Dill Falls

This waterfall looks higher in real life than in most pictures. It's one of the nicest in the area. It starts as a short free-fall, then comes down a very steep, longer cascade before ending in a little pool at the bottom.

Directions

Driving

From the intersection of NC Hwy. 215 and the Blue Ridge Parkway, go south on NC 215 for 2.6 miles. Turn right on FR 4663 - it's between a house and a trailer and looks like a driveway, but it should be signed. Follow this narrow road for just under 2 miles to FR 4663B on the left (it may be hard to spot as you're going up a steep hill at the junction).

In the past, FR 4663B was too rough to take a passenger vehicle on, but as of July 2009 it was in fine shape. Go just over 1/2 mile to the parking area at the end.

Note: both of these roads have been known to be in bad conditions over the last few years, and sometimes they're closed. You may have to hike a lot further to reach the falls if this is the case. They're in fine shape for now, but having a high-clearance vehicle might help if they deteriorate once again.

Trail

The hike to the trail is short, about 1/2 mile round trip, and moderately difficult due to the incline and a bit of rock scrambling necessary to get right up next to the falls. At the parking spot, two old logging roads lead to the right out of the parking area - one goes uphill and one downhill. Take the one leading downhill. You'll have to walk in the woods around a giant crater that the Forest Service dug to keep vehicles off the old road. Follow this path on a gentle, easy descent just a few yards to a creek crossing below the falls. You used to have to scramble up the creek for the best view, but someone (who was not thinking environmentally) has cut down all the rhododendron along the left side of the creek, making the falls very visible now from the crossing.