Hiking to Skinny Dip Falls

Good morninggggg y'all. I'm currently sleeping after a long 12 hour night shift (this post is scheduled) but I wanted to share this little slice of heaven. On our third day down in North Carolina the smoke from the surrounding forest fires was thick. We had originally planned to check out Looking Glass Falls and then hike up to Looking Glass Rock but nixed the latter because the smoke was so thick there was no way we would be able to see anything from the outlook. Instead we decided to check out Skinny Dip Falls after seeing Looking Glass Falls and I'm so glad we did! Skinny Dip Falls was just gorgeous. Nothing about it was extravagant but all the little things about the area came together to make it something really special. The water is crystal clear, the waterfalls are small but pretty, the area is closed in by forest but the area feels open and inviting all at the same time. There's lots of room to jump around on the rocks and a little wooden foot bridge to get you across the little stream's gorge to the other side. We were so lucky and had the place all to ourselves for about half an hour before a bunch of other people started showing up. I imagine this location is a very popular summer destination to cool down. If I lived in the area I would most definitely frequent this spot! We parked at the Looking Glass Parking area on the Blue Ridge Parkway, crossed the road and followed the little hiking trail about half a mile to the swimming hole. It's super easy and I highly recommend stopping off here to stretch your legs if you're driving on the Parkway or in the area.