Royal Terrace Falls by yunckette, on Flickr
Royal Terrace Falls by yunckette, on Flickr
Staying left on the loop we headed toward Crystal Falls next.
Crystal Falls by yunckette, on Flickr
After Crystal Falls the trail crosses the creek on a nice footbridge a little before Majestic Falls.
Majestic Falls by yunckette, on Flickr
Majestic Falls by yunckette, on Flickr
The observation deck above Majestic Falls had been damaged by a fallen tree. The deck itself seemed fine but the railing was destroyed in a couple of spots. The trail itself had been in pretty good condition and had been cleared of all debris up to that point aside from one section that was damaged by an uprooted tree.
DSC02799 by yunckette, on Flickr
As we continued on the loop from Majestic Falls it quickly became clear that no one had worked on that section of the trail yet. There was a lot of downed trees and limbs for the next 3/4mi but we managed to go over, under, and around it all to arrive at the top of Royal Terrace Falls.
DSC02817 by yunckette, on Flickr
A narrow but passable side trail led to the terrace of the falls.
DSC02827 by yunckette, on Flickr
After descending the stone steps next to Royal Terrace Falls and completing the loop we had one more fall to check out. Lower McDowell Creek Falls, just about a hundred feet down stream from the parking west end parking area.
Lower McDowell Creek Falls by yunckette, on Flickr
Thanks for sharing.