Corkscrew Falls

The original post had a longer introduction.  The gist of it was that I learned of this place from a click-bait post on Facebook., so researched it on the internet.  

The name given to this place was Corkscrew Falls.  Since I was headed that way in about a month I made it one of my stops.

When I got there I saw that the area has recently been purchased by the State and is now a Nature Preserve that can only be entered if you have a permit.  I was forced to stay really, really far away and use an extreme telephoto lens on my phone to make it seem like I was right there.  Honestly, it was not as amazing as the well-staged, perfectly-enhanced photos on the internet. And a lot smaller - the largest waterfall was only five or six feet tall.  And there was only a trickle of water flowing.  None of those sites mentioned that it was a limited-access Nature Preserve.

So, to prevent you from making the trip to see something that is not as it is portrayed on the internet (who knew?) and is now protected so a huge influx of visitors doesn't damage the area around the falls, here are a lot more pictures of Corkscrew Falls than what I was able to find on the internet, and are more representative of what one will actually see.

A view from the bank above Corkscrew Falls.

Downstream of Corkscrew Falls, showing the inches-wide groove the stream has carved in the rock.

Three pics of Corkscrew Falls.  No single one looked better than the other so I posted all three.

This is the pool below Corkscrew Falls.  When there is actually water going over the falls pool will extend from wall-to-wall and make close-up viewing of the falls difficult (and wet) even for those with a permit.

A view above Corkscrew Falls.  Not enough water to wash the leaves away.

A view from above Corkscrew Falls showing the curved shape of the sandstone that gives the falls its name.

This entire section of the stream is a series of wide pools and narrow channels or small falls. Those below the falls are shown in pic 2 and the top of pic 7.  This and the pics that follow show the area above the falls.

There was once a mill located here.  This is quite common on rapid-flowing streams, but I am surprised that there was enough water for a long-enough period of time to make such a construction profitable.

Above this last small waterfall was a mooing cow that I decided not to interview.  If I had she would tell what is in the water you are wading in should you decide to visit Corkscrew Falls during a wetter time of year.