'Gateway to Pisgah National Forest,' Catawba Falls reopens with tower for safe viewing
ASHEVILLE — On hands and knees, Lisa Jennings and her right-hand woman, Hunter Campbell, crawled under sprawling rhododendron shrubs around Catawba’s upper falls, setting markers for what is now the new Catawba Falls Ridge Trail.
Jennings, recreation manager at the U.S. Forest Service’s Grandfather Ranger District, climbed the ropes to the 80-foot upper falls her first day on the job 10 years ago. Standing next to the cascading water, Jennings’ boss told her she’d be leading the project to enhance accessibility to the falls — and she dedicated much of the next decade to doing just that.
A two-year closure, 580 hand-built stairs, 2.3 miles of new trail and one removed rope later, Catawba Falls in the Old Fort area of Pisgah National Forest is ready to reopen to the public on May 31. With an estimated 10,000 visitors a week every summer before the closure, officials say the renovations were necessary because of the “many serious injuries and deaths” at the falls.
“This was our No. 1 trail for injury and death,” Adrienne Jones, deputy director of McDowell County EMS, told the Citizen Times May 29 during a sneak peek hike ahead of opening day.
“The fatalities that we have had are all a result of having to go up the falls on ropes and falling off at the falls.”
Reaching the top of Catawba River Trail, where cooled air from the falls drifts onto the path, visitors get their first look at the 205-foot lower falls and the new staircase rising to a 60-foot-high observation tower. Together with the stairs leading up to, and above the tower, it is 30 stories (about 300 feet) high, the tallest structure in Western North Carolina, Jennings said.
Each wooden stair was hand placed using a custom-built pulley system with cables anchored into the waterfall rock. For the work, the U.S. Forest Service hired Tag Contracting, an Old Fort business with all local employees, according to Jennings.
Visitors may notice small undulations on the observation tower’s railings — that's intentional. The design is meant to keep people from placing water bottles on the surface. Calling herself “the detail person,” Jennings asked the engineer if the railing’s surface could be built in the shape of the district’s mountain skyline. For inspiration, the engineer used a photo of Jennings’ year-old tattoo depicting Grandfather Mountain and Table Rock.
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Other safety improvements
Jennings said she had to strike a balance between keeping the area as natural as possible and making the “gateway to the Pisgah National Forest” safe for visitors, while also ensuring that any development fits within the Forest Service’s “really high” environmental standards.
“I always say, ‘the right trail in the right place for the right reasons,’” Jennings told the Citizen Times. “We kind of got to the point where there were so many safety issues that we had to do something.”
Since the beginning of the project, the U.S. Forest Service incorporated safety suggestions from McDowell County EMS, Jones said. Those include a colored and numbered marking system with GPS coordinates on each trail, allowing EMS to pinpoint the location to within a foot of the injured person.
The upper and lower falls are now accessible by UTV. Two boxes full of first responder equipment are secured on the staircase running along the waterfall.
Before the improvements, Jones said it would sometimes take 40 to 50 first responders up to six hours to get a patient down from the falls, carrying medical bags, ropes and extrication equipment. Now, they’ve been able to cut down on the number of responders, and Jones expects they’d be able to locate and extract a patient in an hour or two.
Opening day, and more additions to come
Still to come is another observation deck at the base of the upper falls and the opening of the quarter-mile Wildflower Trail, named for the Jack-in-the-pulpit, red trillium, and other mountain wildflowers that line the path.
Outdoor enthusiasts can stroll on the trails and swim in the pooling water under the falls starting at 8 a.m. May 31. Due to limited parking, shuttles will run between downtown Old Fort and Catawba Falls on the Friday and Saturday of opening weekend.
Rangers suggest having an alternate plan if parking areas are full and ask that no one park on private property along Catawba River Road.
Short-term weekday closures are possible through July while crews finish work on the dam and upper falls viewing area, according to the release.
But the new Wildflower Trail — set to open in the next few weeks — and other alternate routes will be available to allow access to the falls to remain open.
If you go
Catawba Falls will reopen at 8 a.m. May 31. From Asheville, take I-40 east to Exit 73/Old Fort. Take a right onto Catawba River Road and go three miles to the parking area.
Waterfall safety tips
Follow instructions posted at all waterfalls and trails.
Stay on developed trails, observation decks and platforms.
Do not jump off waterfalls or dive into pools. Rocks and logs can be hidden beneath the surface of the water. Often waterfall pools have swirling water or currents that can drag and keep even strong swimmers underwater.
Do not swim or wade upstream near a waterfall.
Watch your footing. Dry rocks can be just as slippery as wet ones, especially those covered with algae.
The top of any waterfall is the most dangerous. Do not lean over a ledge at the top of a falls.
Watch children and pets at all times.
Make sure you are in a safe, solid location before taking pictures or selfies.
Bring your cell phone in case of emergencies.
What you need to know about opening day: Catawba Falls opening day details; new trails set to open soon, US Forest Service says
More: US Forest Service: Roan Mountain areas to close for $2.5 million federally funded repairs
Ryley Ober is the Public Safety Reporter for Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Email her at [email protected] and follow her on Twitter @ryleyober
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Catawba Falls in Pisgah National Forest reopens with safety features
