Beech Creek, High Falls, Big Scaly, Bull Cove Falls, and Chimney Rock

The Upper Tallulah Basin, located on the GA/NC border in the Southern Nantahala Wilderness Area, is an absolutely beautiful area and one of my favorite to visit.  The Beech Creek Trail winds through a scenic valley, skirts the side of Big Scaly, passes two waterfalls, provides scenic views of the mountains, contains gorgeous relict forest (species remaining from the last ice-age), and meanders along a beautiful mountain creek.

We will be hiking the Beech Creek Trail – a very scenic trail with many highlights - in a counterclockwise direction.  We will start off ascending a couple hundred feet over the lower end of the Big Scaly Ridge and then descend to Beech Creek.  At this point, we will cross Beech Creek, which is the only significant creek crossing during the hike.  Depending on the water level, we may be able to rock-hop, or if it’s too high, we may have to remove our shoes/boots temporarily.  Regardless, the water should be less than knee deep.  The trail will follow Beech Creek and after a short distance we will take a short side trip to Bull Cove Falls.  From here the trail ascends steeply and generally follows Beech Creek until we get to the ruins of a corundum crushing site.  At this point we will take a side trail to High Falls, which is a 100+ foot waterfall that should be very nice considering the rains we’ve had.  After spending some time at the falls, we will continue through the valley in between Big Scaly mountain and the high ridge where Standing Indian lies, until we reach Case Knife Gap (~4,700 ft).   Near the gap, we will then take a side trail to the summit of Big Scaly mountain (nearly 5,100 ft) for some spectacular views of the Tallulah Valley and surrounding mountains.  From the summit of Big Scaly, we will head off trail on a steep descent for less than a mile until we reach Chimney Rock. For those who are daring enough to climb up the rock, there are some nice views of the surrounding mountains and valley. From Chimney Rock, we will then take a side trail to Beech Creek Trail and continue to follow it until we reach the upper Tallulah River and then back to the parking area.

Notes:

1) This is not a beginner hike; although it is on the short side (9.5 miles) for a D5, the hike will have over 3,000 feet of total ascent.  You should be in good physical condition and have recently completed higher difficulty (D4/D5) events with the AOC prior to registering.

2) There will be a short (less than a mile), but steep section of this hike that will be off-trail.

3) Although I've done about 2/3rds of this hike on different occasions, I have not done all of it, including the off-trail section, so it's therefore listed as exploratory.

Take I-85 N to I-985 N which turns into US 23/441 to Clayton GA.  In Clayton, go West on US 76 about eight miles. Turn right on Persimmon Rd, near the volunteer fire department and sign for Tallulah River Campgrounds. Continue about 4.2 miles and turn left at Tallulah River Rd. This road will turn to gravel after a mile or so and leads to Tate City.  Continue to follow the road through Tate City, across the NC state line until the road ends.

Up to three well-behaved dogs will be allowed on the event.  If you bring a dog, make certain that your dog is capable of "comfortably" completing a hike of this distance and ascent.