Two very unique destinations in Western North Carolina. Linnville Caverns is the only show cavern in North Carolina, and Linnville Falls is located in one of the deepest gorges in the eastern US.
The cavern is a short guided tour with lots of information about the history of the area. There are a few really pretty rooms and formations, but in all it is very small compared to some we have seen. The coolest part was seeing the fish living in the cave. I would say that it was worth the visit if you are in the area but if you are a big spelunker don't expect a lot out of it.
Linnville falls however is impressive. The hike to the upper falls and overlooks is easy with very gentle inclines. It is about 2 miles out and back overall if you go to all of the overlooks. the first destination is at the top of the falls and fortunately there is a nice viewing area with a stone wall. It is one of the strongest falls in the area and very dangerous.
It is worth continuing on to the overlooks to get a great view of the gorge. This area looked different than most other hikes in the area. In most places the mountains are gently and her the gorge cuts so deep into the mountain it made me think of areas of the North-West.
This is an easy day hike located just off the Blue Ridge Parkway and if you are traveling the parkway I would definitely put this on the must see list.
The Linnville Falls Trail is a pretty easy hike, but we didn't attempt to tackle the lower falls hike with our 2 girls. The lower hike is very steep.
The elevation change for the upper hike is only about 250 feet overall with the steepest dip at the access to the actual falls and here there are steps cut into the rock to make it easier.