#TravelTuesday 21 // Hiking High Falls Trail near Cashiers, North Carolina

Happy Travel Tuesday Adventurers!! 

I can't wait to see where you have been recently! 

Add your link at the bottom of the post so that we can explore together! 

If you can't tell from the last few posts, my heart has been longing for a good hike, some cooler weather, and a beautiful morning in the mountains! Since that is not an option right now I figured why not relive those moments, with a figurative hike to a beautiful North Carolina waterfall! 

This beautiful hike can be found in Glenville, North Carolina (near Cashiers) and it is one of my favorite trails we've ever been on! If you love waterfalls as much as me, the High Falls Trail (also known as Cullowhee Falls Trail) is a must add to your hiking bucket list! Here's why:

It's a Great Half-Day Hike

The trail itself isn't very long; in fact, it's only 1.4 miles round trip. Our Florida hiking brains thought, "oh no problem", but hiking in the mountains is a totally different story! There were a lot of natural stairs carved out of the mountain, that you had to traverse, as you hiked down towards the falls. It still only took us the first part of the day, but we had originally thought it shouldn't take us more than 2. Though, of course, the finest point in the trail could have been what held us up! 

You can Swim in a Waterfall

We were in Cashiers for the wedding of my friend Kristin, who loves the outdoors as much as we do. She had been there a few days before and her Instastory had me all kinds of wanting to go dive into the Cullowhee Falls, like I saw people doing in her videos. We hiked down towards the Falls, eyes peeled for the pouring water, but you don't see it until you are pretty much right on top of it. That's when the wondrous beauty unfolds and invites you in for a dip. To say it was cold is an understatement; even in the heat of the summer it was freezing, but once you get over the initial shock, you are good to go. Trust me, the jolt to your system is totally worth it! We swam for a few minutes in the pool at the base of the falls, then found a spot where the water didn't pound so hard and took a waterfall shower! 

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My recommendation for easing into the cold: Just jump right in!! 

The water is deep enough! Quick and painless- somewhat!

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High Falls is Gorgeous

Even if you aren't a fan of cold water, or getting wet on a hike, High Falls (Cullowhee Falls) is gorgeous! They are big and grand and there are tons of rocks to skip across to still get close to the falls, without getting wet. We saw a group having a picnic on a large slab of rock right next to where the water was running down the mountain.

It's a Great Spot to Bring Mom (Kind of)

My mom loves to hike- or she used to! She was all set and ready for a big adventure- and then we started to descend the from the parking lot. My mom has vertigo and it has really messed with her ability to hike like she used to. She stuck it out as long as she could, but we finally found her a little spot on an outcropping of rock and she sat down to enjoy her audiobook! She was perfectly content! However, this is a warning that it's not a trail for those with vertigo or issues with steep steps. Thankfully she still said she had a lot of fun!

We even taught her our favorite trail game: ask tons of random questions that everyone must answer. Usually we ask things like "if you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?" Mom was ready to get intimate though and started with, "if you could go back and change any decision you made, what would it be?" Then she followed it up with, "Is there anything about yourself that you would change?" Well, alright mom, we see you!

In case you're curious (like I know I would be), we will get intimate here (we're all friends, right?!)...

Mom's Answers: - Stay at Auburn to finish college and not transfer to UCF. 

                              - Not be so loud, clean more (which she added after my answer)

Babe's Answers: - Take part in more organized sports in high school 

                              - Be more social 

My Answers: - Nothing! I don't think I could have done that and not be where I am now. Every mistake I
                     made, I learned from. 

                  - Be more organized/ have a desire to clean, not be so loud (which I added after her answer; like 

                     mother, like daughter) 

(*God love my sweet daddy and Babe; two very tidy, soft spoken men, who don't seem to mind loud women who hate to clean!)

You Could Totally "Make-a-Day-of-It"

We only had a short window in the morning to do our hike, as we had to be at the wedding by 5 and would need time to get ready. However, if you have a whole day to plan some fun in Cashiers you could definitely head to High Falls at Lake Glenville. The trail head to the falls starts at the parking lot across from the lake. Lake Glenville is beautiful, with a long sandy beach and roped off swimming area. If you are visiting in the summer you can load up a picnic basket, plan to hike in the morning and then spend the rest of the day cooling off in the lake or basking in the sunshine on the beach. You could also bring your boat or the lake has a few marinas that you can rent them from.  

If you are looking for a beautiful hike near Cashiers, North Carolina I definitely recommend hitting the High Falls Trail! Your waterfall-loving-heart will thank you! 
We also spent some time hiking in nearby Cherokee County and loved that too! 

What is the best hike you've ever been on? 

Any adventures of your own lately? 

Join below for this month's travel blogger link up and let's travel travel!

~On the 2nd Tuesday of every month I will be sharing a new travel post and would love to see where you have been exploring!

~Any linked posts will be pinned under Travel Tuesday on my Pinterest account. 

~Please leave a little love on the post directly before yours and then anywhere else you like! That way we can all grow this community together :) 

~Not many other rules, as I am not a huge fan of those sorts of things! Just add any travel related link and I encourage you to peek around and see where everyone else has been. 

~Feel free to grab the image from the sidebar and add it to your post so others know where to link up.

~If sharing on IG use #LifesSweetJourney for a chance to be featured on my IG account.

~I will also be featuring my favorite post from the month before and sharing across social media. I'm all about waterfalls right now, because September's fave is this post from Meghan the Traveling Teacher! Her time at Victoria Falls looks incredible! Plus, who can resist a pool with zebras roaming next to it?! 

An InLinkz Link-up