DuPont State Forest – Waterfalls Hiker

High Falls in DuPont State Forest

I haven’t been to DuPont State Forest in several years now. It is a great place, with some wonderful waterfalls. These waterfalls are some of the very early ones visited that really planted the “Waterfall Chasing” seed in me. However, due to its ease of access, numerous trails, numerous waterfalls varying in size and shape, and exposure in movies like “The Last Mohican”, and “Hunger Games”, ithas become insanely popular. Large new gravel parking lots have been constructed to handle the increase in visitors. The sides of Staton Rd could no longer hold the overflow parking from the Hooker Falls parking area. Tours of the waterfalls of DuPont are now shuttled in and out by school buses at select times of the year. DuPont State Forest truly has become one of North Carolina’s top attractions. While I am glad to see this location get the love it truly deserves, there is a part of me left sad. Sad that I can no longer visit this place without hundreds of others. That is just not what it’s about for me. I have for the most part just focused on other waterfalls, leaving these for the masses.

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Wintergreen Falls in Dupont Forest

I have made quite a few trips to Dupont State Forest to hike and see the wonderful waterfalls there. The 4 waterfalls of the Little River are the prime attraction here, and it is really hard for me to drive several hours and NOT visit them. However, there are more waterfalls to be found in Dupont. 2 of them can be found on a tributary stream named Grassy Creek. One is fairly close to High Falls on the Little River, Grassy Creek Falls. It can be accessed from the High Falls parking area. The other waterfall is on the other side of Dupont, the 20 foot Wintergreen Falls. I am not sure why I chose to see this one today. It is after all, just a 20 foot waterfall on a creek while the others are large waterfalls on a river. I guess I just got tired of having only visited 5 of the 6 waterfalls in Dupont. It was time to fill the void. I feel silly for waiting now as this was a beautiful waterfall and the hike to it was very pleasant. The large crowds the river waterfalls attract were not here.

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DuPont State Forest – January Thaw 2013

Well, call it déjà vu…..unseasonably warm weather in January again. It seems like I was writing about this last year at this time when my Waterfallshiker blog began. A week has passed by since my last hike and entry. At that point I was hiking to a beautiful 69 foot waterfall in Virginia through thick snow and hard, slippery, and treacherous ice. Continue reading “DuPont State Forest – January Thaw 2013”