Wayfaring Wanderer

Lower Cascades Falls

In a span of just 3 hours Cody and I managed to squeeze in an entire days worth of outdoor activities. For starters the plan was to leave no later than 10:00 but we got sidetracked of course and didn't end up leaving until 11:30, and as I mentioned in a previous post it took us 2 hours total to get there. Once we got into the park we were hoping to find some food available but much to our dismay there was no food in sight. After speaking with the most unhelpful visitor center attendant ever we finally got it out of her that there was a restaurant just 5 minutes away, knowing that there were copious amounts of hiking to be done it was imperative to get some food beforehand. Thankfully, we found a little diner which screamed the fact that it was a place where locals frequented. After filling our empty bellies and studying the trail map we were headed back to Hanging Rock State Park. The first trail we took was to Lower Cascades Fall which was the waterfall I originally spotted in a photography book. I'm sure Cody got sick of me saying how cool it was that we were actually there in the flesh, finally. This by far was the most brilliant waterfall we encountered out of the four we visited while at the park. I was definitely pleased that we chose to see that one first so we weren't rushed; I was able to take my time and as a result fired off about 20 frames. I know that this photo can not succeed in portraying how incredible this little alcove really was but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless.*In the very recent past you would have had to maneuver a steep and somewhat rugged climb down but they have since completed a project which allows just about everyone to gain access with little to no problems. It starts out with a wooden boardwalk complete with stairs which make the descent a whole lot more gradual than it would be otherwise, and turns into stairs composed of rocks as you see above.

Hanging Rock State Park
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