High Falls at Dupont State Forest
 Rainbow Falls at Gorges State Park
Whitewater Falls
Looking Glass Falls
Linville Falls
Hickory Nut Falls
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If you love waterfalls, the Asheville area is the place for you! The southern North Carolina Mountains near Asheville contain hundreds of beautiful waterfalls. Here are our favorite North Carolina waterfalls:
1. Our favorite waterfall hike is a three-mile easy trail with a few climbs with three great waterfalls near Brevard in Dupont State Forest. Located about 40 miles southwest of Asheville, this 10,000-acre North Carolina state forest is home to 900 miles of hiking trails. While there are quite a few waterfalls in Dupont, you can see three of the most impressive, Hooker Falls, Triple Falls and High Falls. For more details, see our Dupont Forest Guide.
 See our Waterfall Video from DuPont
Directions from Asheville: I-26 to exit 40/Highway 280/Airport exit toward Brevard. Turn left on U.S. 64 as you enter Brevard past Wal-Mart. Travel east on U.S. 64 for 3.7 miles to the Texaco station in Penrose. Turn right on Crab Creek Rd and continue 4.3 miles and turn right on DuPont Rd. Ascend and descend; after 3.1 miles, find the Hooker Falls parking lot on the right just before the Little River bridge.
2. Graveyard Fields is about 37 miles southwest of Asheville on the Blue Ridge Parkay. An excellent loop trail (Graveyard Fields Loop) enters the area from the overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway and lead to two waterfalls on the Yellowstone Prong. Beautiful Second Falls is just 1/3 mile walk from the parking area. See our Graveyard Fields Guide.
3. Plunging waterfalls, rugged river gorges, sheer rock walls and one of the greatest concentrations of rare and unique species in the eastern United States are found within Gorges State Park. An elevation that rises 2,000 feet in only four miles, combined with rainfall in excess of 80 inches per year, creates a temperate rain forest and supports a collection of waterfalls. While there are beautiful waterfalls in Gorges State Park, some of our favorite falls are next door to the park on the Horsepasture River. Park in the lot, walk back out to the road, and the trailhead is to your left. The trailhead leads into the boundaries of the Gorges State Park, then leaves the Park and enters Nantahala National Forest. Along the river, you will pass Drift Falls, Turtleback Falls, and then the mighty 120 foot Rainbow Falls (about 3 miles roundtrip from parking lot). You will find more smaller falls if you continue on the trail. NOTE: Grassy Ridge Access on Hwy 281s in Sapphire is closed for construction. Grassy Ridge Access is expected to reopen in the fall of 2008. Hwy. 281s near the park entrance is posted “No Parking”, and is strictly enforced.
From Asheville, reach the park from I-26, taking the exit for NC 280 and traveling west toward Brevard. Turn west on US 64 and travel toward Sapphire. Turn south on NC 281 in Sapphire; the western park entrance is .7 miles on the left. Visit their Web site.
4. Upper Whitewater Falls is the highest waterfall east of the Rockies. The falls plunge an amazing 411 feet! (South Carolina's Lower Whitewater Falls drops another 400 feet.) The best part is that you can get a great view with a short walk. Just follow the paved walkway to the upper overlook. The walkway begins at the end of the parking lot and is accessible to wheelchairs. A lower overlook is located at the bottom of 154 wooden steps. More energetic hikers can continue down the half-mile spur trail that drops 600 feet in elevation to the Whitewater River and Foothills Trail.
From Asheville, use the same directions as Gorges State Park. Continue on NC 281 South to almost the South Carolina line.
5. One of the most visited waterfalls in North Carolina is Looking Glass Falls, located along US 276 north of Brevard, near the Blue Ridge Parkway. The name "Looking Glass" comes from Looking Glass Rock, where water freezes on its sides in the winter and then glistens in the sunlight like a mirror or looking glass. You don't even have to get out of your car to see the 60-foot waterfall. Read more about Looking Glass Falls. Nearby are Moore Cove Falls and Sliding Rock.
See a video of Looking Glass Falls.
From Asheville, reach the park from I-26, taking the exit for NC 280 and traveling west toward Brevard. Just past the Wal-Mart, turn right onto US 276 and go five miles. After you visit the falls, you can continue on the very scenic U.S. 276 to the Blue Ridge Parkway.
6. Linville Falls is located on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Trails lead to views of both the upper and lower falls. Erwins View Trail, a moderate walk of 1.6 miles round trip, offers hikers four overlooks, each revealing a different aspect of the Linville Falls area. Linville Falls has the largest volume of water of any waterfall on the northern edge of the Blue Ridge Mountains. This waterfall is in two sections: the upper falls and the lower falls, which were once about the same height. Around 1900, however, floodwaters caused a section of the upper falls to collapse to the top of the lower falls, making the lower falls considerably longer. See our guide to Linville Falls.
See our video of Linville Falls
From Asheville: Take the Blue Ridge Parkway 66 miles north to Milepost 316.3, north of where US 221 crosses the Parkway and south of where NC 181 crosses the Parkway. For the latest, see our Parkway Guide. A faster route from Asheville: take I-40 East to Marion and take US 221 North to the Parkway.
7. See the dramatic Hickory Nut Falls at Chimney Rock Park from the top or bottom. The 404-foot falls, one of the highest waterfalls east of the Mississippi River, can be reached by hiking along the Skyline-Cliff Trail Loop to its top or by taking the gentler walk via the Hickory Nut Falls trail to a platform at its bottom. Get a majestic perspective of the Falls from Peregrine's Rest on the Skyline trail, or Inspiration Point along the Cliff trail. As seen in the movie, The Last of the Mohicans. Hickory Nut Falls is a perfect example of what geologists call a "hanging valley": a tributary valley that drops off abruptly into its main valley. See our Chimney Rock Guide.
See a video of the hike to Hickory Nut Falls.
8. If you are in the Highlands area (about 70 miles southwest of Asheville), don't miss a fun walk behind Dry Falls in the
Nantahala National Forest (on US-64 about 3.5 miles west of Highlands and 16.5
miles east of Franklin). It is free and a short walk from road. No, it's not
dry! The 70-foot waterfall has plenty of water, and you will receive a
refreshing mist when you walk behind the wall of water. NOTE: Dry Falls will be closed until late 2008 for construction of visitor facilities. Nearby are Bridal Veil Falls, a little further east, and the 150-foot Culasaja Falls a little further west on US-64.
Also see Sliding Rock & mountain swimming holes. |
