Otter Falls Trail — Attraction in Seven Devils

We hiked this trail on a Saturday morning with our 5- and 8-year-old kids. I was looking for something relatively short and manageable where the kids could also enjoy some time in the water—and this fit the bill nicely.

GPS took us straight to the parking lot, and the trailhead was clearly marked. Just a heads-up: this is a very busy spot on a summer weekend. We arrived around 10a and were lucky to find parking without waiting.

Trail: The hike to the falls is short but steep, with a noticeable downhill trek on the way in—meaning a good incline coming back out. The path is well-worn with lots of tree roots, so watch your step. We noticed several "shortcut" paths that were a little confusing at first, but they all seemed to lead to the same place. Our kids handled the trail like champs—no piggyback rides needed!

Falls: The waterfall itself is pretty but underwhelming. Due to the crowds, it feels like you need to snap your photo quickly and move out of the way. We decided to climb down below the falls where it was less crowded, and the kids had a blast playing in the cool, refreshing water for over an hour. Lots of places to wade, but not actually swim which was fine for us! We later discovered there's an actual trail that leads to the lower area, which would’ve been a much easier route with kids. There are plenty of large boulders down there that make a great spot for relaxing or enjoying lunch before heading back.

Parking: We arrived just before the rush, but by the time we were leaving, several cars were waiting for spots. The lot is small and tight, with room for only one car to move around at a time, so patience is key.

Overall, a great family-friendly adventure if you come prepared for a bit of a climb and don't mind the crowds. We'd definitely return, maybe...

The visitors who park in the road to access Otter Falls frequently litter and pull into my driveway to turn around after leaving the trail. Twice I have witnessed them damaging my property then driving off. I pay property taxes to live in Seven Devils. A little respect would be appreciated.

Update 1: I have a need to park along the road right now too, with my driveway being redone, but I respect that the side of the road is not a parking space. So I park my car a mile away and walk to it. Then I see a bunch of cars parked outside my house as if they own the place. It's so rude.

Update 2: To the person who asked me why they couldn't park outside my house on the side of the road and then yelled at me: besides you being a nuisance on my property, parking along the side of the road like you were trying to do causes EROSION DAMAGE. Maybe you don't know this, but erosion damage is a problem in the mountains. I have seen cars get stuck on the sides and rut out the shoulder as they try over and over again to get themselves out. Here's a tip: don't park there in the first place. Even if you don't get your vehicle stuck in a rut, your vehicle is doing damage by parking on the shoulder. The only vehicle that should be parking on the shoulders outside my house is an emergency vehicle. Have a hurricane strike your town and destroy your driveway and see your road turn into a river and then maybe you can come up here and you'll find it within yourself to show some respect and try not to further damage what is left of the sides of the road that were never meant for you to park on in the first place. You can park either at the actual designated Falls parking or at the town rec center, or just go home. You shouldn't be here if you can't...

Otter Falls is located about 1 mile past Seven Devils in the Boone/ Banner Elk area off Hwy 105. The parking lot is on the left heading up and is fairly small so you may or may not find a parking spot depending on when you get there.

There is a good map to the left of the parking lot showing various trails in the area. The upper red trail is closed until further notice due to damage from Hurricane Helene but this does not affect your ability to get to the water falls.

We took the trail to the right and kept taking the right path when you had a choice to get to the falls. It's a short.4 mile trail (one way), but like many trails to water falls, has lots of tree roots and would be very slippery if wet.

There is a wooden observation deck at the bottom where you can view the falls but you can also take a short path to the right of the observation deck to get to the top of the falls or descend the steps of the observation area to the left to get to the bottom of the falls. You can continue down from the bottom across some boulders to view more of the cascades below the falls. As with any water falls, exercise caution when walking on rocks as the can be very slippery and dangerous (even if dry).

Otter falls are a smaller falls but still pretty and calm and worth...