This past October, President Obama signed an Interior Department appropriations bill into law that includes funding to buy the land near Catawba Falls from the Foothills Conservancy for $713,000.

That means that the access to the Falls will now be permanently protected and part of the Grandfather Mountain section of Pisgah National Forest.

In 2007, Foothills Conservancy moved quickly to buy a 23 acre piece which provided the only direct trail to the Falls. This allowed hikers legal access to the falls. Carolina Mountain Club started leading hikes there. Thank you Foothills Conservancy.

This picture is of the Upper Falls, which at this time does not have an official trail. But now that whole area is part of the forest, the Forest Service may just put in an easier trail to the upper falls.