Chasing waterfalls: Iconic Western NC spots for cooling down, sightseeing this summer
Summer is heating up and it's getting harder to spend time outside, beautiful as it may be.
Luckily, the clear cold water in the creeks, streams and waterfalls of Western North Carolina offers an escape at the end of the trail.
In the aftermath of Tropical Storm Helene, which devastated many Western North Carolina waterways last fall, many people have been concerned about the safety of swimming and other water recreation, but many waterways are still safe and accessible.
AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R44ekkr8lb2m7nfddbH1» iframe AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R84ekkr8lb2m7nfddbH1» iframeHere's a roundup of some of the region's iconic and popular waterfalls. Keep in mind, that's barely scratching the surface of a deep well of waterfalls. (Famously, there are more than 250 in Transylvania County alone, according to thethe county's Tourism Development Authority's website).
Triple Falls
Triple Falls in DuPont State Recreational Forest, June 27, 2025.Triple Falls, in DuPont State Recreational Forest, is quintessential, a waterfall’s waterfall: roaring, dramatic, picturesque. It cascades over three pools for around 120 feet, filling the whole valley with rushing white noise.
Stairs leading down to the bottom of the falls are closed but there are impressive views from the wide — but steep — gravel path that climbs the mountain along the falls. The creek is accessible from the bottom.
Triple Falls has a prominent cameo in the 1992 Daniel Day Lewis epic “The Last of the Mohicans.”
AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R4bekkr8lb2m7nfddbH1» iframe AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R8bekkr8lb2m7nfddbH1» iframeYes; the summer heat and humidity will take it out of you, so when planning for a hike, even one you expect to be low-key, make sure to bring plenty of water and don’t over-exert yourself, especially if you’re carrying a lot of heavy professional camera equipment. The trail at Triple Falls is, at least, well shaded.
It may make for a passable Upstate New York onscreen, but Triple Falls is Western North Carolina at its finest. Fans of “The Hunger Games,” will also recognize it from the first, 2012 movie.
How to get there: Triple Falls can be found off of Staton Road in DuPont State Recreation Forest, on the Henderson/Transylvania County line, by using either the Hooker Falls or High Falls access areas.
To get to Pisgah National Forest from Hendersonville and Asheville, take I-26 to N.C. 280 West through Brevard.
Looking Glass Falls
Looking Glass Falls in Brevard, June 27, 2025.Looking Glass Falls, in Pisgah National Forest, seems to create its own wind as it plummets 60 feet, blowing a wall of cool mist downstream.
AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R4jekkr8lb2m7nfddbH1» iframe AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R8jekkr8lb2m7nfddbH1» iframe“Beautiful,” “amazing” and “pristine,” is how one visitor described it.
Marielena Andino, who was in town from the Bay Area visiting a friend in Brevard, said that she’s seen a lot of nature but this was top-notch.
Lucia Delchamps, the friend from Brevard, said she likes going to the national forest and to DuPont because you can hit a few waterfalls in an afternoon: “Boom, boom, boom.”
“The water’s so clean,” she said. “(It’s) useable and fishable and really clear … I think that’s a testament to our Forest Service people. I hope they don’t get defunded because we need them.”
Andino and Delchamps said that their next stop was Moore Cove.
AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R4qekkr8lb2m7nfddbH1» iframe AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R8qekkr8lb2m7nfddbH1» iframeHow to get there: Looking Glass Falls is in Pisgah National Forest, in Transylvania County, northwest of Brevard off U.S. 276.
Moore Cove Falls
Moore Cove Falls in Brevard, June 29, 2025.Moore Cove is less bombastic than some of the others but it makes up for that in the architecture of its cavernous cliff.
A beautiful hike up the valley brings you to a cascade that some people walk behind, under the tall rock overhang.
The long stream of water falls straight down to boulders below, splashing and echoing off the rock behind.
A sign below the falls says that the cliff above has been the site of several deaths when people climbed up above and fell over. “Don’t go to the top of the falls,” it says.
AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R52ekkr8lb2m7nfddbH1» iframe AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R92ekkr8lb2m7nfddbH1» iframeThe National Park Service advises on its website, "Be cautious while enjoying waterfalls ... Do not climb on rocks near waterfalls and use extreme caution when walking along riverbanks. These rocks are slippery from mist and algae."
