Our fourth hike of the year ... January 20, 2024
Before getting to our intended hiking area ... I wanted to revisit an old hike that l've enjoyed in years past. Falls Creek Falls near the bible camp that's located near the trailhead. Much to my surprise and dismay ... the trailhead no longer exists. The sign at the trailhead is gone along with the small parking area that used to be there. It's been replaced by fencing that has several signs noting that it's private property ... and where the trail made its initial climb - several logs/tree limbs have been brought in to fill the trail space. What an unfortunate turn of events - because it was probably one of my favorite waterfalls in the upstate (and I was visualizing it with the ice that was bound to have accumulated on the rock faces). I'll note that you can't access from Jones Gap either (according to their park map - they've closed the trail past Hospital Rock). I've really not found any sources detailing the closure - outside of ones referencing storm damage. But given the personal property signs and the trail blockade ... I don't see this being accessible in the foreseeable future. So, we made our way to the main trailhead at Jones Gap.
Braving the cold but knowing it was going to be sunny ... we headed up to Jones Gap State Park to hike Rainbow Falls! As we made our way up the trail... it was very cold but thankfully the sun was already shining on portions of the trail to keep the chill at bay (or so I thought!). We took an unofficial trail by a stream up to a waterfall/cascade that was mostly frozen ... you could see water running behind the ice sheet. We then hiked up the hill a little bit to get a better view where Sally decided to try walking on ice - where she quickly discovered ice wasn't a place to be walking. As we were making our way back to the main trail ... I decided to get me a drink of water - well that's easy when your hydration tube isn't frozen! So, I had to wait until we got going up Rainbow Falls trail where we had some nice sunshine to help the hose thawing process - at least the scenery was gorgeous to take my mind off of hydration for a little bit. For the most part the trail itself was clear of any ice - but along the streams and rock faces there was quite a bit of ice. Once we made it up to the falls ... we pulled out a special treat - hot coffee!! While enjoying the coffee with the beautiful waterfall - we got to see some of the ice fall from the cliffs surrounding the waterfall. Unfortunately, we didn't get a rainbow this time - and I didn't cross the stream - I just didn't feel confident or stable enough to attempt it. So, we took in the views for just a bit longer before going back the way we'd come.
Trail notes... this trail could've been really icy if it had rained/snowed in the days prior to the cold temps. I was prepared with microspikes but thankfully didn't need them. The unofficial trail I took isn't marked but is pretty obvious - just use caution as you do cross a small creek a couple of times. You can cross the creek at the base of Rainbow Falls - but it's very slick even in summer. The trail itself is rocky in places with several stairs to help with the elevation gain/climbs. Overall, it's not terrible but I'd rate the hike as moderate. I did break in my new waterproof boots ... they did great but my socks did not (they kept sliding down) - so I'll be getting a taller pair of socks for next time!
For photos...
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