Thursday, May 22, 2014

Mingo Falls

My goal on this trip to 'the Smokies' was to drive to the eastern side of national park and photograph a waterfall I had yet to visit. I got more than I bargained for when the park ranger suggested Mingo Falls. She didn't really mention anything other than the hike up to the falls involved a whole lot of stair climbing. I figured I could handle that and off I went to find the waterfall. Mingo Falls, as it turns out is one of the tallest waterfalls in the Appalachian Mountains. The waterfall is actually located on the Cherokee Indian Reservation in North Carolina, just outside of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It boasts a stunning 120 foot vertical drop and is quite impressive.
Had I known Mingo Falls was one of the tallest in the area, I would have brought a shorter lens to capture it in a single frame. After much culling of the images from this shoot, I have decided I love this second image best as it is such a beautiful representation of the water falling to the bottom of the falls as it makes its way over huge granite rocks.
The trail to the waterfalls is a mere four tenths of a mile short. But don't kid yourself, it is a gut wrenching hundred plus stair steps 'straight up' before leveling off for a short two tenths of a mile and then you round the bend of a huge rock and find a narrow bridge for visitors to view the waterfall. On this particular day the falls was especially heavy after a rain storm from the previous day. The water powered its way like a beast down the side of the mountain dropping 120 feet almost straight down. It was simply gorgeous. I love a good adventure. ENJOY!

6 comments :

  1. Gorgeous, whatever lens you had, it's truly wonderful. Cheers, Jean.

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  2. What a beautiful sight! Amazing. I think the stair climb would be hard but worth it. Have a great weekend.

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  3. Amazing sight Carol.

    Careful, you'll be turning into a mountaineer next!

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