Blue Hole Falls
All photos and illustrations by Pat Johns ©2008
All Rights Reserved
See map & links to article references at the end of the article.
March, 2008
Just northeast of Elizabethton, Tennessee is Holston Mountain. The mountain is in the Cherokee National Forest and is surrounded by South Holston Lake to the northwest, Damascus, Virginia on the northeast and Stony Creek Valley and the Iron Mountains on the south. If you travel about 10 miles northeast of Elizabethton on Route 91 to the Stony Creek Valley (see map below), take a left on Panhandle Road toward Holston Mountain. Just about a mile up on the left you will find a graveled parking area. On the right side of the parking area is a well-marked trail that takes you down along the 4 beautiful waterfalls that make up Blue Hole Falls down to the plunge pool. The hike is not long and the scenery is beautiful.
From the parking lot there is another trail that leaves from the left. Be very careful on this trail as it moves closely along a high ridge above the falls.
Recommended Reading : "Cherokee National Forest Hiking Guide" by William Skelton
Click on the image at right to learn more . . .
"A comprehensive hiking guide to the Cherokee National Forest. Comprised of 625,565 acres along the Tennessee-North Carolina state line, this forest includes much of the western slopes of the southern Appalachian Mountains, north and south of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The area encompasses a tremendous diversity of wildlife, vegetation, and scenic vistas of high mountain peaks and beautiful creeks, waterfalls, and valleys. Over one hundred trails and footpaths wind throughout this wildlife haven, inviting everyone who loves the outdoors - hikers, backpackers, hunters, anglers, horseback riders - to explore its natural beauty."
- Book Description from Amazon.com
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