Nearby Attractions

When it comes to outdoor recreation in the Brevard area, there are few things more enticing than going to explore one of the many beautiful waterfalls found in the region. In fact, I can’t think of anywhere where there are more amazing waterfalls in close proximity than in DuPont State Recreational Forest. The property that is now DuPont State Recreational Forest used to be the recreation area for the employees of the now-closed DuPont manufacturing plant.  DuPont was once the largest employer in the County, and offered wonderful benefits to its employees, including the recreation area that is now DuPont State Recreational Forest.  The benefits included stocked fishing waters, hunting, and camping at both wilderness sites and at the covered sheds that remain on the current forest property.  After the manufacturing plant closed, this property was slated for development – before thankfully being acquired as public lands. Now, both tourists and locals flock to the abundant waterfalls of DuPont.  One favorite excursion is the trifecta of Triple Falls, High Falls, and Hooker Falls – which can all be easily accessed in one outing on trails from the Hooker Falls parking lot.  Starting out towards Triple Falls, it’s barely a mile before you’ll be graced with the views of the three tiered falls.  Triple Falls has been the backdrop for scenes in The Hunger Games and the Last of the Mohicans. Continuing on along the old road bed/trail it’s about another 3/4 mile till you reach the bottom of the 150’ cascade of High Falls.  Once you soak up a little spray, make the return trip – back the way you came.  If you want to catch some rays, take a little dip in the river, or picnic on the rocks, then once you pass Triple Falls again and make it to the bottom of the hill, look for the trail that cuts back to the right following the river along the rocks. To access the third waterfall, head on back towards the parking lot, and when you cross the bridge that leads to the lot, take a left and wander the less than 1/2 mile to Hooker Falls.  During the summer, this area is a hotspot for swimming, picnics, and fishing. While it’s a little further to make the trek into High Falls, both Triple Falls and Hooker Falls are very easily accessible, making them perfect for smaller kids, older adults, or those that aren’t as comfortable hiking. Other waterfalls within DuPont require a little more trail mileage, and accessed from different parking lots.  Bridal Veil Falls is was another location used for filming The Hunger Games and Last of the Mohicans, and it has several different starting point options – from either the Fawn Lake or Buck Forest parking lots.  Grassy Creek Falls also begins at the Buck Forest parking lot, and Wintergreen Falls starts from the Guion Farm parking area. Exploring the waterfalls of DuPont As with visiting any waterfalls, please remember to avoid climbing any of the falls, and to stay away from the tops of the falls – both for people and for dogs.  The best views are always from the bottom of the waterfalls. For more information on DuPont State Recreational Forest, including maps and contact information, please visit http://ncforestservice.gov/contacts/dsf.htm.       written by Allison Taylor of Skillful Solutions

With over 250 waterfalls in Transylvania County, nature lovers have a lot of great outdoor adventure options to explore when visiting the Brevard, North Carolina area. Check out our guide to some of our favorite waterfalls of Transylvania County. NORTH CAROLINA WATERFALLS GUIDE The mountains of North Carolina are blessed with an abundance of water and, in turn, a high concentration of beautiful waterfalls. With around 500 North Carolina waterfalls spread through the region, those in search of a tumbling cascade should certainly have no trouble finding one. But to make it easier for you to find what we consider some of the best of the best when it comes to North Carolina Waterfalls, we’ve compiled our list of the top cascades to visit in western North Carolina.    waterfalls  WATERFALLS OF TRANSYLVANIA COUNTY COURTHOUSE FALLS The 60-foot-tall Courthouse Falls has been drawing crowds deep into the Pisgah National Forest for years. The waterfall is part of Courthouse Creek, which flows through the Pisgah National Forest near the Devil’s Courthouse, which was long considered a sacred area of the Cherokee Indians who inhabited the region for centuries. The tall, slender waterfall pours through a narrow chute into a natural amphitheater of bedrock that makes for a nice swimming area during the warmer months of the year. The falls are accessible by hiking a short trail that is moderate difficult. But getting to the trailhead is the real challenge. To reach the falls, either go down NC Highway 215 for 6.5 miles south from the Blue Ridge Parkway and turn left onto Forest Road 140 (Courthouse Creek Road). Go 3 miles down the road and park on the right just after crossing the bridge over Courthouse Creek. Follow the marked trail for .36 miles to the falls, which will be on the left.  