Monday, April 29, 2013

Machine Falls

We are very lucky to live in an area filled with scenic beauty.  A couple of weeks ago, Vol Fan, Dopey, and I took advantage of that fact and went for a hike at Short Springs State Natural Area.  (For a nice trail map, click this link.)

It is a state protected area mainly due to the abundance of wildflowers (including a couple that are on the endangered list) that bloom each spring.  We happened to pick prime wildflower season for our hike.  Spring is also a great time to visit due to the fact that the wet weather has all the waterfalls and seeps flowing like crazy.

We chose to hike the loops to Machine Falls and Adams Falls - a total of about 3 miles.

Machine Falls is the star of the area.  The falls are about 50' tall and require some rock-hopping up the creek to reach them.  Trekking poles are of great assistance on this section of trail.  But the view is well worth the trouble.

We also took the loop to Adams Falls.  It is a unique falls.  Once the creek plunges over the first rock ledge, it disappears into an underground cave.  It reappears further down and to the side of the cliff face.



If you have a couple of hours, this is a great place to explore.

3 comments:

Mental P Mama said...

Beautiful! Wanna go to the Rush concert on Wednesday??

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Neat neat area... I want to go back sometime. We have seen Machine Falls--but not Adams (named after George of course).... ha ha.. Interesting how it disappears into a cave...

Bet the wildflowers were gorgeous also...

Can you believe the amount of rain we had this weekend? One forecast said 6 inches.... GADS!!!

Hugs,
Betsy

George said...

We've hiked to Machine Falls, but we haven't been to Adams Falls. You would think we would get there since it shares our name.