Whiteoak Canyon/Falls

Forrest's Thoughts

I enjoyed this hike. We hiked the whole of Whiteoak Canyon Trail and did Cedar Run Trail and a two miles of the A.T. to make it a loop trail. It was a little difficult at the many, many stairs, but not overwhelming (especially going down). I really liked the five waterfalls and the canyons. We saw a small copperhead while pumping water at one of the small pools. A great time to do this hike is in the heat of summer, because of the crazy deep swimming holes. We did it in early June, so we didn't want to get in. The start of the hike was misty, until we got down into the canyon. The waterfalls were impressive, one tumbling 82 feet down. After the first fall, there is a sign that tells you that you are about half way down the trail, and not to exceed your hiking ability. This sign was there for a reason. Don't be intimidated if you've hiked before, but really, it does get harder for those who hate long, steep stairs. I thought the second part (the 'harder' part) was much more mentally challenging, as I hate stairs. Going back up the way we had hiked would have been much easier, but not as cool. The blaze of this trail was blue, and it was 3.25 miles to the bottom of the trail.