Updated: 6/12/2017 – New photos, and additional information.
Dupont State Forest is a 10 thousand acre State Forest just outside of Brevard, NC. One of the key attractions for Dupont Forest is it’s six different waterfalls, 3 of which are close closer together. Dupont State Forest and it’s waterfalls are so beautiful, they were used to film two famous movies, [easyazon_link identifier=”B009CPJ9OM” locale=”US” tag=”blueridgemountainlife-20″]The Last of Mohicans[/easyazon_link] and more recently, [easyazon_link identifier=”B0075N4OK2″ locale=”US” tag=”blueridgemountainlife-20″]The Hunger Games[/easyazon_link].
We visited Dupont State Forest recently, and did the nearly 8 mile roundtrip Waterfall Hike and saw 4 of the 6 falls. The great thing about this hike is that you can adjust the length to suit your needs. This was probably one of the best hikes we’ve taken, and the falls were absolutely stunning.
Roundtrip Distance: 8 Miles roundtrip (but can be adjusted down as low as 2.5 miles)
Difficulty: Easy – Moderate
Features: Waterfalls, River, Swimming, famous movie scenes from The Hunger Games
Directions: Take I-40 to exit 46A for I-26 East towards Hendersonville. Take I-26 east to Exit 40. Turn right off Exit 40 onto NC 280. Take NC 280 south 16 miles to US 64. Turn left onto US 64 and go 3.7 miles to the stop light. Turn right onto Crab Creek Rd and go 4.3 miles to DuPont Road. Turn right onto DuPont Rd and go 4.2 miles. DuPont Rd becomes Staton Road.
Recommended Gear: Digital camera and other day hiking essentials. There are also some great wading areas in the water, especially for kids, so we would recommend bringing a few towels, bathing suits, and [easyazon_link keywords=”kids water shoes” locale=”US” tag=”blueridgemountainlife-20″]some water shoes[/easyazon_link].
Dupont State Forest Waterfall Trail
One of the really neat things about this hike is that you can pretty much choose your starting point, and make it as long or as short as you would like, depending on which waterfalls you would like to see. We elected to start off at Hooker Falls, and just work our way up to how far we could go. We ended up enjoying the hike so much, we went from Hooker Falls to Bridal Veil Falls, nearly an 8 mile roundtrip hike!
However you could also drive up to the Triple Falls parking lot, or the High Falls Parking lot and adjust the height to your own needs. Bridal Veil Falls is only accessible via a nearly 4 mile roundtrip hike from the High Falls parking lot, so it’s a little further out.
Here’s a link to the full trail map.
Hooker Falls
Hooker Falls is a very pretty, and popular 15′ tall waterfall that flows into a deep pool below. The waterfalls are also a popular swimming hole in the summer. Definitely a nice falls, and worth the short walk. The observation deck is Handicap accessible as well.
Please see our Hooker Falls Guide for more information.
The next falls along the Waterfall Trail is Triple Falls. To access Triple Falls, walk back up the trail from Hooker Falls to the bridge. The bridge begins the hike up Triple Falls Trail. Triple Falls is located about a mile up the trail. The majority of the trail is very easy, but the last bit is very steep, but short.
Triple Falls
Triple falls is a beautiful waterfall and spans 120 foot tall, and is made up of three different cascades. An access stairway allows you to walk out onto a large rock shelf in the middle of the falls to explore and enjoy the sights and sounds of Triple Falls close up.
Triple Falls was one of the filming locations for the movie Hunger Games, and a number of scenes were shot here at Triple Falls.
>> See our complete guide to Triple Falls, with lots of photos, directions, information, tips and more.
You can of course stop your hike here, or continue on up to High Falls, also an incredibly beautiful waterfall. High Falls is located about another mile up up the trail.
You’ll continue hiking up Triple Falls Trail until it intersects with High Falls Trail. Take High Falls trail to the left. The trail will fork, and you can continue straight along this short trail to goto the base of High Falls or go right to head on up High Falls trail to the High Falls overlook.
High Falls
High Falls is a 150 foot tall waterfall with a covered bridge at the very top. The overlook for High Falls is located after an upward climb along the Triple Falls Trail. At the overlook, you’ll see the view of the falls above. Water from the Little River plummets down this tall rock face into the pools below.
>>You can read more about High Falls and the Covered Bridge above it, in our High Falls NC Waterfall Guide.
To continue to the covered bridge and also to the 4th waterfall in the Waterfall Hike, Bridal Veil falls, continue on up High Falls trail until it intersects with the Covered Bridge Trail about .2 miles up. Follow the Covered Bridge trail about .5 miles to the bridge, and Buck Cove Rd.
Lake Julia
0.6 Miles from the covered bridge is Lake Julia. You can’t see it from the road, but it’s just a little past the Lake Julia overflow bridge. You’ll see trails going up to the left. Follow it up a short distance for a beautiful view of the lake. There is a large rock there, that’s great for taking a break and just enjoying the sites and sounds.
Conservation Lane is a rock road, that is very popular with Mountain Bikers. You can hear them coming, so just stay to the left as they zoom by. As you walk this road, you’ll see a number of Mountain Biking trails too.
Continue on up Conservation Lane, until you see Bridal Veil Falls Rd, turn right and follow the road down to cup-du-sac. You’ll pass a horse stables on the way. The trailhead to the short trail to Bridal Veil falls is on the far end of the cul-du-sac.
Bridal Veil Falls
Dupont’s Bridal Veil Falls is a 120 foot tall, gently sloping waterfall, the leads down to a pool at the bottom. While not really an impressive falls, it is a neat area to explore and take a break. One neat feature: If you walk to the top of the falls, staying on the dry rock areas, there is a 10 foot or so tall cascade that you can walk behind.
>> See our Bridal Veil Falls guide for more information on Bridal Veil Falls.
Wrapping Up
While long, we really enjoyed the Dupont State Forest Waterfall trail. We love waterfalls, and this trail really had some beautiful ones. We’re also big fans of [easyazon_link identifier=”B00EUSI5AA” locale=”US” tag=”blueridgemountainlife-20″]The Hunger Game[/easyazon_link] movies, so seeing the actual film locations was really neat.
The portion of this trail from Hooker Falls to High Falls is really busy, especially on the weekends, so be prepared for crowds. In fact, when we arrived around lunchtime, the High Falls Parking lot was full. So we just parked at Hooker Falls, and hiked up, which honestly I’m glad we did.
Dupont State Forest is a place that should be on your “must see” list. We’re looking forward to heading back in the Fall to get some Fall photos of the falls. Should be absolutely gorgeous!
