I have hiked this trail twice; the first time was on Saturday, July 11th, 2020 with my father, and the second was on June 8th, 2021 with my brother.

The Little Bradley Falls trail was a short (2-miles round trip) and fairly popular trail in the Green River Game Lands, along the border of Polk and Henderson counties. The trail is fairly poorly marked and somewhat difficult to navigate, with over a dozen fallen trees over the trail, the trail nearly washed out in several places, and three major stream crossings.

Find the trail by turning off I-26/US 74 onto Holbert Cove Rd (NC 1142). After driving on NC 1142 for 3.1 miles, the road will cross a stream and come upon a gravel parking area which flanks both sides of the road. There will be two clear (but unmarked) trails in this area; the Little Bradley Falls trail is on your right if you are coming from the West (from I-26/US 74), on the side without the wooden map marker.

To take the trail to the falls, follow the red blaze. Make sure to stay left at the start and not take the lower branch which acts as easy access to Cove Creek. The trail starts with a steep ascent but levels out after not too long.

Make sure to keep your eyes open and follow the trail; after about a mile of hiking, you'll come across a make-shift campground right by the creek. If you follow a fairly well-trodden trail (like my father and I and about a half-dozen other unfortunate hikers) it eventually reaches a sign which informs the hikers that they are entering private property. Instead, go through the campground and cross the river for the first time this hike. It is possible to do this water crossing (and all others on the trail) without taking your shoes off and getting your feet wet, but it does take a bit of creative looking.

After this creek crossing, the trail essentially follows the river for the remainder of the hike. After a second creek crossing, you'll have to scale across a small rockslide-like area; at that point, you're close to the falls. After a third very-minor water crossing, you'll come upon a side-trail which takes you to a small stone bench and an old chimney, the remains of an old house in the area. Turn to your right and you'll come right upon the waterfall.

Once you've reached the falls, there is a very steep and treacherous trail which you can take to access the top of the falls. To get this, go along the right side of the falls to a very steep dirt trail with lots of exposed roots. Climb it for a while (being careful not to grab any dead or loose limbs) you should reach an even steeper section with a rope. When I was last there, the rope was secure to climb, but use it at your own caution. The ascent is possible without the rope, but slightly more difficult. This gives you a small bed to swim at the middle of the three tiers of the falls and allows you to douse yourself under the power of the water, but does not afford any spectacular views; see the picture below.

For a map of the trail click here.

Browse through other pictures from the trail by clicking here.