If you’re looking for the most scenic waterfalls of Brevard, NC, in Transylvania County and known as “The Land of Waterfalls”, you are in the right place! With over 250 waterfalls and streams to visit, we can only suggest a few. We encourage you to visit as many of the scenic waterfalls in Brevard, NC and the surrounding areas as your stay allows. You can use Kevin Adams Waterfall Challenge, a list of 500 local waterfalls in Western North Carolina, as your guide. Keep a wish list and check them off each time you return until you’ve seen them all. If you would like a guided tour, visit Miller’s Land of Waterfall Tours to see some of the falls not on the tourist maps.
Just for fun, here is a link to an interactive waterfall locater. Click on any of the waterfall pins on the map and view the information card with photo, general detail, stats and directions.
DuPont State Recreational Forest
DuPont State Forest features spectacular waterfalls, unique ecological communities, lakes and an extensive trail system. It provides both scenic enjoyment and recreational activities, including horseback riding, hiking, bicycling, hunting and fishing.
Visitors need to be prepared for an outdoor experience with limited options for public drinking water, restrooms and no food services. While cellphone service is limited, free wireless internet service is available at the Visitor Center. There you can find trail maps and a knowledgeable staff to help you plan your time in the forest.
Scenic waterfalls of Dupont include High Falls, Triple Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, Grassy Creek Falls, Wintergreen Falls and Hooker Falls. For more comprehensive information of waterfalls and activities visit the Friends of DuPont State Forest.
Pisgah National Forest
The Pisgah National Forest is a land of mile-high peaks, cascading waterfalls, and primarily a hardwood forest. One of the first national forests in the Eastern United States, Pisgah National Forest was established by the federal government in 1916. It’s acreage covers twelve counties in Western North Carolina and contains the original portion of George W. Vanderbilt’s once-vast Biltmore Estate.
From the entrance just north of Brevard, Pisgah National Forest Waterfalls include Looking Glass Falls, Courthouse Falls, Moore Cove Falls, Cedar Rock Falls and Sliding Rock just to name a few. Rainbow Falls, Hidden Falls, Stairway Falls, Windy Falls and the natural water slide Turtleback Falls all start in Gorges State Park and continues into Pisgah National Forest.
The Pisgah National Forest includes tracts surrounding the town of Asheville and the French Broad River Valley. It encompasses some of the highest mountains in the Southern Appalachians and all of the Eastern U.S providing for tremendous recreational opportunities. Hundreds of miles of trails for hiking and backpacking abound within its boundaries including Bent Creek, Mills River, and Davidson River just to name a few. The Davidson River trailhead is perhaps the most popular area within the entire Pisgah National Forest, for mountain bikers, hikers, equestrians, rock climbers, fishermen, naturalists, photographers, and tourists alike.
Sliding Rock is a 60 foot natural water slide that ends in a 8 foot deep pool of water on Looking Glass Creek in Pisgah National Forest. It was so named because visitors can slide all the way down the waterfall into the plunge pool below.
The roots of American Forest Conservation lie in Pisgah at the Cradle of Forestry, the brainchild of George Vanderbilt, Frederick Law Olmstead, and Gifford Pinchot.
Gorges State Park
North Carolina’s newest state park, Gorges State Park may as well be called “Gorgeous” State Park due to its unique collection of waterfalls, rugged river gorges, sheer rock cliffs and one of the greatest concentrations of rare and unique species in the eastern United States. It’s located on the Blue Ride Escarpment – in an area where elevations rise 2,000 feet in only four miles. Here, moisture is squeezed out of Southerly flowing air to create rainfall in excess of 80 inches per year. This qualifies the unique environment as a temperate rain forest.
Gorges State Park is set in the midst of plunging waterfalls, rugged river gorges, sheer rock walls and a high concentration of rare species. Exploration of this unique environment often begins at the expansive visitor center with its museum-quality exhibits. The view from the visitor center is truly amazing and can be enjoyed from picnic tables and shelters. Distance hiking, backpack camping, trout fishing, mountain biking and horseback riding are welcome in various parts of the rugged interior. The 7,500-acre park incorporates a portion of the long-distance Foothills Trail and touches Lake Jocassee at the South Carolina border. Trails and campsites continue to be developed at this relatively new state park.
Gorges State Park falls include Bearwallow Falls and Indian Ford Falls. The trail to Rainbow Falls, Stairway Falls, Hidden Falls, Windy Falls and the natural water slide Turtleback Falls all start in Gorges State Park and continues in Pisgah National Forest.
Indian Ford Falls is located on Rock Creek in Transylvania County, NC – “An ancient Indian path led northward from the Indian village of Eastatoe in South Carolina into Transylvania County north through the Toxaway section and crossed what is now known as Rock Creek. Old land deeds locate the primitive footpath ten poles north of Indian Ford Falls. It then proceeded on to what is now the town of Rosman and crossed the French Broad River at Eastatoe Ford. In time, part of the Indian path became Old Toxaway Road that connected the two Carolinas,” according to Jim Bob Tinsley, “The Land of Waterfalls” (1988). Beautiful in Autumn, Indian Ford Falls is now part of Gorges State Park, but public access is accomplished only by the most intrepid explorers.
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Nantahala National Forest
Located on the Whitewater River in the Jocassee Gorge area just west of Brevard near Lake Toxaway is Whitewater Falls. This series of waterfalls and cascades spans both North Carolina and South Carolina. The Upper Whitewater Falls in North Carolina is the highest waterfall east of the Rockies. It’s falls plunge an amazing 411 feet! This is a very popular stop offer breath taking views perfect for a picnic. The Upper Whitewater Falls Trail runs for a quarter-mile from the parking lot along a paved, accessible path.
