Magnolia Falls Hike

I love chasing waterfalls. There’s something exciting about finding them for the first time. Well the first time for me, anyway. Granted many others have explored these lands long before I have. Still a great experience. Most of the time there’s a lot of bushwhacking involved in getting to these waterfalls.  However, some are easy to access with well-maintained trails. I prefer the challenge, so I purposely seek out waterfalls that involve a little more work than the average person wants to contribute.

Magnolia Falls is actually pretty easy to hike towards.  The three other waterfalls near it is where you find the challenge.

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I have recently stopped using GPS with my hiking. I have grown to love an old fashion map. So much of the adventure is lost with a GPS. TOPO maps with an X is all I want.  This hike was really more amazing because of the exploring. Yes, the waterfalls are breathtaking and worth the hike, but I keep thinking about the little things I noticed on the way. Wildlife, small springs, caves, and cool rock formations that look like a razorback. That’s the beautiful thing about exploring. You see so much more than the destination. 

Our hike was done on a cool winter day with strong winds from the north. The cold added more to the experience. The hike like I said to Magnolia Falls was simple. We followed an old road past some cool stone walls. Once we passed a small creek we found a small rock crane pointing to the path towards Magnolia Falls. These trails are not marked but seemed easy to find using Topo map and basic map reading skills. From this point, you have Magnolia Falls upstream and just down from there is Woods Boys. Great view of both! Magnolia is 26 feet tale and Woods Boys are 33 feet tall.

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Now to get to the bottom of Woods Boys, you have to head back to the old road you were following.  Keep on this road until it hugs a bluff on the left side.  Right after this, you will turn right on what looks like a game trail. Follow the bluff line all the way back to Woods Boys Falls. You will come across several things to look at. Many times the animal trail seems to disappear, so it can possibly become 100% bushwhacking.

After discovering Woods Boys Falls, you’ll want to head to the next waterfall, Stahl Falls.  Stahl Falls is easy to find from this point. However, expect more bushwhacking. Just cross the creek at Woods Boys and keep following the bluff line until you reach Stahl Falls. Stahl Falls is about 64 feet tall!

The last waterfall is probably the hardest to reach, Hadlock Cascade. I haven’t found an easy way to it. Hadlock Cascade is just downstream from Woods Boys. I would save this one for last. Head back from Stahl Falls to Woods Boys Falls. Now, you can go downstream here, but you will end up on top of the falls which is very slick and a good way to break something. I always follow the bluff line back out about 100 yards from Woods Boys and then make your way down a very steep muddy hill. There is no path and it is very steep and slick. David Hadlock fell in this area and died; hence, the name of the waterfall. With this said, I really don’t recommend it unless you are an experienced hiker. Even then, I wouldn’t do it alone. Once to the bottom of the hill and to the creek you might need to head back upstream just a little to reach Hadlock Cascade Falls which is about 27 feet.

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So the fun part is always heading out. Just climb back up the hill. Yes, it is a climb! Once to the top follow the bluff line back to the old road and then back to your car.

This hike is definitely not for everyone. Lots of hardwork was involved in finding these waterfalls. Remember always hike safe and smart! Never try anything outside of your experience level and try to hike with a friend for safety and support. Plus please pick up litter if you find any.