Upper Creek Falls and Flat Rock Trail

July 25, 2020

We love waterfalls! Trying to escape the heat sent us to Upper Creek Falls, which is about 2 hours away near Newland, NC. While it was a bit cooler there than down in the Piedmont, it was still humid. Shady trails and water seem to help a lot.  We aren't the only ones trying to run away to the mountains, so we left our house around 8:30 am and got to the parking lot before it filled up. Our friends NK and JK came with us.  This is a loop trail so you can start from either side of the parking area, but we went on the Upper Creek Trail side. It is steep and there are roots, but it wasn't anything we couldn't handle. 

There are several places to stop and put your feet in.  Then, much to the delight of the kids, we found an area where people were sliding down the rock in a natural waterslide!  After many bumpy rides, they were tired out and we headed back the way we came.  I think to continue on the trail you will loop down to the Lower Falls Trail, but the weather was looking a little iffy and we were nervous about it being steeper and having more switchbacks, so we turned back and exited the way we came.

After we left we headed up the Blue Ridge Parkway for a few miles and then stopped to eat our lunch at a scenic overlook.  Then we went to Flat Rock Trail. The kids didn't really want to hike more but this is a 0.7 mile loop that is pretty flat. It is a nature trail with markers and signs to read and we really enjoyed it! There is a very nice view from the rock too. 

We did get caught in a downpour on the way back but we felt better than all the people on motorcycles who were trying to get out of the rain! We continued on to Blowing Rock to walk around town and have some ice cream.  They have a nice downtown area and park that we enjoyed before heading back home. A fun day!