Blue Ridge Escarpment and the Land of Waterfalls
34 waterfalls · Transylvania County, Henderson County, Polk County, and Rutherford County
Transylvania County and its neighbors hold the densest concentration of falls in the state. In DuPont State Recreational Forest, Triple Falls, Hooker Falls and High Falls line the Little River within a short distance of one another. Rainbow Falls is a hiking destination on the Horsepasture River, and Sliding Rock in Pisgah National Forest is a natural water slide over smooth rock. To the east, Pearsons Falls near Saluda drops through a protected wooded glen, and the Hickory Nut Gorge around Lake Lure adds steep cliffside falls. Rivers here plunge off the escarpment edge in quick succession, producing tall drops and long cascades over bare granite.
Start with: Sliding Rock, Triple Falls, Hooker Falls, Pearsons Falls, Rainbow Falls
Nantahala Mountains and Cullasaja Gorge
41 waterfalls · Jackson County, Macon County, Graham County, Haywood County, Swain County, Cherokee County, and Clay County
The southwestern mountains are steep, heavily forested and among the rainiest parts of North Carolina. In Macon County, the Cullasaja River descends through a narrow gorge on its way from Highlands toward Franklin, passing Bridal Veil Falls and Dry Falls, both of which allow visitors to walk behind the water, and the long roadside drop of Cullasaja Falls. Jackson County, around Cashiers and Cullowhee, holds many falls on the upper Tuckasegee and nearby escarpment streams. Graham County falls near Robbinsville lie deep in the Nantahala National Forest, while Swain and Haywood counties include falls on the North Carolina side of the Great Smoky Mountains.
Start with: Dry Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, Cullasaja Falls, Glen Falls, Mouse Creek Falls
High Country and Black Mountains
19 waterfalls · Mitchell County, Yancey County, Watauga County, Avery County, Ashe County, Burke County, Caldwell County, and Buncombe County
North of Asheville, the Blue Ridge broadens into a high, rugged landscape that includes the Black Mountains and the highlands around Boone and Banner Elk. Linville Falls, in Burke County, drops into the head of the Linville Gorge, one of the deepest gorges in the East, and is reached by well-maintained trails from a visitor center along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Crabtree Falls, in Mitchell County, cascades over a broad rock face on a loop trail through ferns and wildflowers. Yancey and Mitchell counties add falls draining the high Blacks and Roan Highlands, and Buncombe County holds a few near Black Mountain.
Start with: Crabtree Falls, Linville Falls, Grassy Creek Falls, Silvervale Falls, Walker Falls
Foothills, Piedmont Ridges and Fall Line
15 waterfalls · Stokes County, Wilkes County, Nash County, Edgecombe County, Harnett County, and Stanly County
East of the Blue Ridge, falls are fewer but varied. In Stokes County, the Sauratown Mountains rise abruptly from the Piedmont, and Hanging Rock State Park protects several falls, including Lower Cascade Falls, reached by a short walk down many rock steps. Wilkes County, along the foot of the Blue Ridge, adds falls on streams draining the escarpment. Farther east, Nash and Edgecombe counties sit on the fall line, where the Tar River drops over rocky shoals at Rocky Mount, and Harnett and Stanly counties include falls on the Cape Fear and in the ancient, worn-down Uwharrie hills.
Start with: Lower Cascade Falls, Cascade Falls, Carter Falls, Hidden Falls, Moravian Falls
