Riverpark at Cooleemee Falls: The Bullhole

Nirmal Krishnan

2023-07

Beautiful location for fun with family and friends. Falls, Riverbed, and Rock slide are great. Little careful with the rock slide area since it's too slippery. Riverbed is a great place for kids and families to swim and play. They charge $5 on week days and $10 over the weekend per Car. Park has shelter, Restroom, Parking lots, trails, falls, Riverbed and so on. Shower pipes near the Restroom. It's one the best waterfall.

chris Barth

2023-09

Awesome place to play, good swimming areas for kids. River can be very strong in some areas. Rocks are slippery, bring SOCKS they worked better then water shoes for slipping.Restrooms: Restrooms clean, well stocked, and showers outside.Dog-friendliness: Dogs welcomed on leashPicnic area: Lots of areas to picnic with tables.

Frank Dtank

2023-05

A nice place to go cool off with the family during the summer days. $10.00 per car is not bad and plenty of parking if you get there early. Take some chairs and blanket to put down in the sand and find a spot in the shadows. You can't grill by the falls and small beach but you can if you stay at the top by the parking lot. They have a couple of grills and tables that are under a roof, and the bathrooms are next to this shelter and are clean for the most part. There are a couple of small hiking trails nothing big but the main attraction are the falls. Plenty of space to accommodate a lot of people and you can take your own floating equipment and go down river and enjoy the water. It is recommended that you wear water shoes since the rocks are very slippery and falls will happen. The water itself was not clear when I went there but it did kept me cool and overall I enjoyed it. You do have to walk about 5 min from the parking lot to the falls but it is not bad and there are picnic tables set up in different points it's just a matter of choosing how close you want to be to the falls. Like I said overall it was ok.

Tammera Lindsay

2023-12

Great local waterfall and river park area. The $10 weekend entrance fee js a bit much but it has really cleaned up the park.

Bonnie Robinson

2022-05

For a $5 fee, you can enter the park and walk a quarter mile down to the water. There is course sand with large beach areas to lay a blanket, towel, or beach chair. Bring your own tubes to float down the rapids. If you plan to get in the water, go at your own risk! The rocks are dangerously slick and we fell numerous times, as did literally everyone else. We wore water shoes but that didn't prevent us from falling repeatedly. One girl even had a busted nose and lost a tooth! It is very difficult to swim or even walk in the water because the rocks are so uneven and slick. You can take one step and easily twist an ankle or drop three feet, but the water is too murky to see. While we did have fun, the slippery rocks are an accident waiting to happen.

Narendar Mouli

2023-08

Feeling bad since I did not know this falls though living around this place for quite some time. Amazing water falls. And sort of shore nearby to picnic. Ample space. Very good flow of water with great force. Had great fun here. Little slippery. Only caveat is that they close at 6 PM. Parking fee is $10 and they are closed on Mon & Tue. Definitely will visit again soon. They have shelters in place for food and also some picnic tables. Not sure if they had restrooms. Highly recommended to visit.

Joe H

2022-05

Very impressed,The staff is friendly and thank them for preserving this gem.Unfortunately it seems people are leaving trash wherever. There are plenty of garbage cans. Please use them.A side from that this is a great place to just relax and enjoy the sound of the falls. The birds are a bonus saw a blue heron and an egret.

N Gupta

2023-08

Water looks muddy but really a nice place.. there was a duck race as well.. You can bring your tubes for more fun

Bradly Roof

2021-05

We really love this little park. We walk the couple paths and let the dog play in the river. It's really close to our house so we try to go often and get a little exercise in for ourselves and the pup. I myself haven't fished here but there are always people fishing so I'm guessing it's a decent fishing spot. There are canoe access points to get around the dam if coming down river or to just embark from the park. There is a shelter house with benches for gatherings (taped off last time I was there because of Covid-19) and restrooms. Very beautiful in the fall!

Ashley George

2022-05

This place is awesome, just be careful because the rocks and area is very slippery. But overall the bathrooms are close by and there are many spots for a picnic.

Feroz Louis

2023-05

Nice place to spend an afternoon with kids. Be careful though as the rocks are slippery.

Oscar Whaley

2022-05

Fun place worth checking out for sure there is a few 5 bucks a car but totally worth it !! I would check it out again for sure.awesome spot for pictures

Pam Martinez

2022-05

First and definitely not the last visiting!I think the $5 are worth it, it’s organized, clean and just a nice cool spot.There’s sand and rock area to sit/setup and relax.Water was cold but the hot summer sun will let you enjoy that dip.YES very slippery but dnt let it stop you just be cautious, wear WATER SHOES and crawl if u have to.

