The trail to Skinny Dip is part of the Mountains to Sea Trail crossing North Carolina from Clingman's Dome in the west to Jockey's Ridge on the Atlantic Ocean. This part of the trail leads to the Shining Rock Wilderness area of Pisgah National Forest.
Here is a first glimpse of Skinny Dip. The water falls into deep collecting pools. In summer, the pools are filled with swimmers, climbing in and out of the water.
The water is much deeper than it appears. This shot would not be possible in summer. In summer there would be people jumping from the rocks into the pool.
Below the second pool the water takes a sharp turn, leaving a very narrow (skinny) dip in the rocks. This is the real reason for the name "skinny dip." (What were you thinking?)
The deepest collection pool is just below the curve. A secondary falls drops into the pool like a faucet.
The water is absolutely pristine. Cold and transparent, it is lovely to behold.
Here are the rocks that serve as jumping points to the pool (which is not visible from this shot). The water is VERY cold. Sheltered by the trees and coming directly from the mountain, the water temperature rarely exceeds 65 degrees even on the hottest summer day. Yet many people plunge right in. And yes, some of the biggest showoffs do skinny dip. Perhaps that's an incentive to jump faster.
This is the view from the Parkway overlook near the trail head. Looking Glass Rock is in our county and is a beautiful formation popular with hikers and rock climbers.
Skinny Dip Falls is not terribly well know, although I think it is more interesting than some of the more popular waterfalls. Perhaps one reason is that it is located only a mile away from a very popular waterfall viewing area in Graveyard Fields. The day of our hike was a wonderful day with a nice breeze. The high mountains are beginning to awaken to the green of spring and life is good.
