Saturday was my ideal of a great day. We woke up to the sun shinning, the birds chirping, and a cool breeze outside. We knew it would be a great day to spend outside so we packed lunch in the cooler, lots of water, and Auggie's goods for a small hike. We had heard about Elk River Falls from some friends and since it was only a 45 minute drive from our house we decided to check it out. This waterfall was super easy to find, no confusing directions. As soon as you enter into the town of Elk Park there are signs pointing you in the direction of the falls. If you have GPS put in "Elk River Road, North Carolina" and it should lead you straight to it. You will reach a dead end at Elk River road where you can pull your car off to the side and park. We checked out the river before we started on the trail. I would not call this a hike by any means, more like a 10/15 min saunter through the woods. It is only 1.7 miles round trip. Once you reach the falls you can stand on some massive rocks from the top overlooking the 50 foot waterfall into a big oval pool. I think I enjoyed the view from the top of the falls just as much as I did from the bottom of the falls. In the summer people have jumped from the top of the falls into the deep oval pool. I was excited about coming back in the summer for the cliff jump until I did my research after we left and saw there had been multiple deaths resulting from cliff jumping off the top of the falls. I believe I'll stick to coming back for a swim instead of the jump. There is plenty of room to sit at the bottom of the falls to take in the view or to hangout and sun bathe in the Summer months. We enjoyed the views as well as listening to the sound of the falls. There are flat rocks facing the falls that would be perfect to have lunch on (if you packed) but since Roan Mountain State Park is close by we decided to have our picnic in the park. I definitely plan on coming back to Elk River Falls in the summer when the trees are filled and the water hole is warm enough for a swim!
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