More On Virgin Falls

Went on the Virgin Falls hike with my friends, Sarah and Brook. This was about a ten mile hike. You start up on the plateau and keep descending until you get to the falls.

There are several alternate routes to take, including the lookout path, which has some great views; and the path to Sheep Cave, which has a fairly impressive waterfall that flows out of it.

Big Laurel Falls is the first impressive falls along the trail. The cave behind Big Laurel Falls is fairly large, and is covered by a thick bed of branches covered with fine sand. It's incredibly spongy to walk on. The water below these falls mysteriously disappears into a hole in the ground at the back of the cave.

Virgin Falls was very beautiful. You could climb down to the base of it if you were motivated. The rocks are very slippery. I went about halfway. There is a narrow trail that runs around in front of the falls that gives a perfect view. The spot has the feeling of a paradise oasis in the middle of the woods.



You have to hike back the way you came in. Since it was mostly downhill to the falls, it's all uphill on the way back. Parts of it are pretty intense for amateur hikers like myself. And we were moving at a pretty rapid pace, because one of us had to be back at a certain time.

It was a difficult hike. I wouldn't do it again in a hurry, since I tend to enjoy more leisurely hikes. But ultimately the views were worth the experience. I had a great time.