Kevin Adams North Carolina Waterfall Challenges
Up for a challenge?
If you’re like many waterfallers, you like to keep a list of waterfalls visited and you’re always looking for new ones to add to the list. These challenges will hopefully add a little more fun in your pursuit and give you a reward for reaching the various goals. There are four different waterfall challenges, all of them included on the same worksheet.
100 Disabled-Access North Carolina Waterfalls Challenge
100 North Carolina Waterfalls Challenge
250 North Carolina Waterfalls Challenge
500 North Carolina Waterfalls Challenge
All of the challenges comprise waterfalls that are on public land or those on private land that are accessible to the public. Nearly all the waterfalls are included in my North Carolina Waterfalls book. The lists include the corresponding page numbers from the book to help you visit the falls. Many of them are also included on this website, and those that are have links. The lists also include the general location for each falls (Hub), and the trail length and difficulty ratings for some of them.
The 100 Disabled-Access North Carolina Waterfalls Challenge contains waterfalls that are visible from a road or that require short, easy walks. Persons in wheelchairs should be able to experience most of these waterfalls, while those who can walk with limited mobility will able to see all of them. Some of the waterfalls are spectacular, among the finest in the state. But several of them aren’t much to get excited about. Some will be very hard to see in summer and the creeks may dry to a trickle. Some are distant views, with the waterfall not showing up well. However, I wanted to include 100 waterfalls to make this a worthy challenge for those who aren’t able to make difficult hikes to see waterfalls. Coming up with 100 waterfalls that are extremely easy to see required adding some less-than-ideal falls to the list.
The 100 North Carolina Waterfalls Challenge is my cherry-picked list of some of the best waterfalls in the state. It includes difficult hikes and easy hikes, but all of the waterfalls are notable. The list does not include some of the most difficult waterfall hikes, nor any waterfalls that are on the 100 Disabled-Access North Carolina Waterfalls Challenge.
The 250 North Carolina Waterfalls Challenge includes all of the waterfalls from the 100 challenge, plus 150 additional falls. Some of these additional ones are among the most difficult hikes you could make.
The 500 North Carolina Waterfalls Challenge includes all the falls from the other three challenges, along with 150 additional falls. In order to come up with 500 North Carolina waterfalls that are accessible to the public, I had to include some falls that certainly won’t make anyone’s top 10 list, but all waterfalls have some redeeming quality.
Challenge Rules
The rules are simple. You have to see the waterfall with your own eyes, from ground level. Viewing from an airplane doesn’t count. You can view from up close or a distance as long as you are reasonably close. (Viewing Windy Falls from Narrow Rock Ridge doesn’t count, for example.) It’s perfectly okay to cross a falls off the list if you’ve already visited it before you start the challenge. Some waterfalls are difficult to reach and conditions may not be safe enough for you to get a close view. As long as you can see the waterfall, you can cross it off the list. The list contains a space for the date on which you viewed the falls. If you can’t remember the exact date, just get it as close as you can. You can enter just the year if you like.
Challenge Completion and Recognition
Once you’ve completed a challenge and entered the dates visited, send a copy to me. You can send the file via email to kevin@kadamsphoto.com or print it out and mail it to 283 Inman Branch Road, Waynesville, NC 28786. Be sure to include your name as you want it presented and the date you completed the challenge. I will send you a signed certificate recognizing your accomplishment. Your name will also be included on this page as a challenge completer, along with the date you completed it.
Rumor has it that challenge stickers are in the works for those who complete a challenge. If that comes to fruition, I will mail stickers to everyone who has already completed a challenge, as well for anyone in the future.
Challenge Upkeep
Access to the North Carolina waterfalls is dynamic. I’ve already had to make several changes to the challenges and the need will continue. I’m also hoping one day to have all the waterfalls on the challenges included on my website so you’ll have an electronic version of all the info you need for visiting them. That will take some time and will be done incrementally. If I have to replace a waterfall from a challenge, I will list the info here and will announce it on my Waterfalls with Kevin Adams Facebook page.
But I’ve already crossed that waterfall off the list!
No worries. If you crossed a waterfall off of a list that I’ve updated and the new list doesn’t include that falls, you can choose any waterfall from the new list and cross it off. Just write in the waterfall you visited from the old list.
Challenge Completers
100 Disabled-Access Challenge
02/24/2019 Justin Hopkins
10/12/2019 Chris Armenti
11/13/2019 Stephanie Leigh
01/30/2020 Glenn Benton
06/11/2020 Jennifer Griffith-Johnson
08/05/2021 Anna Hall
09/19/2021 Aby Parsons
09/19/2021 Amanda Adams
11/20/2021 Charles Bennett
02/05/2022 Wally Storey
09/17/2022 Ira Fowler
11/12/2022 Lisa Wancheck
06/29/2023 Judah Bennett
06/29/2023 Levi Bennett
100 Waterfall Challenge
08/05/2016 Casey Marcum
09/29/2016 Tim Holtzclaw
10/08/2016 Justin Paul
10/21/2016 Amanda Paul
05/30/2019 Justin Hopkins
06/22/2019 Chris Armenti
07/25/2019 Jack Fitzgerald
09/01/2019 Stephanie Leigh
10/15/2019 Gina Alberti
10/26/2019 Jason Tarr
11/08/2019 Wally Storey
06/04/2020 Jennifer Griffith-Johnson
06/20/2020 Glenn Benton
07/09/2020 Hunter Goosmann
05/02/2021 Ira Fowler
08/05/2021 Anna Hall
09/19/2021 Aby Parsons
09/19/2021 Amanda Adams
10/23/2021 Stephen McNierney
11/20/2021 Charles Bennett
11/22/2021 Katie Cheatham
12/05/2021 Patricia Adams
11/12/2022 Lisa Wancheck
06/29/2023 Judah Bennett
06/29/2023 Levi Bennett
250 Waterfall Challenge
05/11/2019 Casey Marcum
05/30/2019 Justin Paul
10/12/2019 Chris Armenti
05/24/2020 Stephanie Leigh
06/26/2020 Jennifer Griffith-Johnson
07/03/2020 Glenn Benton
08/05/2021 Anna Hall
09/19/2021 Aby Parsons
09/19/2021 Amanda Adams
11/20/2021 Charles Bennett
11/12/2022 Ira Fowler
11/12/2022 Lisa Wancheck
06/29/2023 Judah Bennett
06/29/2023 Levi Bennett
500 Waterfall Challenge
05/30/2019 Justin Hopkins
10/12/2019 Chris Armenti
05/30/2020 Stephanie Leigh
06/26/2020 Jennifer Griffith-Johnson
07/11/2020 Glenn Benton
08/05/2021 Anna Hall
09/19/2021 Aby Parsons
09/19/2021 Amanda Adams
11/20/2021 Charles Bennett
11/12/2022 Ira Fowler
11/12/2022 Lisa Wancheck
06/29/2023 Judah Bennett
06/29/2023 Levi Bennett