How to get there: Moore Cove Falls is in Pisgah National Forest, in Transylvania County, northwest of Brevard off U.S. 276.
Sliding Rock
Visitors to Pisgah National Forest slide down Sliding Rock in Brevard, June 27, 2025.Sliding Rock is the polar opposite of Moore’s Cove in form and function. At Sliding Rock people are encouraged to go to the top of this “falls,” to slide down. The cost of the slip and slide is $5 a piece.
Sliding Rock was privatized not long ago and is now run by a national company, Naventure, that charges admission.
AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R59ekkr8lb2m7nfddbH1» iframe AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R99ekkr8lb2m7nfddbH1» iframeEven so, a line stretches up the side of the falls along a railing that keeps people from sliding prematurely, as they go down one by one.
Assistant Manager Ella Mooney told the Times-News that Sliding Rock has been especially busy since it went viral on TikTok around two years ago. It’s open for business from Memorial Day to Labor Day, with its peak attendance around the Fourth of July. The weekend of June 20, 1,300 people came, she said.
A tip: “the left is the fastest side” to slide down.
“It’s a little bumpier than a regular water slide,” Amelia Chapman, 14, told the Times-News. She went to Sliding Rock for the first time with her family, and a friend, on a road trip from Ohio to Florida. “It hurts a little bit but it’s not that bad,” she said.
AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R5eekkr8lb2m7nfddbH1» iframe AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R9eekkr8lb2m7nfddbH1» iframeThere was a lot of (joyful) screaming. Lifeguards with braces were on duty.
How to get there: Sliding Rock is in Pisgah National Forest, in Transylvania County, northwest of Brevard off U.S. 276.
Hickory Nut Falls
Hickory Nut Falls, at Chimney Rock State Park, which reopened to the public June 27, 2025, for the first time since Tropical Storm Helene struck in September 2024.Hickory Nut Falls reopened to the general public June 27 for the first time since Chimney Rock State Park was closed after Tropical Storm Helene slammed nearby Lake Lure and Chimney Rock Village in September, and the Times-News was among the first to visit that day.
Annual passholders had been allowed up in limited numbers for the past week, but now anyone can make a reservation to visit the park, trail guide Miranda Naum told the Times-News. A day ticket is $17 per adult and $8 per youth between ages 5 and 15.
AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R5lekkr8lb2m7nfddbH1» iframe AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R9lekkr8lb2m7nfddbH1» iframeWater deluges in a sheet, splashing and hugging the nooks, crannies and ledges of a 400-foot-plus cliff face. Even from the bottom of the falls, there is an impressive view of the valley below.
The top attraction at Chimney Rock State Park is “definitely the chimney,” Naum said, but the falls is close behind. Chimney Rock, the 315-foot rock tower overlooks the Hickory Nut Gorge.
Swimming isn’t allowed in the pool at the base of the falls but the spray is refreshing on a hot day.
Again, remember to drink plenty of water on the 1.4-mile round trip hike to the falls, especially if all you’ve had to eat is several hot dogs from the Sky Lounge snack bar at the top of Chimney Rock, which was also newly reopened that day.
AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R5qekkr8lb2m7nfddbH1» iframe AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R9qekkr8lb2m7nfddbH1» iframeHow to the get there: Hickory Nut Falls is in Chimney Rock State Park, off U.S. 74A outside Lake Lure. U.S. 64/74A — the shortest route from Asheville to Chimney Rock — is still closed to all but local traffic between Bat Cave and Chimney Rock Village because of Helene-related construction, so you'll have to approach from the east, through Lake Lure.
Safety Tips
The “Be Waterfall Wise” campaign’s simple guidelines come as a list of seven easy rules for waterfall visitors to follow:
Observe all posted signs leading to waterfall areas.
Do not swim or wade upstream near a waterfall.
Watch for slick rocks around waterfalls.
Do not jump off waterfalls or dive into pools.
Do not climb on rocks above waist height.
Watch your children and pets at all times.
Stay on marked trails and observation areas.
More: Gov. Josh Stein speaks during Chimney Rock State Park reopening
More: Asheville Regional Airport begins transition to newly unveiled, larger terminal
George Fabe Russell is the Henderson County Reporter for the Hendersonville Times-News. Tips, questions, comments? Email him at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Hendersonville Times-News: Six Western North Carolina waterfalls to visit this summer