Marvin Marin

2023-07

Very nice...Lots of park parking and personal...And Very family orientedRestrooms: New and clean...

Santhosh Krish

2023-09

Total scam!!!Absolutely dangerous place..Multiple people who fell very hard and one with severe head injury. There are no staffs around to care for the visitorsNever swim in the water …they fail to warn the public that there’s leeches and it is dirty drained water. Even if you escape from falling in those slippery rocks , you will surely get sick next day because of murky water. Accidents waiting to happen.I am sure that there are significant incidents at this place that go unreported. This place is nightmare.. Avoid going with young kids.Definitely not worth the time.. If you are still going even after reading this review, please note that nearest urgent care is 20 minutes drive from this place..Be prepared.

Rob K.

2023-07

Now they charge 10 $ a car to get in a park your tax money pays for

don't perish

2023-08

They indeed have done a lotbof work. Nice in appearance. The rocks are very slick and you must learn how and where to walk. There is cool water slide type area or slide rock. The swim area is relatively non existent as the area has bolder scatter in that are you could be in 4 feet water then there bolder you have climb over. I'd highly recommend they remove those and create a true swim area. Just lot climbing over rocks. The damm is amazing and if your careful you can get there that incredible.

Madeleine Ayers

2023-09

Cool place to slid down rocks and waterfalls are a gorgeous view but PLEASE be careful. Not suitable for young kids. Maybe like 8 and older. Water tubes, water floaties and water shoes are a must.

Rebecca Mangano

2023-05

Beautiful but very dirty. People just leave their trash on the ground it's a shame to see litter.

Melissa Schuerman

2022-05

Had my husband's birthday party there,and thoroughly enjoyed it!, my first time there and it's beautiful. Quite a crowd there,definitely going back.

rahul CHAVA

2023-10

Its very silpery and not able to njoy in the waterPlayground: GoodRestrooms: Not very cleanDog-friendliness: Pleanty of area for puppies

CrazyDog Lady

2024-02

Lovely place for a short hike.

Mark Labuskes

2023-09

A very beautiful place that is littered with human stupidity. Absolutely dangerous if you don’t understand moving water. Watched one woman go under and was in trouble, three people who fell very hard and one head injury. This was all in an hour. Staff needs trained in swift water, entrapment, and undercuts. Enjoy it, wear a pfd, and helmet due to how slick the rock is . You will fall, and it will hurt.

Laschell Hardy

2023-08

Need to hit the reset in life- go here and let nature love you back to health❤️❤️❤️❤️ no regrets !!!!

Gary Helms

2023-08

Interesting place. It's worth a visit for the kids. Old people beware... very slick surfaces out there. Algae on rocks is slick!! Neat place for the kids. Almost need cleats due to slick surfaces, fall hazard.

Joe Sitnic

2023-09

I used to love this place it was a little known place and always preserved well by the park Authority. They started charging for admission which I would be cool with but now everybody and their brother is there I couldn't even get in the last two times I went because the parking lot was full

Matt Sacks

2023-05

This message is a WARNING to other parents of young or disabled children.* The water is shallow but wear a life jacket. The current is strong and the rocks and tree limbs and other visible and invisible obstacles are significant and can be scary.* It's extremely difficult to quickly get around due to the very slippery rocks and rocky river bottom. If your child is floating away it's much more difficult to get across the river or rocks than it looks. Take extra precautions. I have to imagine there are significant incidents at this place that either go unreported or reported but people are unaware.We're a pretty adventurous family, but we won't be going back. One terrifying experience ending in an urgent care visit and our youngest child swallowing water while getting tossed around rocks is enough for us.All that said, it's an interesting environment and the slipper rocks and little pockets of white water are pretty cool and were entertaining before our child got loose and we couldn't get to him for reasons mentioned.

Shana Harris

2023-05

My kids love this place. Me, It's ok, the rocks are extremely slippery. Beach area has a lot of glass. The walk to get back there is shady, which is nice. Price is now 10 a car load. For a cheap price it's worth the drive.

Jorge Cuanas

2023-05

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Rachel Clough

2023-08

We had such a great time tubing there. The mud/clay ruined my white cover up and stained my water does, but other than that it's great.Restrooms: Restroom was cleaner than I expected.Dog-friendliness: Quite a few dogs there.Picnic area: About 6-8 tables and small grills.