HOOKER FALLS Hooker Falls is located in DuPont State Recreational Forest near Brevard, North Carolina At 15 feet tall, Hooker Falls isn’t one of the tallest of the many North Carolina waterfalls, but it is one of the most popular and highly-visited falls in the entire state. Hooker Falls has been known for years to local residents and was named for Edmund Hooker, who operated a mill below the falls in the late 1800s. At the time, it was named Mill Shoals Falls. In recent years, visitors have flocked to the falls during summer months to swim in Cascade Lake at the base of the falls. While jumping from the falls is illegal, occasionally daring visitors can be seen leaping from the center of the waterfall into a small, deep pool below. The waterfall also gained notoriety for its role in a scene in the movie Last of the Mohicans when the characters run the waterfall in canoes. As a kayaking destination, the waterfall is the final drop in a series of steep waterfalls and slides along the Little River renown as a top whitewater paddling river when water levels rise following heavy rains. Visitors may park at the Hooker Falls parking area, and then hike the short Hooker Falls Trail for roughly 1/4 mile. There are two views of the falls, the first overlooking the falls from above, and a second view from across the plunge pool that lets you view the entire falls. DuPont State Forest may also allow access to the falls to handicapped persons. Contact the DuPont State Forest for more information. SLIDING ROCK One of western North Carolina’s most popular attractions is the 60-foot-long Sliding Rock in Pisgah National Forest. Thousands of visitors each week take a trip down the smooth rock slide on Looking Glass Creek before they take the final plunge into a large, deep pool at the bottom. For years, visitors to Brevard and Pisgah National Forest have cooled off by taking a dip in the cool water of the natural rock water slide. In recent years, the area was developed by the US Forest Service into a popular recreation area. Parking is available in a large lot above the rock and beside U.S. Highway 276. There are two viewing platforms, steps down to the pool and railings to help climb the rocks on the left side before sliding down. A restroom and changing room is provided and a lifeguard is periodically on duty especially during summer weekends. At other times, sliding down the waterfall is done at a visitor’s own risk. Children must be of a certain size to slide alone, otherwise, they may slide in the lap of an adult. A $1.00 per person fee is charged by the Forest Service to use the area between Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends, when lifeguards and rangers are on duty. The rock is closed to sliders during times of high water or when lightning is detected in the area. To get to the recreation area and the falls, travel north from the intersection of U.S. Highway 276, approximately 7.7 miles north of the intersection of 276, U.S. Highway 64, and NC Highway 280 in Brevard, North Carolina. En route, you will pass Looking Glass Falls and the parking area for Moore Cove Falls. LOOKING GLASS FALLS One of the most popular and highly visited waterfalls in North Carolina, Looking Glass Falls, which takes its name from nearby Looking Glass Rock, is an 80 foot tall cascade located only a few hundred feet from U.S. 276. Looking Glass Falls are open year round, free of charge, just minutes from Brevard, North Carolina. With its ease of access thanks to the roadside location, the waterfall is very popular and often draws large crowds during summer months. As a result, there are frequently injuries and even deaths at the 80-foot-tall waterfall. As with any waterfall, visitors should use the utmost caution when approaching the river due to slick, moss-covered rocks. The waterfall has been successfully kayaked on several occasions.   GRAVEYARD FIELDS Graveyard Fields is home to three beautiful cascades located in one of the most scenic sections of the Blue Ridge Parkway. The high elevation balds of Shining Rock Wilderness area make for unique vistas unlike anything else in the Southern Highlands region. The 60-foot-tall Second Falls can be seen from the Blue Ridge Parkway near the Graveyard Fields Overlook, but visitors should opt to take a closer look by taking the short hike from the Graveyard Fields parking area down to the overlook. Along the way, hikers will cross Yellowstone Prong before ambling down a set of stairs to the viewing area. Upstream of Second Falls is First Falls, which can be accessed by a roughly 7-mile-long round trip hike. The access area for both waterfalls is located between Mileposts 418 and 419 on the Blue Ridge Parkway.   RAINBOW FALLS Rainbow Falls is a waterfall in Western North Carolina, located near Brevard. The falls is located on the Horsepasture River. It is on Pisgah National Forest land just outside Gorges State Park. According to wikipedia.com, a proposal to route the flow of the river around the falls in the mid 1980′s for a hydroelectric power plant was thwarted by public opposition. On October 27, 1986, the Horsepasture River was designated a national Wild and Scenic River, protecting the falls from future development. The rock face over which the river flows is not vertical, but the large volume of water during normal river flows cause it to leap many feet out from the rock and a deep plunge pool lies at the bottom of the falls. It creates large amounts of wind and mist that race up the hillside opposite the falls. If the sun is in the right position, a rainbow is easily observed here, giving the falls its name. As of 2011, there is a new 3.0 mile round trip trail to Rainbow Falls through Gorges State Park. From the parking lot, follow the trail for 5 minutes, bearing right at the intersection. 