Upper Creek lower section

For the last day of my Asheville/Boone trip, I decided to explore the lower section of Upper Creek. I had previously hiked the trail that follows this section of the creek in 2016, when I conquered Raven Cliff Gorge with Mary and Orin. We had seen that there were some possible cascades and swimming holes on our way up the trail, but we neglected to check them out since they were not on the agenda for that excursion. Returning to check out this section of the creek was never high on my agenda, but I chose to do it today because I had to drive back to Raleigh afterwards, and I wanted to do something that I thought would be relatively quick and easy. This particular trailhead was only a couple of miles off the paved road, and it was farther south (i.e., closer to I-40) than most of the other swimming hole attractions in the Wilson Creek area, so I would have more of a head-start for the drive back. I had scanned the creek on Google Earth and marked six points of interest (POIs), and my plan was to hike all the way to POI 6, which was the farthest upstream at about 1.5 miles from the trailhead, and then work my way back downstream. This would allow me to scope out all the side-trails down to the creek on the way in so I would know all my options for accessing my POIs on the way back.

( Click here for the full trip report with pictures and videos )

In summary, the lower section of Upper Creek does have some cascades and swimming holes, but nothing that really holds a candle to Upper Creek Falls or Raven Cliff Gorge. The best cascade was probably the lower one at POI 2, which was about 7-8 feet high. POI 1 ended up being the highlight of the places I checked out today, boasting two cascades and two legit swimming holes. I wouldn’t say it's worth making a special trip, but it would make for a nice short hike and swim if you happen to be camping at one of the sites along FR 197. With today’s trek, I am one step closer to exploring all of Upper Creek between FR 197 and Upper Creek Falls. The only section I have left to explore is between Upper Creek Falls and the Mountains-to-Sea Trail, which will be one hell of a creek walk.