Our family loves to go on adventures! Although we love to do big trips, most of our adventures are local to the East Tennessee/Western North Carolina area. One of our favorite things to do is hike and we are in luck because we live within an hour of many many miles of hikes! January started off with seasonably warm temperatures, so we set off one afternoon to hike with friends to Mouse Creek Falls. All we needed for this hike was a day pack with water, I use this one, some snacks and waterproof boots. 
Where is it??
Mouse Creek Falls is located off the Waterville Road Exit (#451) on I-40 between Asheville and the I-40/I-81 split. Turn left after crossing the Pigeon River and continue on to a 4-way stop. Continue straight onto a gravel road and drive past the ranger station to a large parking area on the left at the campground and restrooms.
The Distance is Perfect for Little Legs
The hike to Mouse Creek Fall’s is approximatley 2.1 miles and follows an old railroad bed. The trail itself is a smooth even surface with a very gradual incline. This trail was perfect for little legs. There were not hardly any roots to trip over, the incline was very subtle and there were tons of fun things to explore on either side of the trail. The trail was very muddy when we hiked due to a lot of rain the week before. We all had on waterproof hiking boots which made it fun and easy to tromp through the puddles! 
Midnight Hole
The wide path begins high above the campground and away from the creek. At a little over a mile the trail comes side by side with the creek. The creek is beautiful with rushing white water and small waterfalls all along the way. At about mile 1.5 the trail passes Midnight Hole. This is a deep, jewel colored pool that lies just below a 6 foot waterfall.
Mouse Creek Falls
At just over 2 miles begin to look for a hitching post on your left. Just past the hitching post look for a little side path heading towards the creek. This leads to a viewing area of Mouse Creek Falls. If you miss the hitching post, you will miss the falls. Mouse Creek Falls is a 45 foot waterfall and is located just across the creek. We stopped here for a while to enjoy the view and a snack. This was our turning around point. However, you can continue on just a little ways to a footbridge that offers beautiful views of the creek and then another 3 miles to an old carriage bridge.
Mouse Creek Falls was the perfect family hike for us with a little guy in tow. It had interesting things to look at all along the way, there were some little side paths to take to get closer to the creek, and we had an amazing waterfall to view at the end! Hiking is such an amazing way to explore locally and a fun way to get exercise!
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