Take A Short Hike To The Rare Natural Wonder In North Carolina Where Waterfalls Merge In The Woods

North Carolina is home to a number of roadside waterfalls that you can practically see from the highway. Two of them, Dry Falls and Looking Glass Falls are excellent, well-traveled examples. But not many people know that between Cherokee and Maggie Valley North Carolina, there's a gorgeous pair of waterfalls just off the highway that merge in a beautiful forested setting. Soco Falls is worth seeking out and here's what you need to know:

It's not often you find two creeks merging at exactly the point where an epic drop occurs, but that's just what you'll find at this spot of Soco Creek, where a smaller runoff merges into Soco Creek at just the point where the creek drops 120-feet at Soco Falls.

The result is a rarely seen natural wonder where two falls meld together at their base, where the water continues flowing down the Soco Creek. The taller of the two falls is an impressive 12-story waterfall followed by a babbling cascade after the two are combined.

Locating the falls is as easy as looking for the blue Soco Falls sign along NC-19 (a.k.a. Wolftown Road) about 10 miles to the east of Cherokee.

Look for a small parking pullover on the side of the road and then look for the opening in the guardrail for the start of the short trail.

Wear some shoes appropriate for the short hike, which has some stairs and a mostly earthen trail.

In approximately five minutes, you'll reach an overlook. During the summer, you may only be able to see the larger of the two falls, but once the leaves fall in the autumn, you should be able to see both falls.

A short and somewhat dicey and steep downhill trail will take you to the foot of both falls where you can get a clear view of both of the beautiful falls that make up Soco Falls.

A word of caution if you do decide to take the trail to the bottom of the falls, hold on to the ropes that are in place for assistance and avoid attempting this trek if the ground is wet or frozen.

Even if you don't make the hike down to the bottom of the falls, the view from the platform is astounding!

A visit to Soco Falls is a must when you're near Cherokee or Maggie Valley. Have you been? We'd love to hear from you in the comments!

Where is Soco Falls? Let's explore Solo Creek and the falls with CampTravelExplore in this video showing off the beautiful Soco Falls in North Carolina:

Make a waterfall-chasing day of it when you visit Soco Falls and also hike the stairway to (seemingly) nowhere when you visit the nearby Mingo Falls! Have you been to Maggie Valley North Carolina? Share your favorite places with a comment. There's another waterfall hike in North Carolina that you're sure to adore too. Of course, for finding the best hiking trails in the area check out the many extra features you get with AllTrails+.