12 Hikes in 12 Weeks: Fairy Falls

A word to the wise: This book? USE WITH CAUTION.

We had a bit of an adventure finding the place. This is not the first time this particular guide book has led us majorly astray. There was this one “moderate” trail it suggested that ended up being endless switchbacks down into a river valley at a steeeeeeeeep grade. We spent an hour going down with absolutely no river in sight before we knew we had to turn around if we wanted to reach the car again before too late, and began a very difficult three hour trudge uphill. Not moderate by ANY means.

Considering that Fairy Falls is also labeled “moderate,” there was some consternation on my end.

This time, the book completely missed a road we were supposed to turn on, instead leading us onto an army base, which got us the Eye and a wary greeting from the soldier at the gate. Turn around we did, and on we went, this time under the guidance of my trusty GPS, until we finally found the trailhead and proceeded into the most beautiful cow country I have ever seen.

---

At one point, it passed a lone cattle-guard whose road had long since been devoured, leaving it to sit in brilliant rust-orange in the middle of nowhere. The cows themselves wandered freely through the trees and along the trail, mostly black, several of them notably young. We had our choice of paths to the end point; Dad and I took the less trodden one on the way in and the more established horse-riding trail on the way out.

The falls were well worth it.

---

It was lush, it was green, and it was hauntingly foggy, which brought out the colors with a vengeance. The trail itself went up and down at gradual slopes through groves and groves of gnarled oaks (my favorite kind of tree). 

At one point, it passed a lone cattle-guard whose road had long since been devoured, leaving it to sit in brilliant rust-orange in the middle of nowhere. The cows themselves wandered freely through the trees and along the trail, mostly black, several of them notably young. We had our choice of paths to the end point; Dad and I took the less trodden one on the way in and the more established horse-riding trail on the way out.

The falls were well worth it.

---

Ask you can see, quite stunning, and a perfect place to stop for lunch. We were joined during our trek to and from the falls by horseback riders and hikers alike, though there were not very many of either. All in all, very peaceful. One of the most gorgeous places.

We spent the ride home counting mileage and making the appropriate alterations to our guidebook by writing notes in the margins, just as more fog was creeping in over the hills.

I would go back to this trail in a second.