Wintergreen Falls

A beautiful 20ft waterfall on the east side of DuPont State Forest that is accessible via a short and lesser traveled trail.

On the east side of the DuPont State Forest is the short but beautiful Wintergreen Falls.  This easily accessed attraction is located on a lesser traveled section of the forest offering a chance to see and experience  the falls and the forest with minimal interaction with others if you don’t like crowds while you are out in nature.  We were completely alone the Sunday afternoon we made our hike to Wintergreen falls.

To access Wintergreen Falls, park at the Guion Farm Access Area off of Sky Valley Road.  This is a more secluded  area away from the more popular parking lots around the forest.  If approaching from Hendersonville, turn onto Sky Valley Road before DuPont Road turns into Staton Road.  The drive to the parking lot is very beautiful and pleasant even though Sky Valley Road turns into a gravel road as you near the parking lot.  Look for the well placed sign on Sky Valley Road indicating the parking lot which is about a 25 minute drive from downtown Hendersonville or 1 hour from Asheville North Carolina or Greenville South Carolina.  There is plenty of parking available along with limited restroom facilities at the parking area.

The hike to Wintergreen falls is a round trip of about 3 miles. The hike starts at the corner of the parking and follows the grass field initially.  As you enter the forest you will head right as you merge on to the trail and continue hiking along the Tarkiln Branch Road Trail.  Continue along this trail staying left as you encounter an unmarked fork in the trail which will eventually take you to the marked Wintergreen Falls Trail.  Continue along the Wintergreen Falls trail until you reach Grassy Creek at which point you will parallel the creek upstream a short bit to reach the falls.  There are a few boulders that you will need to overcome to get the best views of the falls but it isn’t anything too significant.

Wintergreen Falls is only about 20 feet high but is still a very beautiful waterfall.  The large boulders around the base of the falls are perfect for relaxing on while you enjoy the roar of the falls in the background.  If you are lucky, you will have a beautiful Carolina sky and the falls all to yourself during your visit to Wintergreen falls.

This is not a loop trail, so you will need to hike back the trail in reverse to return to the parking lot.

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