A few weeks ago, a waterfaller friend Aby reached out to ask me to hike with her this weekend. Aby is one of the first people I connected with in the early days of my waterfall quest. Back then, she was only about halfway finished with the 500 waterfall challenge. Today, she’s completed the challenge, but she is willing to rehike a couple of waterfalls with me so that I can check them off. I invited our favorite Fearless Leader and her pup Leap, and our destination is High Falls of the Thompson River.
The Thompson is a lot of waterfaller’s favorite river. There are several extremely impressive waterfalls along this river, most of which are further away than we are planning to hike today. We only plan to visit two waterfalls on this trip: High Falls on the Thompson River, and Reid Branch Falls, which is off a small stream feeding into the Thompson.
High Falls, Thompson River
The three of us, and two dogs, meet at the trailhead around 10am. I’m sure the other two in my party would have preferred an earlier start, but I worked a 13 hour shift last night in the ER and didn’t get home until 1:30am. My long hours and late bedtime weren’t very conducive to an early morning for me. We strike out, enjoying conversation along the way. This trail isn’t marked in any way, but it is obvious and easy enough to follow. Much of this hike is along a gentle grade and it feels like we reach High Falls quickly. I’ve seen photographs of this waterfall, and none of them do it justice. It’s absolutely spectacular, and the setting, with a cold, clear plunge pool and surrounded by cliffs, is a marvel. We all wade across the river for a better view and enjoy a few serene moments on the sandbar on river right before moving along to our next destination.
Reid Branch Falls
Reid Branch Falls is located on a short spur along the route to High Falls. We decide to hit it on the way back to ensure that we had enough time since Aby was on a time crunch to get back home. We end up having plenty of time so we decide to scramble down to it. Again, this isn’t a marked or maintained trail but it sees enough use that it is easy to follow, even if it is muddy and there are areas where you have to climb through and over tangles of rhododendron and downed trees.
Reid Branch is not nearly as impressive as High Falls, but I enjoy the setting nonetheless. It has multiple small spills that flow over green moss like a veil, and would likely be really pretty if the stream were a bit larger or perhaps had a bit more flow.
Coyote Falls
Once back at the trailhead, Aby bids us farewell to head back to Atlanta and FL and I decide to hit one more waterfall on our way home: Coyote Falls. The trailhead is only a short distance away from where we parked to access the first two falls so we drive over. Coyote Falls is, again, not on a marked trail. The trail sees a fair amount of use, however, and is well traveled. We see a couple of other people at the trailhead and along the trail but it is not crowded.
Once we reach the falls, I am honestly once again surprised by how impressive it is! This is a waterfall I’ve driven past a dozen times. For a long time I had no idea it was here, and once I knew about it I just never made time to stop. Big mistake, because this is one of the prettiest waterfalls/settings in this area, in my opinion.
GPS Tracks and Stats:
Still She Roams 
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