Besides feeling like a bad*@# because of hiking on a trail titled “Warwoman,” hikers can experience three distinct waterfalls on the Warwoman Dell trail. Just a hop, skip, and a jump from Highlands – down Scaly Mountain Road (Hwy. 106) and then a little beyond Clayton, Georgia – is a popular moderate meander that leads to Becky Branch, Martin Creek, and Warwoman Dell Falls.
Supposedly named for a tough Cherokee woman bold enough and respected enough to have the ears of chiefs and warriors when it came to tribal council war and peace talks, Warwoman Dell’s second-half meaning is “a valley among trees.” Thus, today’s outdoor enthusiasts can stroll through a valley of trees knowing that historically a confident woman may have trod there as well.
And then the bonuses.
Waterfalls can be enjoyed, no matter what time of year. Although swimming at the base of some of them is undesirable and ill-advised during the chilly and/or frigid days of late fall and winter, the pluses to seeing waterfalls in Western North Carolina are that trails leading to them are clear of yellowjackets, poison ivy, snakes, and spider webs.
Depending on energy level and time constraints, hikers can enjoy Becky Branch and Warwoman Dell Falls within a little over a mile hike – or they can hike around four miles, out and back, and add Martin Creek as well.
Starting point is at the Warwoman Dell Recreation Area. Plenty of picnic tables are available at this parking area, if hikers want to start out or end with a spread of food.
Becky Branch Falls, naming origins unknown, is considered a stairstep-type waterfall, with water spilling down 20 feet over a cascade of rocks and misting the air around it. Not all waterfalls pool at the bottom, but this one does somewhat.
Warwoman Dell Falls is actually a tributary of Becky Branch Falls. It is also a stairstep-type waterfall, but smaller, at 12 feet in height. It is listed as a low-flow waterfall.
Martin Creek Falls, naming information also unknown, located approximately two miles from the parking area, is a two-tier waterfall, meaning water flows down in a single swath and then separates into two flows halfway down. At 40 feet tall, it is referred to as a sheer drop waterfall and has a heavy flow. It has a larger pool at its base, making it a popular hot weather destination spot to cool off during summer hikes.
Paths to get to these waterfalls are well marked with yellow blazes and are wide and adequately maintained and cleared. Besides the awesome nature of falling water, which never ceases to delight, hikers will often find a plethora of varying shaped and hued mushrooms growing in moss, on logs, and among dead leaves and debris.
Also commonly viewed on this trail are the seed pods of Fraser’s magnolia, a magnificent tree that thrives in these woods. Its height and massive leaves, as well as reddish-fuchsia seed pods littering the ground, make it distinct among the oaks, maples, tulip poplars, and locust trees in abundance along the trail.
Plus, these trees are a popular nesting spot for flying squirrels – so look up.
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