Located just off Mile Marker 316 on the Blue Ridge Parkway, Linville Falls is one of the most popular waterfalls in the Blue Ridge Mountains. With three different trails of varying difficulty, there is something for everyone here. Two of the trails (Erwin’s View Trail and Plunge Basin Trail) lead to views of Linville Falls. The third trail, Dugger’s Creek Loop Trail, is the easiest and shortest (0.3 miles) and leads to the much smaller Dugger’s Creek Falls.
Plunge Basin Trail is ranked as difficult but rewards you with a view from the foot of the falls. Note that swimming is not allowed due to safety concerns. Erwin’s Creek Trail is ranked as moderate and actually affords you three different views of the falls, the Upper Falls Overlook (0.5 miles), Chimney View (0.7 miles) and Erwin’s View (0.8 miles). A 1.6 mile roundtrip hike allows you to enjoy all three views.
We visited on Labor Day and opted for the popular Erwin Creek’s Trail in order to maximize our waterfall viewing. Due to the holiday, it was crowded in the parking lot but the trails themselves didn’t feel too busy.
Erwin’s View Trail is reached by walking past the visitor center and crossing a bridge over the river. The trailhead is located on the other side of the river and leads to a wide dirt and gravel path.
The trail parallels the river and stays in sight of it for most of the walk to the Upper Falls Overlook. Although the trail is wide and well-maintained for the majority of the hike, it is not stroller-friendly. There are many sections with tree roots criss-crossing the path, as well as rocky portions and several sets of steps. But the trail is manageable for younger kids. There is one short, steep section but it is otherwise relatively easy.
The first waterfall viewing opportunity comes at the Upper Falls Overlook. Linville Falls has three different sections of falls – the twin 15-foot upper falls and the more dramatic 45-foot lower falls. The Upper Falls Overlook is a short walk downhill off the main trail. A large, flat rock provides a natural viewing platform to the upper falls. A wooden boardwalk and safety rails are there for protection.
From the overlook looking upstream, the river splits around a large rock, creating the twin falls. The small falls are pretty and this is a nice place to relax and enjoy your surroundings for a while. (This overlook area is the largest of the 3.) The water settles in a pool below the twin falls where it is surprisingly calm before it continues its journey towards the lower falls.
After a brief respite in the pool, the water rounds the corner of the overlook and begins charging downstream. From the other side of the overlook you can watch the water wind its way through the rocks. It goes around one final curve and disappears out of sight, heading towards the final plunge. Although you can’t see the top of the falls, it’s neat to watch the water gather speed as it makes its way towards the falls.
I have to admit that we have been to Linville Falls before. We made a spur-of-the-moment stop while driving past en route to somewhere else and hopped out of the car with our 3 and 5 years olds and just started walking. We made it to this overlook… and then stopped. I can’t remember if we knew that there were other views and opted not to go or if we thought this was it. Regardless, while this was a nice view and we enjoyed our quick pit stop with younger kids, we didn’t realize what we were missing by not going to the main part of the falls on our first visit.
Just a third of a mile further up the path is the Chimney View Overlook. Armed with a map, a plan, and older kids, we continued our journey to the next overlook. And it did not disappoint. From this vantage point you can see the magnificent lower falls, as well as the right side of the upper falls. (In the picture below, the people visible in front of the upper falls are at the Upper Falls Overlook.)
It was neat to look back at where we just were and realize how close we had been to the top of the lower falls. (We could hear it but not see it from the overlook.) The cliffs surrounding the waterfall and below the overlook are steep, jagged, and impressive. The viewing area gets its name from two tall pillars of rock on either side of the overlook that look like chimneys. This was our favorite vantage point – the falls were far enough away that you could take in their full magnitude but close enough that you could appreciate the details of the falls and surrounding cliffs and forest.
And of course, it always pays to look in all directions from an overlook. Behind us, the river continued downstream, cutting a path through the heavily forested gorge.
We continued on to the final overlook, Erwin’s View. The falls are further away from this vantage point, and the Blue Ridge Mountains can be seen peeking out from behind the trees surrounding the falls. The view was stunning in early September, and I can only image how amazing it would be in fall with the leaves changing.
I thought it was cool that this hike was essentially in reverse. Typically hikes will give you your first glimpse of a waterfall from far away and then the trail continues to bring you closer to the falls. On this hike our first sighting of the waterfall was from right I’m the middle of it and we continued walking away to give us increasingly distant views of the falls. I thought this added a fresh perspective and another level of interest to the hike and falls.
Erwin’s View Trail is an out and back hike so we turned around and headed back from there. We really enjoyed our day at Linville Falls. The falls themselves are gorgeous and the hike is unique. Our kids enjoy hikes the most when there is a destination or “reward” at the end – a waterfall, a beautiful mountain view, an overlook on the edge of a canyon. This hike provided three such rewards with three different waterfall vantage points. As a relatively easy hike with a big payoff, it is a great family hike.
