This Land, Your Land

The annual Tour de Falls at DuPont State Forest, a 12-mile shuttle bus tour of the forest's four most scenic sites, is this weekend, May 6 and 7.

Buses will leave the parking area approximately every 40 minutes from 9 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday to visit Triple Falls, High Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, and Lake Julia.

Triple Falls - Click on the photo for more information about DuPont State Forest.

Because the buses run continuously, visitors can get off and explore each area. The Friends of DuPont State Forest, the tour sponsors, estimate three hours of more to complete the circuit.

The tour starts at the parking lot at 1300 Staton Road (N35E.11.356', W082E.37.425') in Cedar Mountain, which is just up the road from the High Falls access area. DuPont State Forest straddles the border of Henderson and Transylvania counties in southwestern North Carolina.

Bring your own food and water; the 10,400-acre forest has no facilities. Light refreshments will be available in the rustic lodge overlooking Lake Julia, which is the last stop on the tour.

The tour is free, but a $10 donation is requested.

Donations to the nonprofit Friends of DuPont Forest "are used to finance construction projects such as the shelters and picnic tables at High and Triple Falls, to maintain the 90 miles of trails, and to support research and educational projects focused on historical and natural resources with DuPont State Forest," the group says.