White Oak Creek

The majority of this hike is along a developed ATV trail, with pretty minimal elevation change. At the trailhead, off of Barnes Road, there is a small clearing that is large enough for a few vehicles to park.  

The two smaller waterfalls that we visited had very little flow, likely due to being mostly frozen. At the first drainage that flows across the trail, you can hear and see the home of Naziah Falls. A short bushwhack will lead you to the base of this cute little area. 

After returning to the original ATV trail, the next drainage will lead to two more waterfalls. If you trek upstream, you will find Birthday Falls. We decided to save this waterfall for a different day, however, we did follow the stream down to another small waterfall called Sloth's Grotto. This grotto provided the perfect opportunity to walk in behind the waterfall and capture some great images of the massive icicles.  

Continuing on the ATV trail will lead to a creek crossing and the top of White Oak Creek Falls. The roar of this waterfall can be heard from quite a ways away. Before descending to the base of the falls, we hiked upstream and viewed a few small cascades. This creek bottom was mainly flat, large slates of shale and very shallow, which was a bonus because the banks were slick.

Across the creek, there is a smaller hiking trail that lead down to the base of White Oak Creek Falls. This was the steepest and most difficult piece of the hike. Again, due to the slick banks, we ended up walking in the creek for quite a ways to access the base of the falls. The tricky walk was so worth it!

Just downstream from White Oak Creek Falls is Little Spout Falls and Cascades. I left Thomas to dry his socks back on the main trail, and visited the top of Little Spout. I felt like it was too icy and slippery to try to hike down to the base, so I did not get the best viewing angle.

Overall, this was such an impressive, easy-lightly moderate hike. The ice made for a unique experience, and we ended the afternoon with a stop at Pig Trail Falls and sandwiches at the Turner Bend Store.

• February 21st, 2023