Lowry Falls with Grandkids

Catesbys Trillium at Lowry Falls trail

Lowry Falls  with Grandkids

Saturday April 4, 2020

Crystal, Michael and Tessa Lindsey

Nanny Dana Koogler

Lowry Falls on Tennessee Landforms 

   Since the Rona hit we've been getting out doing family hikes.  Kenny had to work on Saturday so my daughter and grandkids by her... went hiking in the Cherokee National Forest in Polk County.     We had the jeep loaded down with a donation for Miracle Lake, but we managed to squeeze our hiking stuff in there too.    We stopped by Miracle Lake to leave those things and then continued down to Reliance from Etowah.    

      Crystal was driving and I was navigating in my jeep.

We found the parking spot and grabbed our gear to hike.    The corona virus has made things very unhandy.   Bathrooms at Quinn Springs were closed. I should have insisted we all use the bathroom at Miracle Lake before we continued.

We later found that all the picnic areas were off limits which was another inconvenience.   

    We started off up the trail and the kids liked it right away.  Lowry Falls trail 

is pretty and you have cascades to see all the way up the mountain.   

 Michael and Tessa

     We kept going up the mountain.  It was kinda steep so I didn't know how the kids would take it. Especially Tessa.  They were troopers! I was very proud of all of them. It is a steep hike, but not terribly long. 

 Crystal watches the kids

 Tessa and Michael playing

 The bottom part of this cascade goes over some rock with interesting markings!

 Some of the falls are not easy to see at this water level.  Brush in the way, but too slick and the water is moving too fast to step out onto the rocks safely.

 This cascade is easier to get up close and personal with for a clearer view

 Interesting rock formations with stacked looking layers of stone.

Catesby's Trillium with a pink tint to it.

 Most of the Spring wildflowers were already finished. We saw a few things.  It was odd. Some were already done. Other things I expected to see had not yet bloomed!  We went on up and decided to try to see Left Prong Falls.  I hoped I'd remember how to locate it.  I need not have worried. My family brought me the best of mojo.   Not only did we find it, but we found it much much easier and simpler this time!    We went on up the stream 50 feet further than we tried to ford last time.   The stream is shallow enough to rock hop. The kids were wearing sneakers so I carried Tessa on my back.   Michael used my poles to rock hop successfully.  We all made it across.  We picked up a manway that led us in a gentle curve around the ridge to Left Prong Falls with ease.   The kids liked it and played around in the shallow flat creek above the falls. I made them stay safely back from the brink.  

 Left Prong Falls

 Pretty weather today and blue skies!

Dwarf crested iris blooming up near Left Prong Falls

     We tackled this hike with a lot of gusto.   The hike back was simple.  No one got hurt.  We stopped at the jeep and piled in.  We went to try to find a picnic spot without any luck. We pulled over to the roadside and had a quick bite before heading home.   It was a fun day despite many things being closed off.  I was grateful to be able to get out and hike.   We saw no other people today on the trail!

Below is a video of Lowry Falls