United States · US
Rainbow Falls Trail
Rainbow Falls Trail is one of the most rewarding waterfall hikes in Western North Carolina, leading you through mountain forest to a thundering, near-vertical cascade that drops roughly 150 feet into the Horsepasture River. On sunny days the fine mist rising off the plunge catches the light and throws back the vivid rainbow that gave the falls their name. The trail begins at Gorges State Park's Grassy Ridge Access and follows the river upstream, moving from the park into Pisgah National Forest and the Wild & Scenic Horsepasture River corridor. The hike to Rainbow Falls is about 1.5 miles each way—a 3-mile round trip rated moderate to strenuous. The first three-quarters of a mile are graveled and prominently orange-blazed inside the state park, after which the path reverts to a natural earthen trail that winds along the river with two creek crossings. It is a popular outing year-round, free to access for day use, and the falls are beautiful in every season: framed by green foliage and wildflowers in spring and summer, glowing with autumn color, and striking even under a winter sky. Rainbow Falls is the centerpiece, but the Horsepasture River is a true waterfall alley, and a single hike lets you take in several more—Hidden Falls just before the main attraction, and a short extension upstream to Turtleback Falls. This is a place to move with care, though: the rocks are slick, the currents strong, and the official guidance is to stay on the designated path and never climb out onto the ledges.