What Says ~Happy Father's Day!~ Better Than Dragging Your Hiker Hatin' Kiddos Through The Woods?

Naturalist John Muir said, "In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks". I am guessing that John Muir did not have children. Or, at least, if he did, they enjoyed the out of doors as much as he.
I am not that lucky.

The children look happy in this picture. But looks can be deceiving. At this point, Tony and I were enjoying hiking, but feeling guilty for leaving the children behind. So, Father's Day 2012, we emotionally blackmailed the three of them in order to get them to go with us. "This is what your dad wants to do for Father's Day," I pleaded. Reluctantly, they agreed to go. We also lured them with the added promise of lunch when we were finished (we were planning on a little Subway! Yum!)

I knew the hike couldn't be too strenuous, especially with 9 year old Hannah and 11 year old Jake along. I knew 15 year old Josh could handle just about anything! So, we settled on Princess Falls as our destination. What 9 year old princess wouldn't love to go to Princess Falls? :)

First, a little history lesson. Princess Falls is named for a Cherokee Indian, Princess Cornflower, born in the late 1700s. You will learn more about her in coming posts. This princess has ties TWO waterfalsl, one being much more tragic than the other. You see, Princess Cornflower, daughter of the war chief Doublehead, was supposedly killed in a massacre at Yahoo Falls while transporting Cherokee children to Chattanooga, TN to attend a white man's school. Some question whether or not this event ever happened. Anyway...Princess Falls is named after her!
The falls itself are not that tall, but are very "Niagra-like". It has a slender veil, emmerging from the top of a rock overhang. It was very dry when we were there, but we could still appreciate the beauty of the falls. They are located a little more than a mile from the trail head. (We had more trouble finding the trail head than we did the falls itself!).

So, we headed off for Whitley City, KY. The kids have their bathing suits on under their clothes so they could play in the water once we got there. I grab my camera, of course, and say a little prayer that we all remain "happy hikers"!

The trail head (Trail #631) begins in the parking area for the Yamacraw Day Use Area. You turn right into the parking lot just before crossing the Yamacraw Bridge on KY HWY 92.

Jake thought the trail was so easy, he could do it backwards!

In all honesty, I don't remember any difficult parts of the trail. There were no steep hills to climb, either. Along side the trail, there was another "falls" that we veered off the beaten path to check out.

It had a trickle of water coming over a large rocky area. This spot was steep and Hannah and I had more trouble maneuvering around it than Tony or the boys.Tony has a mantra that he says over and over to me while we hike (to help me remember, that is), "A wet rock is a slippery rock." He knows me so well!

After stopping here for a few photo opportunities, we head onward down the trail. I said previously that the trail was very easy to navigate. There was one spot where Hannah needed some help from dear ole dad.

But nothing too strenuous!

As you near the falls, the trail splits. You can continue on To Princess Falls or take the other fork to Lick Creek Falls. We haven't been to that falls yet! Continuing on, you come upon the falls from the top side.

Like I said, it was fairly dry. We had little to no trouble crossing the creek at the top to get to the trail on the other side. But, it was still beautiful!

Here, the boys are looking over the falls from the top.

The kids enjoyed playing in the water and along the fallen trees. All in all, it was a successful day!

Even the big boys like to play!

I'd have to say, this hike gets a top rating of all 5 Neeleys!

Keep in mind, the kids would never admit to liking it. Oh, by the way, that lunch at Subway? Never happened. We went to Golden Corral instead! :)



Happy Hiking!
Becky!