Mingo Falls Hike

M ingo Fa lls ? Che r ok e e , N C

Le n g t h

D if f icu lt y

Stream s

View s

0.3 m ls

N/ A

Mingo Falls Hiking Tim e: 30 minutes with 10 minutes of breaks

Elev. Gain: 155 ft

1.0 m ls

N/ A

I ncluding Upper Mingo Falls Hiking Tim e: 45 minutes with 10 minutes of breaks

Elev. Gain: 640 ft

Pa r k in g: Park at t he Mingo Falls parking area. 35.53401, - 83.27627

Solit u d e

Ca m ping N/ A

N/ A

By Trail Cont ribut or: Zach Robbins

The spect acular Mingo Falls is locat ed in t he Qualla Boundary of t he East ern Band of Cherokee I ndians, j ust out side of t he Oconaluft ee Visit or Cent er of Great Sm oky Mount ains Nat ional Park. Mingo Creek drops dram at ically int o t he Raven Fork Gorge over t wo wat erfalls in succession. The first , Mingo Falls, is over 150 feet t all and one of t he finest in t he st at e. The second, Upper Mingo Falls, is j ust above the m ain falls but virtually unknown to the public and requires som e rout e- finding. This is an excellent quick hike for any visit ors st aying in Cherokee or Bryson Cit y.

M ile 0 .0 ? Follow t he long set of st airs from t he parking lot t owards Mingo Falls. M ile 0 .1 ? At t he t op of t he st airs go st raight for Mingo Falls short ly ahead.

Upper Mingo Falls is a beaut iful double - drop wat erfall hidden above Mingo Falls. There is an unofficial t rail at t he t op of t he st airs t o t he left above t he boulder. The usage pat h clim bs 0.3 - m ile st eeply t o t he base of the upper falls. Use ext rem e caunt ion if you decide t o hike t o t he upper falls, as t here are a m yriad of unm arked usage paths and exposed rock faces close to Mingo Falls w here a fall w ould be fa t a l. D o N ot ve nt ur e out ont o t he r ock fa ce s. This t rail is unknown t o alm ost all visit ors, so if you t ake it you are likely on your own.

These direct ions go t o t o t he base of t he upper falls:

M ile 0 .2 5 ? Aft er a swit chback t he t rail encount ers a Y- j unct ion, cont inue right heading t owards t he cr eek . M ile 0 .3 ? At a Y- j unct ion t urn left on t he t rail going uphill. Avoid any t rail leading right downhill, t hese can only lead t o t rouble. You'll soon pass by a broken chain- link fence and t hen you'll have t o scram ble over a large rocky sect ion. Resist t he t em pt at ion t o scram ble for a bet t er look from t he open rock, if you fall it will be fatal. M ile 0 .4 ? The t rail ends at Upper Mingo Falls. The lower 10 - foot drop is obscured by t rees and is not wort h t he st eep bank scram ble. The upper 20 - foot drop is a beaut iful freefall broken by sm all ledges and surrounded by lush vegetation. M ile 0 .5 5 ? Turn left at t he Y- j unct ion from Mile 0.25. M ile 0 .7 ? Back on t he m ain t rail t urn left t owards Mingo Falls. M ile 0 .7 5 ? The t rail ends at a bridge over Mingo Creek at t he base of Mingo Falls. The creek plunges 150 feet in an am phitheater characterized by exposed ledges and encroaching foliage. M ile 1 .0 ? Hike ends at t he Mingo Falls parking lot .



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