Linville Falls

Todd Sain Sr.

8 years ago

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Linville Falls Facts

This beautiful, secluded work of Nature and geological processes bears the somewhat informative common name of Linville Falls. This breathtaking formation’s a picturesque waterfall in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, the United States.
The marvelous formation continues on after the falls, evenutally reaching Lake James. Its great beauty belies a surprisingly high level of danger, however. Historically, in fact, the local Native Americans used the site to execute prisoners.
In fact, furthermore, according to records, both written and oral, no one has ever survived a fall over the final plunge, with the exception of kayaker Pat Keller in 2010. Caution must therefore be used when exploring its great natural beauty.
John Rockefeller donated the site to the National Park Service in 1952. He also provided about $100,000 for the purchase of the land, including an approximately 1,100-acre (445 hectares) area surrounding the falls and a part of surrounding Linville Gorge.
Giulia Luginbuhl of Des Moines, IA, whose father, F. W. Hossfeld of Morganton, NC, had purchased the property in the year 1900, sold him the land. Prior to that, the local Cherokee Nation controlled the region for an undetermined period of time.
The natural splendor of Linville Falls has also earned it a spot in popular culture, though few know the fact. That’s because many of the scenes of the movie, Hunger Games, filmed in the surrounding Pisgah National Park, featuring the falls themselves.

Victoria Falls Hogenakkal Falls Gocta Cataracts

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Linville Falls Physical Description

The breathtaking Linville Falls now only impresses due to its sheer beauty, but also because of individual qualities. That’s partly due to the fact that the site qualifies as a type known as a tiered waterfall. In point of fact, this natural wonder boasts an impressive 4 tiers.

This begins, amazingly,with a set of small, twin falls at the upper level. Nature, however, had other plans for the site in recent times. That’s because at one time, the upper section of the main plunge actualy measured roughly the same height as the lower section.

Heavy flooding, however, altered the geology of the area and caused the upper section to collapse on top of the lower falls, making the lower falls a considerably longer plunge. Presently, the final plunge of the falls drops roughly 45 ft (13.7 m) to the pool below.

Prior to this, though, the stunning flow of cold water follows an arduous course, to the surprise of many. Wending its way through the surrounding terrain, its flow also cuts its way through a small, fairly narrow gorge. This course further leads to two smaller plunges.

Linville Falls also boasts yet another surprising statistic. The marvel of geological processes also has the highest volume of any waterfall on the Northern Edge of the Blue Ridge Mountains. It also marks the beginning of the Linville Gorge, which the Linville River forms.

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Linville Falls Ruggedness and Features

Though the awe-inspiring beauty of Linville Falls certainly merits appreciation, it must also be appreciated with a degree of caution. That’s because the surrounding terrain, while breathtaking, holds certain potential hazards for the careless of unwary visitor.

As a result of the natual hazards in the region, the governing agency created set paths for viewing the natural masterpiece and its surroundings. These the agency regualrly maintains and monitors, to greater ensure the safety of the many visiting tourists.

Due to this, the Erwin’s View Trail leads to 2 overlooks; the Chimney View Overlook (0.7 miles) and Erwin’s View Overlook (0.8 miles). The Plunge Basin Trail, meanwhile, leads to the Overlook, which provides a view of the falls from the other side of the river.

The final formal path, the 0.7 mi (1.1 km) Gorge Trail, which branches off from the other trails, leads to an area near the foot of the falls. Swimming, though, isn’t possible in any areas of the falls. The area comprises extremely rugged terrain, and many deaths have occurred.

The United States National Park Service owns the falls, operating a visitor center and several miles of non-handicapped accessible trails with the 4 overlooks for the falls. From the top of the Upper Falls Trail, visitors can view the water spiraling through the small canyon.