You Can Hike To 9 Waterfalls All Within 10 Miles Of This Charming North Carolina Town
The charming town of Highlands, North Carolina, has a number of wonderful reasons to visit. The streets here are lined with wonderful little shops, great restaurants, cozy places to spend a night, parks, and so much more. You can’t go wrong with a visit to this tiny little locale with a small population estimated to be just under 1,000 residents.
During these uncertain times, please keep safety in mind and consider adding destinations to your bucket list to visit at a later date.
In a fantastic stroke of luck, there are nine wonderful falls to explore within 10 miles of the town of Highlands - and some of them are even visible from your car so there's no hiking required! See them for yourself below!
Glen Falls is actually a series of three falls that drop sharply down the side of the mountain in spectacular fashion. The unofficial height if you put all three falls together? Six hundred feet! Check 'em out on the 2.4-mile Glen Falls Trail.
Easy, peasy. This more than 100-foot waterfall can be seen from the pull off right from the highway. From Highlands, head south on Route 28 (Walhalla Road) and at just about one mile from the intersection of Old Orchard Road you'll encounter a pull off. Pull in here to view this massive waterfall from the road.
Hike a super short (0.3-mile), yet difficult trail to arrive at this 50-foot wonder along Scotsman's Creek. At the top, it drops straight over a ledge and then at the bottom, the water cascades the rest of the way to the plunge pool. Learn all about the trail to this one by visiting our friends at All Trails.
Only steps from the road between Cashiers and Highlands, is the beautiful meandering Pinky Falls. Under the canopy of lush, green trees, this waterfall is the perfect setting for an afternoon swim in the cool and deep plunge pool - and a picnic along the shore. Learn more about it here.
One of the most visited and most stunning waterfalls in the Tar Heel State, Dry Falls has a walk-behind trail that takes visitors right under and behind the flow as it drops over this waterfall sometimes called the Niagara Falls of North Carolina. Learn all about it here.
Located just off of Highway 64 just north of Highlands, Bridal Veil Falls spills ribbons of water over a ledge for 120 feet. In the golden days (some 25 years ago), visitors could drive right under and sometimes behind (depending on the power of the water's flow) this waterfall. But road access has been cut off and now visitors can walk behind (or under) the falls on that same paved road. Learn more about this beautiful fall that's visible from the highway by reading this article about the tallest waterfalls in North Carolina.
Also known as the much less fun name of "Quarry Falls," BYB Falls is a popular spot for swimming and sunbathing all summer long. It's found right along the highway (U.S. 64) between Highlands and Franklin. Read this to learn why summer in North Carolina just isn't summer until you've visited this particular waterfall.
Take Highway 64 between Highlands and Franklin and pull off in the Cullasaja Falls parking area. Look for the trailhead for the short, 0.2-mile trail to view the falls from an observation deck. This photo shows approximately the bottom 100 feet of the falls. Above, is another 100 feet out of sight of this photographer. See the whole thing, in person, when you hit the road to chase these nine waterfalls! Learn more about the trail to Cullasaja Falls by visiting our friends at All Trails.
As you pass through the town of Highlands, you'll see from the road the gorgeous ribbons of water that pour over the retaining wall of the Lake Sequoyah Dam. Don't let the man-made nature of this waterfall deter you from admiring its beauty. Pull off and find a way to hike down there to stick your toes in the water and sit for a spell.
Did you have any idea there were quite so many waterfalls this close to Highlands? Perhaps it’s time to start planning an overnight (or longer) to explore!
