Waterfall Wonder Near Asheville: Windy Falls

It’s a pretty extreme hike, but boy it was beautiful. You take the trailhead towards the pond and then you turn right at the access road. Your looking for another road on the right it has a big rock and a bulldozer you take that road all the way to the end and then to the right a trailhead goes down. You’ll reach the Falls at a campground and there’s a little trail that goes to the left that it will get you to the boulders.

Not for the novice

It's a pretty easy hike (getting down to the creek is a LITTLE more challenging, in some places) but I was following AllTrails and planning to go to Side pocket Falls, down from Rainbow, but not as far as the "Windies" (according to the OSM map both of the falls in this area share the name Windy Falls). So, if you're looking for them, start down the gravel service (?) road in the Gorges parking area (like going to Rainbow and Turtle), deviate down a trail to the right about a mile down, aim for Sidepocket and take a left! 😉

Iv'e made it to bottom of Windy twice in my life in the 90's.Was dangerous as I didn't have a rope and both times alone. The only way down without a rope getting down aside from rock descent is in forest edge where one has to bushwack crawling at times. It was worthwhile and exhilarating but as I've gotten older and wiser wouldn't do this again without someone with me and would make the effort to use rope/crampon. Having said that would also advise not getting out on the rock at top as it's too tempting which also have done a couple of times. The only person I ever saw in there was an angler once besides myself (this was before Gorges Park)..so it is my favorite Horsepasture River waterfall followed by Rainbow Falls.

Beautiful place, but very difficult to access. Please be careful going to this one.