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Rainbow Falls

Rainbow Falls
Rainbow Falls
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LOCATION:
Mountains
Southern Blue Ridge Escarpment
Hickory Nut Gorge
Rutherford County

SIZE IN ACRES:
162.55

TOPOGRAPHICAL MAP:
Topographical maps are available by contacting:
NC Geographical Survey.
1612 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-1612.
(919) 715-9718
www.geology.enr.state.nc.us/

SITE INFORMATION:
The stream that feeds Rainbow Falls forms between Roaringrock Mountain and Cedar Knob and meets up with additional tributaries on the eastern edge of Bald Mountain before plunging 160 feet to the valley below, where it joins the Rocky Broad River near Chimney Rock.  Rainbow Falls supports a healthy spray cliff natural community, where constant moisture, regulated temperatures and shallow soils create a unique and diverse plant habitat rich in ferns and mosses.  The slopes surrounding Rainbow Falls feature extensive chestnut-oak and oak-hickory forests that provide habitat for the rare lampshade spider and Biltmore carrionflower.  Timber rattlesnakes, which are very sensitive to human disturbance, have been found on the tract, indicating that it is in good ecological condition.

CONSERVATION HIGHLIGHTS:
Rainbow Falls lies in the Hickory Nut Gorge, on the Southern Blue Ridge Escarpment, which as been a conservation priority for The Nature Conservancy for over 20 years.  Other conservancy protected areas within the gorge include Bat Cave, Rumbling Bald, and World's Edge.  The prior owners of the Rainbow Falls property, Thomas and Miny Hebb, worked closely with The Nature Conservancy to ensure that the land would be protected for future generations, and they sold it to the Conservancy at a bargain price.  The property was purchased with funds from the chapter's Forever Wild campaign.

DIRECTIONS:
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