Parc d'État de Gorges - Sapphire, North Carolina

R Libal

Gorges State Park is certainly worth a visit. Beautiful waterfalls and a great place for a walk or hike. A word of caution ... the hike to the river and back is very challenging. Do not under estimate the difficulty and be prepared. To make the full hike a permit and training class is required. Take more water than you think you need, be prepared to get wet crossing the river, allow at least four hours for the trip and wear sturdy shoes with good grips. If you decide to visit the river be sure to enjoy sliding rock and pack a pair of light weight gloves if you decide to return to the rim via the steep, dry trail. Be safe and enjoy the beauty.

Alex Bennett

The visitors center has clean restrooms, educational displays, and a gift shop. As far as the state park goes, it's free to enter and "closes" at 10pm unless you're camping, but the trails "close" at 9:30pm. I hiked the Rainbow Falls, Turtleback Falls, and Drift Falls Trail totaling 4.5 miles taking me 1 hour and 32 minutes. All photos are from this trail and visitors center. There were many people swimming at Rainbow Falls as there's a nice pool under the fall. I saw people of all ages hiking the trail, though it was mostly younger people swimming as the trail down to the fall is quite steep.

JD Winchell

Beautiful visitor center and gift shop. Clean restrooms!. We skipped the video(s) but loved the educational displays. Really glad we drove to the trail heads because the hikes were tough on the calves for out of shape seniors, but worth the journeys. We love seeing the variety of foliage and floral. This is a very relaxing visit for us, except for the optional hiking which we also enjoyed.

Chaz Parks

I didn’t even mean to go here. I was traveling down to Whitewater Falls and stumbled across the entrance to Gorges State Park. What a great accident it was! I was able to find some of the most incredible waterfalls I have ever seen and explore a good bit of this park. I had a great time going to the visitors center, which is state of the art and very well put together for families and kids. I explored all through the campground for a future trip with my family and it was so beautiful! I ended up driving down to the rainbow Falls trailhead and trail ran all the way down and up to the waterfall. Rainbow Falls was super incredible! Next time I go, I’m for sure taking my river shoes and my swimming shorts. I didn’t have enough time here and was yearning to stay longer, but I headed on over to Highlands North Carolina to have my mind blown even more at Dry Falls. Highly recommend you go check that out too! I never even made it to Whitewater Falls lol. Definitely coming back for that one too!

Denise Anderson

Amazing place and it's free! Beautiful visitor center that has friendly and helpful people working there. Pretty to drive through, picnic, hike, etc. Different hiking trails for all skill levels. Campsites and restrooms available.

Xavier K

Another hike along one of North Carolina's falls trails turned out to be incredibly memorable. This particular trail, although relatively short, offered a rewarding experience with its series of stunning waterfalls and scenic views. The route was popular among hikers, evident from the steady foot traffic along the path. Despite the popularity, the natural beauty made it a journey worth taking. Our hike covered a distance of less than 5 miles round trip, making it accessible yet packed with sights to see. During this brief but eventful hike, we were able to visit several remarkable waterfalls, each with its own unique charm. The falls we encountered included Stairway Falls, Hidden Falls, Rainbow Falls, and Turtleback Falls.

The highlight of today's hike was undoubtedly Rainbow Falls. The sheer size and power of the waterfall were awe-inspiring, and as its name suggests, the mist created by the cascading water often forms beautiful rainbows when the sunlight hits just right. Standing before Rainbow Falls, feeling the mist on our faces, and seeing the vibrant arcs of color was a truly magical experience.
While Rainbow Falls stole the show in terms of natural wonder, Turtleback Falls was the crowd favorite. This waterfall is well-known for its natural rock slide, which attracts thrill-seekers of all ages. We saw many people enjoying themselves, sliding down the smooth rock surface into the pool below. The atmosphere at Turtleback Falls was lively and fun, filled with the sounds of laughter and splashing water. Although we didn't try the water slide this time, watching others have a blast was entertaining in itself.

Overall, the hike was a perfect combination of manageable distance and breathtaking scenery. It offered a great way to experience multiple waterfalls without the need for a long or strenuous trek. Whether you’re there for the sights, the thrill of sliding down a waterfall, or simply to enjoy the serenity of nature, this North Carolina falls trail delivers a memorable experience for everyone. I’m looking forward to exploring more trails like this in the future.

Jessica Bartels

The visitors center at Gorges State Park was nice. Our boys enjoyed looking at the information in the museum that connects to the gift shop. There was interactive learning games for them to play. The outdoor porch area was beautiful and there were picnic tables for you to relax and have a packed lunch. We headed off to Rainbow Falls & turtle back Falls after our visit. Trailhead for both falls start in Gorges State Park but the path to then go outside of Gorges State Park. Trail were well marked path leading to the falls. It’s a 1.5 mile hike in to Rainbow falls and it has a lot of elevation change but it’s WORTH the hike in. Our family of 4 took us about 35 mins to get in and we swam at the pool at the bottom of the falls for 2 hours it was gorgeous and refreshing, and gave us enough energy to hike back, we went on a Saturday and up until 2PM there were not many people. There were several people climbing a steep rock to jump off. We watched but did not jump….it did not look safe especially the climb up holding on the vines and tree limbs. Walking down to the pool you can feel the cool mist blowing off falls…IT was amazing! We hike in 0.5 to turtle back but only snapped a pic & headed back to the car, it took us more like 45 mins to get back we were just tired and took more breaks. Plan to relax and swim it’s so refreshing and peaceful!

K. Farrah

Absolutely lovely! We enjoyed a nice hike to Rainbow Falls. The hike was a bit tough, but worth it. The visitor's center was beautiful and new. The people were extra friendly and super helpful!!