Yahoo Falls Hike, Kentucky--Part II

Be sure and check out yesterday's post in order to see Part I (click HERE) from our hike to Yahoo Falls.   Today I will share some of the area around the falls... As I said yesterday,  due to the drought this past Summer and Fall,  there was almost no water coming over the falls.. The picture above shows the waterfall when we were there this time, on September 25, 2010.  This waterfall is about 113 feet tall --and is usually about 8-10 feet wide.  If you look closely,  you can see a tiny bit of water!!!!! ha...... Below are more.

I am on one side looking at the big bowl surrounding this waterfall.  You can see the waterfall on the left side... The trail leads behind the falls.   I was taking George's picture--and all of those other people (whom we did not know) posed also!!!!! ha ha ... George is on the right.

George took this one of me hiking up the trail toward where he was --behind the falls.  The steps going down on the right lead down to the bottom of the falls.  In Summer --people love to swim in the pool at the bottom of the falls.  This time,  there was almost no water down there.

This bowl (overhang) is amazing. Can you see the water?   George is standing almost under where the waterfall is.    IF there was alot of water,  he would definitely be WET standing where he was!!!!  (Those people across the way are still posing for my picture!!!!! Tee Hee!!!)

As we followed the trail around behind the falls,  there were lots of rocks to climb up --when headed up the hill on the other side.   This bowl in the gorge is truly an awesome place to visit.

Here's one final picture of Yahoo Falls---taken by George from the far side.   You can see the brink of the falls here.  When we hiked out---we crossed back over the creek at the brink.  We did not go back up all of those steps!!!!! ha ha

When we go back to Yahoo Falls,  hopefully there will be much more water coming over the falls.  We'll show you the difference then!!!!!!   BUT--as I have said,  this is a fabulous hike  (only about 1.5 miles total) into the gorge,  and we really do recommend it --any time of year, even if there's not much water at the falls.

I have mentioned that George and I have visited about 430 different waterfalls since 2001.  There are some huge ones like Niagara or even Cumberland Falls.  AND--there are the small ones like Yahoo --where the setting is phenomenal.  Do we have favorites???  Probably not--since all are unique and gorgeous--each in its own way!

Hugs,

On another note,  my wonderful friend RUTH lost her husband yesterday.   Jake lost his battle with cancer.   Ruth and Jake have been great friends of George and me --and we are grieving so much at his loss.  May God bless Ruth and the family during this time of sorrow.  IF you have time,  stop by Ruth's blog  (click on her name above) and send some of your love to her.  Thank You.

Yahoo Falls Hike, Kentucky--Part I

After leaving Cumberland Gap and Cumberland Falls,  while on our way home,  we stopped for a nice hike at one of our favorite places,  Yahoo Falls (not far from Whitley City, KY).  This is in the Big South Fork National Recreation Area.

We have been here several times --at different times of the year.  We knew that, due to the drought this year,  there wouldn't be much water coming over the falls.. But--the hike to the falls and the area itself is fabulous --as you will see from our pictures.

The above picture shows the trail which leads us by some huge rock croppings as we go down into the gorge.  All of these pictures were taken on September 25, 2010.  Below are more.

There are two ways to hike into the gorge... You can do what we did (see picture above) by going down the steps they have built.   OR--you can go around the gorge and enter on the other side...  We chose to go down the steps ---and then we hiked back out by going around the other way.  There is an arch you can also hike to --but we didn't do that this time.

Look at some of the huge rocks and boulders in this area...  This is a fabulous hike even in the hot summer --since you can cool off in this shady, secluded area.  There are rocks to sit on along the way---so that you can take in the beauty all around you.

Here's another picture of the trail we hiked... Since it was September,  there wasn't much Autumn color yet --but the ferns were still as green as can be!!!!!  It would be nice to see this area when the Fall colors are showing off!!!!

Of course, I had to sit and relax a bit also ---just wishing I could stay there  forever.. What a gorgeous place!!!!!

Finally,  here is one more picture of the trail we hiked.  The trail is in good shape --and really is a fun hike to take.  AND--if you are ever near Highway 27 in southern Kentucky,  this hike is not far from there...  We highly recommend it.

Tomorrow,  I'll show you the waterfall itself --and the big bowl surrounding it.

Have a wonderful day!
Hugs,