I did this hike on April 9th, 2022 with several friends, and a second time on Saturday, March 7th with my mom. The first time I went, we hiked about 2 miles in, camped right at the trail intersection, and then hiked to the falls the next morning. We were all surprised to see some light snow coming down! The second time, a constant threat of tornado warnings drove my mom and I to the Pine Valley Motel in Spruce Pine.

Pictures from the first time:

Pictures from the second visit:

One thing I was shocked about: not many other people have been at the base of the falls with me both times I've gone. The first time I went, there was no one besides my group of friends. The second time, we saw one other group that had hiked up the river rather than the trail, and several larger groups along the way.