Winter is a great time to see waterfalls

Roaring Fork roared, spitted and sputtered.

This collection of tiny falls splashed against moss-covered boulders planted at the stone steps of the Stone Mountain Trail.

“Wow!“ I said to myself. “This looks just like the pictures.“

Oh, I had seen photos of the Roaring Branch when the water was running in Wise County, Va. But finally, on this cold winter’s day, I had found this waterfall between Appalachia and Big Stone Gap in all its glory.

And, quite simply, I wanted more.

I figured 2009’s above-average amount of rainfall and snow had brought the Roaring Fork to a roar.

So, I journeyed further to feast my eyes on Phillips Creek, a place near Pound, Va., where I had twice gone to find a waterfall – and I had only seen a trickle both times.

Trouble was, the Phillips Creek Recreation Area in the Jefferson National Forest is closed during winter. So that means you must park at the gate and walk an extra mile even before reaching the mile-long Phillips Creek Loop Trail.

“But, oh, it’s pouring all kinds of water,“ said a man on horseback, passing me as I strode along the rock-strewn trail.

Moments later, I found it for myself – a gusher!

I had once thought this waterfall was broken, like a boulder had cut off the water flow. But now, it seemed, I had only come at the wrong time of year.

The dead of winter, you see, might just be the best time to see waterfalls.

Case in point: the roadside delight of the Falls of Logan Creek, just off State Route 80, between Lindell and Hayter’s Gap in Washington County, Va.

Here, Logan Creek tumbles down a 35-foot-high cliff, just before reaching the North Fork of the Holston River. Only, this time of year, you’ll see a bonus – giant ice – among the partially frozen falls.

Nearby, in Shortsville, you can also search for the tiny Maiden Creek Falls, an 8-foot-high drop lying on the outskirts of both Abingdon and Meadowview.

In January, on the same day I climbed over a guardrail to see Logan Creek, I finally found enough water on Maiden Creek to make a picture.

Yet, by now, I was addicted. I just couldn’t stop chasing waterfalls.

So Saturday, as I edged along the North Carolina-Tennessee border, I found Elk River Falls while traveling along U.S. 19-E near Roan Mountain, N.C.

Here, you can follow signs down a maze of back roads, ultimately reaching a gravel drive in the Pisgah National Forest. Next, it is hardly a half-mile hike to this stream of water, falling off a cliff.

Elk River Falls roared.

And, like Logan Creek, it produced a true winter treat – ice all around its edges.

JOE TENNIS is a features writer for the Herald Courier. He may be reached at (276) 791-0704 or .