Prize-winning poet. A main attraction for the children is a large goat pasture that visitors can enter. The goats didn’t seem to care one way or another about our presence there, but gamely let the children pat them. The grounds were lovely, and I’d be interested in seeing the inside of the house on a future visit (by the time we’d wrapped up with goats and some walking, things were unraveling a little with the kids, so we called it a day). [March 2025 update: Main parking lot is closed; use secondary Hikers' lot. See the website for the most up-to-date information.]
Ooh, goats. Photo: Emily Dahl
I’d definitely recommend a visit to this part of the state, and look forward to going on some more challenging hikes as the kids get older. The VisitNC website is a good resource for trip planning, and while cell service was sometimes spotty for us on the back roads, most locations were pretty easy to get to, with very little traffic.