Roaring Run!

One of the places that we wanted to see on our vacation was a spot called Roaring Run. It's the site of an old iron furnace and a small canyon packed cheek by jowl with waterfalls. It was just a relatively short drive from the campground and so we set aside a day to go explore the place.

It's a National Forest site and the trail system there is excellent. The hike up the gorge to the main waterfalls is extremely well maintained and engineered so just about anyone can make the journey. The little canyon is sometimes very narrow and almost every step of the journey is beside a waterfall or cascade or cataract of some kind.

We also made use of the picnic area at the parking lot. It was nice to sit in the shade beside the rushing creek and enjoy a meal.

Attention to detail in the infrastructure.

We begin the hike! Poison ivy everywhere off trail! It was ALL OVER THE PLACE!

The trail was great! Plenty of bridges for stream crossings and an extremely mild grade. Pretty much anyone who can walk can hike to see all of the waterfalls.

One of the first waterfalls.

One of the first falls on the trail. (Not THE first, though.)

Just a reminder that you are in a gorge.

Plenty of bridges and hand rails.

A vaguely naughty mushroom that Carole saw.

On the way out there were kids using this waterfall as a slide.

This is pretty much the nicest waterfall in the canyon. It's also at the terminus of the trail.

The nicest waterfall, at the end of the trail.

This huge stone ramp leads to the top of the waterfall.

We decided to take a different trail back to the starting point. Instead of going back down the gorge, it climbs to the ridge and follows that.

A nice view near the top of the ridge. Most of the nearby summits are in the 3,000-foot range.

The main reason for the preservation of the area is not the gorge and its waterfalls, but this vast iron furnace. It's in amazingly good shape with most of the stonework intact. Everywhere you look around this area there are pieces of slag--greenish, very light material almost like glass. We picked some of it up.

Carole snapped this one of me in front of the furnace.

A nice illustration of what the furnace looked like when it was in operation. Everything they needed to produce pig iron was available at the site or from very nearby: iron ore, water (to power the wheel), wood, and limestone. The water in the creek has a light greenish tinge from limestone suspended in solution.

A parting shot of the furnace complex as we walked on.

 

The National Forest sign to mark the roadside parking lot and access to the furnace and the trail system.