Otter Falls Trail

Great for a short hike to a beautiful small water fall. There is some rough areas with rocks and roots and uphill on the way back, there are benches along the way so you can take a break if needed. If you're close Otter Falls is definitely worth the effort. Other trails are available here as well.

This place was a ton of fun, I ran up and down the hill here. It's a great place for watching the river flow, and I even found rocks that have different colors in them as well. Anyways I would bring the family around here, it's free and great view

A short walk to a good payoff. Is all downhill to the falls, but the falls and creek were stunning. The trail itself is nothing special, just a means to access the water. But a great little spot to check out and spend an hour

What a cute trail to a fun river and waterfall! It’s definitely steep and you walk down to the river but it’s a short hike so despite saying strenuous if you pace yourself anyone can make it. On a hot day it looks like it’d be a lot of fun to dip in the water or play down there. It’s definitely worth checking out!

This trail is pretty well marked with good signs at the entrance, a map at the lot, and frequent tree markers. There are a few loops here. I went around all of them and it didn't take more than an hour. The path is a cleared dirt walkway with some roots and a section by the river with rocks. The toughest part is just the elevation change. The main falls can be found in the orange loop which was also my favorite portion. I would highly recommend for an easy hike and beautiful view. Enjoy!

Otter Falls won't disappoint.
About 20 min. from Boone. Getting down to the falls is a beautiful walk descending a few hundred feet rather quickly. Coming back up will test your cardio, however. You can walk downstream to enjoy more views and wading pools. I'm glad we did it.

Cute park, Way up in the mountains. Small parking area. I know they say this trail is easy and good for grandparents.....but holy cow only if they are in great shape. All the older people we saw were waiting at top! Couple of different ways down we found the right split easier than left because of all the loose gravel. There are many different trails and nothing is really marked. You can do some boulder scrambling and get father to the bottom we found the right side pretty easy and
nobody else was there. It is nice once you get away from the crowd.

Great hike with our 6 and 3 year olds. Not too treacherous. Follow wide path until you reach wooden stairs for Waterfall area. Bring suits or water shoes to wade in the water.

Pretty impressive waterfalls for such a short hike. The paths are well-groomed, and the hiking is easy. At least one of the trails includes a small water crossing to get down to where the falls are located, which may be challenging for young children (if you're concerned about keeping their feet dry). Otherwise, this is entirely appropriate for the whole family.

A short steep gorgeous hike with big boulders and a waterfall. The top of the trail has 4 paths that merge into 1 that follow a nice stream.

Cloudy day we went started raining on us on way back to car. But waterfall was flowing great. Highly recommend otter falls. I recommend hiking shoes and hiking stick. Mud was little slippery so proceed with caution.

We had a blast with the family. Weather was perfect for a afternoon walk. Next time we know we can get in the water. We won't miss out like that again.

Easy drive from Charlotte, short walk from parking to the falls, and more important, a short hike back (though almost all uphill) when the kids are done. This is a fav for or family and friends. Tree cover and cool water make it fun even on the hottest days.

Good trail that is easy/ moderate for all ages. Falls are not huge but very pretty. Great family hike. A few benches, a picnic table, and an overlook area are available.

This place is absolutely beautiful! The only thing I would suggest is putting mile markers on the trail map at the park a lot so you know how far the trails are. They were shorter than we expected but still beautiful and we will go back

Beautiful hike. I would rate it as a moderately difficult and short to get to the falls. The trail markings are a little confusing. Just follow the blue marker to the orange marker to the right. Can be slippery and steep at times.

This is our favorite waterfall hike in the area. The trail is a nice loop and you can spend half an afternoon exploring the waterfall and the creek. The trail is easy enough for kids to do, and the areas by the falls have many shallow pools and flat areas where my kids just love to splash around and explore. The trail is not particularly technically challenging, although there are some steep areas and exposed roots which may make finding footing tricky at times, but I've seen many small children scramble around without too much trouble.

The only downside is the very limited parking available.

Beautiful, clean trail that has obviously been well maintained. However, at the parking area they have a place to grab dog poop bags to clean up after your pet but no can, bear proof or otherwise, to dispose of those bags. So, people being people, they have laid them in a large pile next to the bag dispenser.

One of our favorite ones we did in the area with our 3 & 6 year! Says “Strenuous” but we found it to be more moderate but it might be strenuous for others especially when the path is right next to the falls (I’m pretty sure you can go around so you don’t have to do this part though). It had a fantastic area for our kids to paddle in the water. They had a blast!

If you enjoy hiking this is a great place to start! You have miles of Mountain land to explore and great view of small water falls! Going into the trail is all down hill and coming up really gives you a workout!! Very exciting!!