Angel Falls Overlook

This is the classic Big South Fork gorge hike: from the Leatherwood Ford day-use area you cross the river on the old low-water bridge beneath the highway span, then follow the John Muir Trail downstream along the west bank for nearly two miles of easy, hemlock-shaded walking beside the water. At Fall Branch the character changes abruptly, and the trail switchbacks roughly 500 feet up through boulders and bluff lines to the rim, where a bare sandstone ledge hangs directly above the Angel Falls rapid with the finest river view in the park. The overlook is an unfenced cliff with serious exposure, so keep a firm hand on kids and dogs, and the climb's rock steps get slick after rain. Note that OpenStreetMap flags the short John Muir Trail section at Fall Branch as closed for a washed-out footbridge even though the park's current-conditions page lists no closure, so check with the Bandy Creek visitor center before counting on this route. Summer haze mutes the view; late fall, with the gorge walls bare, is the best season.