点评:I decided to take my baby bro here to celebrate his 56th birthday.
Since my brothers birthday was on a Tuesday we decided to go today and avoid the summer crowds. We also got there shortly after the 9 am open time. You arrive and pay the entrance fee. Currently it is $6 per person even if you are observing. The falls are open year round but fees are charged from memorial day to labor day. Thats also the only time life guards are on duty. Any other time, you swim at your own risk. There is limited parking. Once the parking lot is full, you have to park nearby off the road.
We pay our admission and go park. There are several vans parked already and the parking lot is getting full. My brother and I, make our way to the restrooms. There are restrooms and you can change here. But there are no lockers. You need to either leave them in your car or make sure they are with someone in your group. We head on down to the falls. There is a large observation deck with seating for those who aren't instrested in sliding. At the bottom of the pool there are rocks you can sit on and observe people busting their butts. This is also known to locals as bust your butt falls.
The falls isn't your typical waterfall. Its a slanted vertical sliding boulder. 11,000 gallons of water go down per minute. It drops you off in a pool. You make your way to the path and do it again. Lifeguards are at the top. You can only slide down the rock. Only life vests and floaties are permitted. The right hand side is slower moving. You sit down, schooch your way down and the water sends you plunging. It was my first time here. I braced myself for freezing water and a deep pool. Not sure if was a combo of near 100 degree weather lately and lack of rain, but neither one of those things happened. The water was cool but not cold. The water was only about chest deep! You must be able to swim.
We probably went up about a dozen times. We took a break and went up again for another couple of times before we left. By this time it had gotten crowded and long lines were forming. These two seniors were tired and my tailbone was hurting! But it was a fun afternoon. I stopped by and picked up a few magnets and stickers. They also offer tshirts and you can pick up a waterproof camera pouch.
Tips:
* Make sure you bring a towel and extra clothes. In fact I would suggest an exta towl as the bathroom floors get wet from everyone coming in.
* Wear water shoes or sandals with a back strap. The worst thing here is trying to walk on the rocks that surrounds the natural pool.
* if you dont want to go flying down the rock, stay to the very right. That gracefully drops you right on a rock that takes you to the edge of the pool.
* When going up to the top, stay on the path. The other rocks tend to be slippery.
* Take time to visit nearby Looking Glass Falls. This beautiful fall is right off the road and can be seen from an observation deck.
* There are nearby picnic tables. But there are no drinks or concessions here. Plenty of dining options can be found in nearby Brevard.
* There are also plenty of hiking options around.
* People here are friendly. Plenty of people offered a helping hand when were were trying to scramble over rocks.
This is a terrific place to beat the summer heat and fun for the whole family.
翻译:我决定带我的弟弟来这里庆祝他56岁的生日。
由于他的生日在周二,我们决定今天来,以避开夏季的人流高峰。我们也在上午9点开放后不久就到了那里。进入时需要支付门票费用,目前的价格是每人6美元,即便只是参观也不例外。瀑布区全年开放,但只有在阵亡将士纪念日至劳动节期间才收取门票费用。这也是救生员值班的唯一时段。其他时间,游泳则需自负风险。停车场空间有限。一旦停满,就只能在路边附近停车了。
我们买了门票后去停车。已经有几辆面包车停在那里了,停车场也快满了。我和哥哥随后前往洗手间。那里有洗手间,也可以更衣,但没有储物柜。因此,物品要么留在车里,要么交给同行的同伴保管。之后我们便向瀑布方向出发了。这里有一个很大的观景台,上面设有座椅,供那些不打算滑水的人观看。泳池底部有一些石头,可以坐在上面观看其他人拼了命地滑水。当地人也把这里称为“拼了命滑水之瀑”。
这座瀑布并非典型的瀑布形态,而是一块倾斜的垂直滑石。每分钟有11,000加仑的水从上面倾泻而下,最终落入下方的泳池中。游客们沿着小路返回起点后,还可以再滑一次。救生员则守在顶部。你只能从岩石上滑下来。只允许使用救生衣和浮力圈。右侧的水流速度较慢。你坐下来,慢慢滑下去,水就会把你冲下去。这是我第一次来这里。我原本做好了迎接冰冷水温以及面对深水池的准备。不过,不知道是不是因为最近近100度的高温天气加上少雨的缘故,这两种情况都并没有发生。水温凉爽但不冷,水深也只到胸口左右!不过你必须会游泳才行。我们大概上去了一打左右的次数。稍作休息后,我们又上去了好几次才离开。那时那里已经人山人海,排起了长队。那两位长辈都累坏了,我的尾骨也疼得要命!不过这确实是个有趣的下午。我还顺道买了几枚磁铁和贴纸。那里也出售T恤,还能买到防水相机包呢。
小贴士:
* 记得带上毛巾和备用衣物哦。事实上,我建议多带一条毛巾,因为进出的人很多,浴室地面很容易变湿。
* 请穿上涉水鞋或带后带的凉鞋。在这里最糟糕的情况就是试图在天然泳池周围的岩石上行走。
* 如果不想从岩石上滑下来,就沿着最右侧的路径走。这条路会缓缓把你带到一块岩石上,再顺着它就能到达泳池边缘。
* 往上走的时候请务必沿着小路行进。其他地方的岩石通常都很滑。* 花些时间去参观附近的望镜瀑布吧。这座美丽的瀑布就在路边,从观景台上就能欣赏到它的风采。
* 附近有野餐桌,但这里不售卖饮料或零食。不过在附近的布雷瓦德镇有众多的餐饮选择。
* 周边也有许多徒步路线可供选择。
* 这里的人们十分友善。当我们试图攀越岩石时,很多人都主动伸出援手。这是个避暑的好去处,全家人都能乐在其中。