Foster Falls

Foster Falls is the southern anchor of the Fiery Gizzard Trail and the biggest single drop in the park: Little Gizzard Creek leaps 60 feet off the sandstone caprock into a deep, cliff-ringed plunge pool. From the day-use lot the rim trail reaches an overlook almost immediately, then the loop descends the gorge wall on rock steps and a steep, rooty grade, crosses a swinging bridge below the falls, and follows the climbers' access along the base of cliffs strung with some of the South's best sport routes before climbing back out. The descent is short but genuinely steep and slick when wet, which is what earns a sub-two-mile hike its moderate rating. The pool is a popular swimming hole in summer; there is no lifeguard, the rocks at the edge are polished and slippery, and cliff jumping is prohibited. Winter and spring bring the heaviest flow, while late summer can shrink the falls to a veil.