Waterfalls near a city
Waterfalls near Asheville, North Carolina
The closest falls in this guide is Catawba Falls, 17 miles straight-line east of Asheville. Its lower falls is 205 ft, per the Forest Service. After Hickory Nut Falls (19 straight-line miles, ticketed) come Moore Cove Falls and Sliding Rock, each 22 miles out as the crow flies. Moore Cove is a 0.7-mile trail the Forest Service calls easy. Sliding Rock is a natural water slide whose $6 per-person fee is collected in the staffed season.
13 waterfalls within 50 miles of Asheville
Distances are straight-line miles, by our math, from the US Census internal point of Asheville, NC, not driving distances, so check a route before you go. Each card links to a full guide with fees, parking and current status.
A rebuilt trail with 580 stairs and a 60-ft tower up to the upper falls.
Catawba Falls17 mi straight-line · ModerateOpen205FT
A 404-ft falls at the end of a 1.4-mile round-trip trail inside the ticketed Chimney Rock attraction.
Hickory Nut Falls19 mi straight-line · ModerateOpen404FT
A 50-ft drop over a cave-like ledge, on a 0.7-mile easy trail (USFS) off US 276 near Brevard.
Moore Cove Falls22 mi straight-line · EasyOpen50FT
A 60-ft natural water slide into an 8 to 10 ft pool, with lifeguards in summer.
Sliding Rock22 mi straight-line · EasyOpen60FT
A 60-ft plunge you can see from the road, with stairs to the pool.
Looking Glass Falls23 mi straight-line · EasyOpen60FT
A 12 to 14 foot DuPont falls a short walk from its lot, with a popular swimming hole below and no lifeguard.
Hooker Falls26 mi straight-line · EasyOpenTO 14 FT 12FT
Two big DuPont falls on one trail; the stairs to Triple Falls' base are still closed.
Triple Falls & High Falls26 mi straight-line · Easy to moderatePartly open125FT
A 60-ft falls on the Blue Ridge Parkway in NC; hiking is prohibited after Helene.
Crabtree Falls28 mi straight-line · Moderately strenuousClosed60FT
A 420-foot cascade in Caesars Head State Park, seen from an overlook 4 miles round trip or from a suspension bridge above it.
Raven Cliff Falls (SC)33 mi straight-line · Advanced (SC State Parks)Open420FT
Two creeks meet in one pool on EBCI land; free, with a new lot and decks since 2025.
Soco Falls35 mi straight-line · EasyOpen120FT
A 120-ft cascade on EBCI land, reached by 161 steep steps; free and open daily.
Mingo Falls41 mi straight-line · ModerateOpen120FT
Upper and lower falls at Parkway MP 316; spur road open, visitor center lost to Helene.
Linville Falls44 mi straight-line · Moderate to strenuousPartly open150FT
A 411-ft falls with a paved walk to the upper overlook and 154 steps to the lower.
Whitewater Falls46 mi straight-line · EasyOpen411FT
Map of waterfalls near Asheville
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Compare the waterfalls near Asheville
| Waterfall | Distance | Status | State | Height | Trail | Difficulty | Fee / permit | Swimming |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Catawba Falls | 17 mi | Open | NC | 205 ft | 3.5 mi loop | Moderate | No entry fee listed | Not recommended |
| Hickory Nut Falls | 19 mi | Open | NC | 404 ft | 1.4 mi round trip | Moderate | $17 adults, $8 ages 5 to 15 | No (no designated area) |
| Moore Cove Falls | 22 mi | Open | NC | 50 ft | 0.7 mi, easy (USFS) | Easy | No fee shown (USFS) | No rule found; stay off the top |
| Sliding Rock | 22 mi | Open | NC | 60 ft | Short walk | Easy | $6 / person | Yes (lifeguards in summer) |
| Looking Glass Falls | 23 mi | Open | NC | 60 ft | Roadside | Easy | No fee listed | Not recommended |
| Hooker Falls | 26 mi | Open | NC | 12 ft (to 14 ft) | 0.8 mi round trip | Easy | No fee listed | Pool below is used for swimming; no lifeguard; NCFS limits |
| Triple Falls & High Falls | 26 mi | Partly open | NC | 125 ft | 1-2.2 mi | Easy to moderate | No fee listed | No (near falls) |
| Crabtree Falls | 28 mi | Closed | NC | 60 ft | 3 mi loop (hiking prohibited) | Moderately strenuous | Free | No rule found; don't climb the rocks |
| Raven Cliff Falls (SC) | 33 mi | Open | SC | 420 ft | 4 mi round trip to the overlook (SC State Parks) | Advanced (SC State Parks) | $3 adults trail access (SC State Parks) | No official swimming rule found |
| Soco Falls | 35 mi | Open | NC | 120 ft | About 0.2 mi | Easy | Free | No rule found |
| Mingo Falls | 41 mi | Open | NC | 120 ft | About 0.5 mi round trip | Moderate | Free | None listed |
| Linville Falls | 44 mi | Partly open | NC | 150 ft | 1.6 mi round trip (Erwins View) | Moderate to strenuous | No fee listed | No |
| Whitewater Falls | 46 mi | Open | NC | 411 ft | About 0.5 mi round trip | Easy | $3 / vehicle | Stay on trails |
Where to stay near Asheville
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How the list breaks down
Eleven falls from our guide fall inside a 50-mile straight-line circle around Asheville, and any falls we haven't covered yet are left out. For the rest of the state, see our North Carolina waterfalls guide. Five managers run these 11 sites. They are the U.S. Forest Service, the N.C. Forest Service, NC Parks, the National Park Service and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI). Each one sets its own fees, hours and rules.
