By Fred J. Eckert
Probably no other county in the United States has as many waterfalls as North Carolina's Transylvania County in the southwestern part of the state, about a 40-minute drive south of Asheville. It's also home to the highest cascade east of the Rocky Mountains.
The heavily wooded quarter-million-acre picturesque countryside — Transylvania means "across the forest land" — encircles the pleasant town of Brevard (population 7,500), which Budget Travel calls "one of America's coolest small towns." The Brevard/Transylvania area is widely known by the nickname with which it long ago got tagged: "The Land of Waterfalls."
No one knows for certain how many waterfalls there are in Transylvania County, although everyone who lives in the area or has visited knows the number is staggering. Easily more than 250, says the Brevard-Transylvania Chamber of Commerce. More like 500-plus, according to the late Jim Bob Tinsley, a local expert whose 1988 book, "The Land of Waterfalls," is a valued reference work.
The explanation for such a wide spread in the estimated number of waterfalls is that each estimate counts only ones considered sizable, and different people define "sizable" differently. Add in the not-quite-sizable ones and the waterfalls along the hundreds of miles of Transylvania's tumbling streams and the number becomes truly astonishing.
Why so very many waterfalls in this particular North Carolina county? Because its topography and its rainfall together are the perfect mix for creating a waterfalls wonderland.
Few other spots in the eastern United States contain within such a short distance such great differences in elevation. From a towering height of 6,025 feet in Transylvania's northwest section descending down to 1,100 feet in its southwest section — almost a 5,000 feet difference! — an incredible volume of water is constantly cascading through the county. Transylvania's mountains are the first serious obstacle that north-bound low-pressure weather fronts from the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean-area Atlantic Ocean hit up against, causing moist air to rise and cool and form clouds that release precipitation to an extent that gives this area one of the heaviest rain levels in the eastern United States.
The fact that Transylvania has such an unusually heavy forest cover — one-third of the county is public forestland; another one-third is private forest land — gives it both great scenic beauty and an exceptionally healthy watershed so beneficial for waterfalls. Its scenic beauty has been displayed in numerous television programs and in several films, including "The Last of the Mohicans" and "The Hunger Games."
Hardly any falls in this area of the Appalachians is a single drop. Nearly all are what locals call "a set of falls" — waterfalls interspersed with multiple drops above, below and alongside one another.
For an even better experience you might want to consider doing what I did during my last visit. For a very reasonable fee I retained the guiding services of Craig Miller of Miller's Land of Waterfalls Tours. A 55-year-old with a degree in tourism from the University of South Carolina, he knows Transylvania and its waterfalls as few others do — he's visited 180 of them! In my half-day with him, Craig showed me five waterfalls, including one that does not appear on any list or map because it's on private land that he has obtained special permission to visit.
Besides knowing the waterfalls, he also knows photography and was spot-on with his recommendations about what time of day to go — or not go — to a particular waterfalls, where the best angle from which to shoot might be, and which lens or lenses to take. Hearing my thoughts about ones I intended to do on my own, he nixed one because flow wasn't up to normal, added in another and suggested which times to be at each to view it at its best.
If your time is limited, or if you just want to do something extra to get the most possible enjoyment out of a visit to "The Land of Waterfalls," you should consider that a good guide can tailor a tour that's best suited to match the particular day with your preferences, including how much you feel or don't feel like hiking.
However you decide to schedule your time, this much is certain: If you visit Transylvania County you will be able to view more beautiful waterfalls in close proximity to one another than you likely ever imagined possible.
WHEN YOU GO
With such an abundance of beautiful waterfalls to view, how do you decide which ones to take in? Easy. Visit www.visitwaterfalls.com and www.brevardncchamber.org. Check out the articles, watch the videos and download the "Waterfall Guide" and "Travel Planner." Or call 800-648-4523 to request information or ask questions.
The downloadable guide, also available as a printed brochure, lists 22 of the most commonly visited waterfalls. Each is ranked by degree of effort required to view - from "Park and View" to "Easy Hike" to "Moderate Hike" to "Strenuous Hike." Directions are stated clearly, and its map is easy to follow. Coming up with a plan that meets your time and effort limitations requires little effort.
Craig Miller: www.tourwaterfalls.com, 828-884-8982.
Fred J. Eckert is a freelance travel writer and photographer. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.
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