20 minutes further, the trail enters the Nantahala National Forest, with a side trail to the left that heads to Stairway Falls. Bearing right takes you to Rainbow Falls in about 20 more minutes. Hikers can then go further up the trail to Turtleback Falls. Prior to the opening of the park, the only path to the falls was through an unofficial trail on National Forest property. TURTLE BACK FALLS Turtleback Falls, also called Umbrella Falls, is a waterfall in Western North Carolina, located near Brevard. The falls is located on the Horsepasture River in the Nantahala National Forest land just outside Gorges State Park. The falls has a large, deep pool at the bottom commonly known as the “Chug Hole”. The river flows over a large, sloping slab of rock before curving steeper and finally dropping into the pool. The appearance of the rock, similar to a turtle’s shell, gives the falls its name. To access the falls, take a short hike starting in Gorges State Park before passing through Pisgah National Forest property into the Nantahala National Forest. The 20-minute-long hike takes visitors to Rainbow Falls before heading further upstream to reach Turtle Back Falls. The area is a popular place for swimming and people frequently slide over the falls into the Chug Hole during low water; however, the currents can be dangerous in higher flows and people have drowned at Turtleback, or have been swept downriver and over 125′ Rainbow Falls. HIGH FALLS OF DUPONT High Falls is located in Transylvania County on the Little River through the DuPont State Forest. It is one of four major waterfalls on the Little River in this area, the others being Triple Falls, Hooker Falls, and Bridal Veil Falls. Above the falls itself, the river is level and calm. The falls consists of a wide, ever-steepening slide over granite, and the water generally stays on the rock the whole way down. In some places, the water free-falls for a few feet or jumps off the rock face, but it is not possible to get behind the falls anywhere. High Falls has been known for years to local residents. In the 1990s, DuPont Forest was sold to the State of North Carolina, and as DuPont has completed cleanup of various areas, those areas have been made open to the public as a part of the 10,000+ acre DuPont State Forest. Visitors may park at the Hooker Falls parking area, and then hike the Triple Falls / High Falls Trail for roughly 1 mile (past the view for Triple Falls). Alternately, the High Falls Parking Area offers visitors a chance to access the falls through a scenic trail near the Visitors Center. The High Falls Trail takes visitors to a pavilion with a view of the falls from above, before hikers can head down the stairs to the base of the falls for a closer look.

One of the best vantage points of the vast Pisgah National Forest is from the top of Looking Glass Rock, a massive granite pluton located in the heart of Pisgah. Looking Glass Rock is renowned for its world-class rock climbing and offers fantastic climbing on the 500-foot-tall rock faces that feature unique “eyebrow” holds that are scattered across the otherwise mostly blank granite rock face. For hikers, Looking Glass Rock offers a great opportunity to see some of the area’s beautiful hardwood forests as they make their way up the 3.2-mile-long trail to the summit where the exposed granite offers great views of nearby John’s Rock and Cedar Rock, as well as the Davidson River Valley. The hike is moderate and features a number of switchbacks as the trail climbs toward the summit. The 6.4 mile round trip can be completed nearly year round, although extreme caution should be used near the summit as there are no guard rails separating the summit from the 500-foot cliff below.

Named one of USA Today’s Top Ten Swimming Holes in 2013, Sliding Rock, a natural rock slide in Pisgah National Forest, draws huge crowds during the summer months. One visit and it’s easy to see why. The 60-foot-long natural water slide has a gentle slope and ends in a large, deep pool at the bottom, making a ride from the top a fun adventure that isn’t to be missed during a summer visit to the area. Sliding Rock—Pisgah National Forest, North Carolina: It’s not very often that the natural world and human interests conspire so perfectly, but this rock formation appears to have been created expressly for the purpose of recreation. Located in the Pisgah National Forest about 40 miles southwest of Asheville, this is one of the few swimming holes to come with a built-in delivery device: a 60-foot-long sloping boulder that carries swimmers down into a seven-foot-deep plunge pool with refreshingly chilly 50- to 60-degree mountain waters. — USA Today In recent years the area has been developed by the US Forest Service into an official recreation area. Access to the area is through a newly constructed parking area with a $1 per person admission fee. There are two viewing platforms, steps down to the pool and railings to help climb the rocks on the left side before sliding down. Sliding down is required in a sitting position only. A restroom and changing room is provided and a lifeguard is periodically on duty especially during summer weekends. At other times, sliding down the waterfall is done at a visitor’s own risk. Children must be of a certain size to slide alone, otherwise, they may slide in the lap of an adult. To get to the recreation area and the falls, travel north from the intersection of U.S. Highway 276, approximately 7.7 miles north of the intersection of 276, U.S. Highway 64, and NC Highway 280 in Brevard, North Carolina. En route, you will pass Looking Glass Falls and the parking area for Moore Cove Falls.