If you find yourself in this area on the first or last Saturday of the month between 9am to 5pm (because this is the only time that it is open to the public) then plan on spending about 2 hours here.
I forget how we heard about this place, but I’m sure glad that we did. We arrived here at about noon on a nice sunny spring day with just a little chill in the air. The gravel road you take to the parking area is very windy and a little steep in places, but passable with any street vehicle. It’s the old railroad grade, and takes you right down to the creek. Here you will find one of the volunteers who will give you a map of the trails and answer any questions that you might have about the area.
There are about 10 miles of marked trails, but the one we chose was the easy one that takes you to Lula Lake and then Lula Falls. It follows the old railroad bed all the way, there and back. The trail takes you right along side the creek for about a mile until you come to a foot bridge, from there you can see the lake and the top part of the first falls. Continue a little further and there is a picnic area with a fantastic view of the lake and smaller falls, look close and you will find a small path made for stones that will take you down to the lakes edge. The water is crystal clear in the creek; the lake, due to its depth (65ft) is a beautiful emerald green. Remember "NO SWIMMING IN THE LAKE."
About another quarter of a mile and you will find the big falls, Lula Falls. I would guess that they are about 80- to 100-feet tall. You will also find a trail here that leads down to the base of the falls; this is a very steep, muddy, and slippery trail so be warned. The wife decided not to try it, but I wanted to get some pictures so down I went. I made it to the bottom with three slips and no falls, and after taking a few pictures I saw that you could walk around behind the falls to a small cave-like opening, so I did. Depending on the wind, plan on getting pretty wet from all the mist and be extra careful of your footing—I chalked up another five or six slips with one where I buried my hand in the mud to keep from having a muddy bottom. When climbing out it was like climbing ten steps, and I stopped to catch my breath, repeat, repeat, repeat until I got to the top. It took about an hour to get rid of the rubbery legs. Will I do it again next year, you betcha.
Don’t miss this one.
For Directions and other info:
www.lulalake.org
Mountain Bikes & Pets on leashes allowed