This Land, Your Land

Work to enhance safety at Dry Falls will close the Nantahala National Forest site's namesake trail and parking lot this spring and summer, the USDA Forest Service said today.

Dry Falls is a 75-foot roadside cascade on U.S. 64 in the Cullasaja Gorge between Cullasaja Falls and Bridal Veil Falls near Highlands. A wide, easy trail allows visitors to walk behind Dry Falls.

The $466,000 project will reconstruct and replace the entire walking path. The work will remove tripping hazards and protect water quality through drainage control measures, a news release says.

Nantahala District Ranger Mike Wilkins said this is the first major work on the Dry Falls trail in more than 30 years.

The construction project, which is funded by Federal Highways Grant of $208,000 and matching agency funds of $258,000, is to begin in early April and conclude by September.

The parking lot at Dry Falls was resurfaced in 2008, work that also required closing the site for several weeks during the season.