Known as one of the highest waterfalls in the Eastern United States, Whitewater draws some 80,000 visitors a year. The Foothills Trail continues from this point down to the river.ĭeaths: Numerous, including 13 since 1995. Hike: Quarter-mile, uphill climb on a paved path to a viewing area, then a 150-step staircase down to a second viewing platform.
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281 near Lake Cashiers, Jackson County in the Nantahala Ranger District of Nantahala National Forest “We’re relying now on education, letting folks know the number of injuries, hazards, building staircases.” “We don’t have the personnel to enforce closures, and the restrict somebody’s ability to fish and ability to hunt and to do a lot of the things we encourage on the national forests,” he said. Until then, Larson said, area closures are challenging for the Forest Service. North Carolina State Parks has also recently launched a waterfall safety website, in words and pictures admonishing people not to take unsafe selfies, to stay off rocks, “make wonderful waterfall memories and be responsible.”Ī second phase is planned, when money becomes available, to build another viewing platform at the Upper Falls. A more formalized uniformed presence is also being discussed. Gorges State Parks has a naturalist who leads occasional hikes to the waterfalls and will sometimes linger at the falls to give “pop-up” safety programs. Entering the river anywhere upstream of this point can be fatal.”Ĭasey said the safety team is looking at 12 waterfalls on the Pisgah District as well as Looking Glass Rock and John Rock to create a “more structured plan on waterfall safety” and more changes are expected. The sign says in part: “Many People Have Died from being swept over Rainbow Falls. While people have fallen to their deaths from the top of Elk River, the two deaths this year happened in the plunge pool, which can be just as dangerous as the brink because of hidden underwater hazards, such as logs and large tangles of fishing line, strong currents and hydraulics that can suck in and hold down even the best swimmers.įorest Service personnel made some safety improvements July 11, including felling dead or dying trees across the opening at the top of Rainbow Falls to deter people from entering and placing a site-specific warning sign at this natural “pinch point,” after visitors have seen Rainbow Falls and right before they approach the top of the waterfall. “I understand you’re messing with the beauty of nature when you start to put up barriers, but it might help,” she said. Lowe said she thought the warning signs were “well placed,” but she said the Forest Service probably needs to add more signs, or a barrier, telling people where they shouldn’t take one step further, which she said might deter people from getting too close to the edge or from jumping off the top of the falls. RELATED: Waterfall rescues on the rise across Western North Carolina Thornburgh said after speaking with local emergency rescue departments, he believes the number of deaths at the falls might be as high as 25 in the past two decades. She was pulled out by people she was with and appeared to be fine. When viewing that area from above the falls, screams pierced the air as a young woman slipped into the water from almost the exact same spot. Thornburgh, who does not normally patrol the area, which is about two hours from his office in Mars Hill, was showing the Citizen Times where McCardle went in the water – a seemingly harmless spot on a rock below the falls.
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MORE: Body of Elk River drowning victim recovered The dangerously high waters prevented rescuers from retrieving the body for 10 days. On May 20, Thomas McCardle Jr., 26, of Martins Ferry, Ohio, was wading at the base of Elk River Falls, according to Avery County Sheriff Kevin Fry, when he is believed to have slid off a rock before and was dragged under water by strong currents due to recent heavy rain. Forest Service, said he jumped from a ledge only 3-4 feet above the pool, but was pulled under by the strong current and drowned after being tangled in fishing line. On July 1, 32-year-old Nagarjuna Gogineni, of Charlotte, died after jumping from rocks at the base of the popular recreation area in Pisgah National Forest.Ĭathy Dowd, spokeswoman for the U.S.