Explore the Waterfalls of North Carolina

The state of North Carolina is home to hundreds, if not thousands, of beautiful waterfalls, located mostly in its mountainous western area. And although many different natural attractions can be found in the Southern Applachian Mountain region, waterfalls have without a doubt become one of North Carolina's most treasured outdoor resources.

Find a Waterfall

There are several ways to find a waterfall on this site:

Map

Our interactive map. This is what most people who visit this site use to find a waterfall.

List

The list, which is an index of all the waterfalls we know of, including pictures for easy identification.

Search

Search for it, if you already know the name of the waterfall you're looking for.

Once you find it, each waterfall has its own page with all the detailed information - a photo, descriptions, directions, and trail information where available.

About This Site

NorthCarolinaWaterfalls.info is your online guide for comprehensive information about waterfalls in North Carolina. We give you pictures, statistics, maps, directions, and links to other sites to help you find your favorite waterfall. Using this information, come explore some of the most beautiful features nature has to offer!

Although we have a large number of waterfalls on the site already, we're continuously adding new waterfalls as we explore them, and improving the information on ones we've visited. Updates and trip reports can be found in the news section below. Enjoy!

Site Updates and Waterfall News

Updates to Map on NorthCarolinaWaterfalls.info

Posted on May 12, 2012 3:51 pm

We’ve rolled out updates to the map on NorthCarolinaWaterfalls.info. It uses a newer version of Google Maps, has a more representative icon for waterfalls, shows waterfall names when you mouse over the icons, and fixes the MyTopo layer. If you notice any issues with the new map, let us know!

Live Blog – Pisgah Ranger District Trails Strategy Meeting

Posted on May 8, 2012 4:46 pm

We’re going to post updates from tonight’s Trails Strategy meeting with the forest service, regarding the Pisgah Ranger District trails (Bent Creek, Mills River, Davidson River, Shining & Middle Prong Wilderness areas, and the Graveyard Fields/Black Balsam areas). Keep watching as we’ll be providing updates from the meeting (we have wifi). And post comments with [...]

Mingo Falls Details Added

Posted on May 3, 2012 8:39 am

We’ve added details and a photo of Mingo Falls near Cherokee, NC. This is a great one to visit if you’re anywhere near Cherokee or the Great Smoky Mountains, and may even be one of the ones worth driving farther to see: if you’re coming to western NC to see waterfalls, this should be on [...]

Over Half of Mortimer Campground Closed

Posted on April 9, 2012 11:16 pm

According to a recent Forest Service press release (and to confirm a lot of rumoring going on before that), part of most of  Mortimer Campground has been closed due to the potential for flash flooding in the area. 12 of the 23 campsites, in the lower area of the campground nearer Wilson Creek, are now closed. It [...]

Photo and Info of Wintergreen Falls

Posted on December 4, 2011 9:14 pm

We posted some more detailed information and a photo of Wintergreen Falls in DuPont State Forest. See the Wintergreen Falls page for all the details!

Interview for the Smoky Mountain News

Posted on July 1, 2010.

I was recently interviewed by Elizabeth Jensen of the Smoky Mountain News for an article about waterfalls in Western NC! Read the article to see the plug for this site, quotes from myself and other great local waterfall "Gurus" such as Kevin Adams and Rich Stevenson, and a neat interactive waterfalls map!

Links, Plugs, and Inspiration

No research on the waterfalls in North Carolina would be complete without at least looking at these other venerable sources of information.

North Carolina Waterfalls Book

First, buy a copy of Kevin Adams' book "North Carolina Waterfalls: A Hiking and Photography Guide" online (or in local bookstores). It's the most comprehensive and updated one out there.

NCWaterfalls.com

Next, check out Rich Stevenson's web site ncwaterfalls.com, the most comprehensive on the Internet.

Other Books and Links

Have a book, map, or web site regarding NC's waterfalls? Contact us to let us know and we'll add your link here!

Many thanks to these and other waterfall enthusiasts who have pointed us in the right direction all those times when we were out doing "field research".

Get and Share Information

All of our information is available for free via a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License! What this means is that you may copy and share this information in any way you like, without having to ask. Just be sure to give credit back to NorthCarolinaWaterfalls.info!

Waterfalls can be accessed by a "permalink" URL in the following format:
http://www.northcarolinawaterfalls.info/waterfall/[ID]/[waterfall_name]
where [ID] is the waterfall's numeric ID and [name] is the name of the waterfall, separated by underscores (_).

Please be sure to report any errors, omissions, or comments you might have by contacting us. We hope you enjoy!