A Yule Hike To Pete's Branch Falls For The Rest Of Us On Festivus

Well, it is the Yuletide, and what better way to celebrate a part of it Thursday with a hike to Pete's Branch Falls for Festivus.

This hike wasn't new as this was my fifth time starting from Horse Creek Recreation Area and then heading into the Cherokee National Forest. My most recent trip was Halloween of 2020, but I went past the side trail to the falls this past November. So, I am not going to do a detailed description of this 3.8-mile hike, see this blog for that. 

Nov. 2017 (TL), April, 2019 (ML), Nov. 2017 (BL) & Halloween '20 (R)

My November hike

Starting the day at the Horse Creek Trailhead

On this day the water flow was good which was a plus for the falls but made rock-hopping tricky. I also had to cut limbs off a blowdown so I could get past. While it was chilly on Thursday the lack of consistent cold left the falls free of ice. Two other things, first the overlook pier near the trailhead was closed. Hopefully, it will be repaired in the near future. Second, Santa Russ wasn't happy having to haul out trash. This is my "Airing of Grievances"...oh, I did inform the Krampus.

But the hike to Pete's Branch Falls wasn't all the hiking I did on this day. I decided to do the one path at the recreation area I haven't done, the Horse Creek Recreation Trail. It starts at the picnic area near the trailhead parking and weaves almost a half-mile (one-way) including skirting the campground, crossing three footbridges (including a covered one) to a dam and swimming hole. The trail is relatively flat and mostly paved. It was a nice finish to a day of hiking that Pete and the rest of us loved...

More Photos: SmugMug & Google

Pete's Branch Falls Sees The Return Of The Halloween Hike...The 6th Edition

Halloween means many things to me, sitting by the fire, horror movies, and hiking. Last year because of weather and being under it I didn't get out, but this year the tradition returned with the sixth annual edition. So, where to go? I thought about Margarette Falls which had been three of the previous five, but I was there back in August. So, I decided to throw Pete a carrot and go to a favorite of his... Pete's Branch Falls.

This 45-foot cascade is reached from the Horse Creek Recreation Area Trailhead. I had done this four-mile hike on three occasions with the last almost a year ago in November (in the snow). 

One thing I noticed when I arrived at Horse Creek was there was new signage had been installed since my last visit in July. Now on the trail much had not changed, until you reach the Pete's Branch Falls Trail. It had received new blue blazes, like the ones at Margarette Falls. Even though past peak there were still some lingering fall colors to enjoy.

One more point of interest on the way back I met a group of people and llamas. They were on a hike with the Wandering Llamas out of Greeneville. They had an eclectic group...of llamas. Some were even from LeConte Lodge llamas, it looks like their life is much easier now. Once past them, it was one last creek crossing and I was back at the trailhead  Well, it was good to get the tradition of the Haloween Hike at Pete's Branch Falls.