Helene still affects three stops on this list. Crabtree Falls on the Blue Ridge Parkway is closed. On Nov 3, 2026, the NPS road status page said "Hiking is PROHIBITED at Crabtree Falls due to Helene related damage."
The other two are partly open. At Triple Falls & High Falls, the N.C. Forest Service listed the base stairs and Turkey Knob bridge as closed on Oct 27, 2026. At Linville Falls, the NPS reported the Parkway spur road open on the same date. Hurricane Helene destroyed the visitor center there, and the campground and picnic area remain closed. We also treat the Linville Gorge Trail to the river as closed.
Which way to head from Asheville
The 11 falls lie in several directions from Asheville. All miles below are straight-line distances from the city's Census point.
East: Catawba Falls is near Old Fort in Pisgah National Forest. Reaching the upper falls on the full loop means 580 stairs and a 60-ft tower. The Forest Service lists no fee.
Southeast: Hickory Nut Falls, 19 straight-line miles out, drops 404 ft in Chimney Rock State Park, per NC Parks. The trail sits inside a ticketed attraction run by Chimney Rock Management, LLC. A 1-day adult ticket is $17, as listed Nov 7, 2026. NC Parks did not list its trail among closed trails on Nov 4, 2026, so it is open, as far as we can tell.
South, toward Brevard: Moore Cove, Sliding Rock and Looking Glass Falls cluster off US-276 in the Pisgah Ranger District, 22 to 23 straight-line miles out. Triple Falls & High Falls, in DuPont State Recreational Forest, are 26 miles away in a straight line. The stairs to Triple Falls' base are closed (N.C. Forest Service, Oct 27, 2026).
West, on the Qualla Boundary: Soco Falls and Mingo Falls, at 35 and 41 straight-line miles, are on EBCI tribal land, not national forest. Visit Cherokee, the tribe's tourism site, lists both as free.
Northeast, closed: Crabtree Falls is on the Blue Ridge Parkway between Mileposts 339 and 341, 28 straight-line miles away. Hiking there is prohibited after Helene, per the NPS road status page of Nov 3, 2026. The picnic area is open, and the campground is closed.
Northeast and southwest: Linville Falls is at milepost 316 of the Blue Ridge Parkway, 44 miles off as the crow flies. Whitewater Falls, near Cashiers in Nantahala National Forest, is 46 straight-line miles away. It has the greatest sourced height on this list: 411 ft for the upper falls.
Short walks, steep steps and longer hikes
Five falls on the list need a walk of half a mile or less, going by the trail data on each page. Looking Glass Falls has a roadside deck that is accessible at the top, with stairs down to the creek. Soco Falls is about 0.2 mile from the new EBCI lot, per ncwaterfalls.com, with one steep section.
Mingo Falls is short but steep: about a quarter mile each way, mostly up 161 steps, per Visit Cherokee. Whitewater Falls has a paved walkway of about 0.5 mile round trip to its upper overlook. Sliding Rock is a short walk from its lot.
Hickory Nut Falls Trail runs 0.7 mile each way, and NC Parks rates it moderate. Crabtree's 3-mile loop is moderately strenuous, per NPS, but hiking there is prohibited for now.
Catawba's 3.5-mile loop is a moderate hike. At partly open Linville, the NPS rates the 1.6-mile round-trip Erwins View Trail as moderate. In DuPont, Triple Falls is 0.5 mile one way from the Hooker Falls lot, per Explore Asheville. The stairs to its base are closed (N.C. Forest Service, Oct 27, 2026). Tree work was set to close the High Falls kiosk path there for a day on Nov 6, 2026, with Nov 10 as the rain date.
Swimming: Sliding Rock and the rest
Sliding Rock is the one stop on this list built for getting wet. It is a 60-ft natural slide into a pool 8 to 10 ft deep, per the Forest Service. The rule there is strict: non-swimmers may not slide.
The 2026 lifeguard season, Memorial Day to Labor Day, is over. Sources split on off-season sliding: Explore Asheville says it isn't permitted, while the Forest Service and Naventure are silent on it. Check with the Pisgah Ranger District before you go.
At most other falls near Asheville, plan to stay dry. DuPont bans swimming or wading within 300 ft upstream of any waterfall. The NPS calls swimming in the Linville River dangerous. At Chimney Rock, NC Parks lists no designated swimming area. At Looking Glass Falls the Forest Service notes there is no lifeguard, so we don't recommend swimming there, and Catawba has steep, slippery rock near the upper falls.
South Carolina: Raven Cliff Falls
Raven Cliff Falls in Caesars Head State Park is 32.7 straight-line miles away by our math. SC State Parks gives it 420 feet and calls the trail a four-mile round trip to an overlook.
Trail access costs $3 for adults, per SC State Parks. As far as we can tell (Nov 11, 2026), SC State Parks said all official Mountain Bridge Wilderness trails were open.
Waterfalls near Asheville: FAQ
What is the closest waterfall to Asheville?
In this guide it is Catawba Falls, 17 miles straight-line from the Census point for Asheville. The full loop is 3.5 miles. Destination McDowell puts the lower falls about 1.5 miles each way from the trailhead. It also lists hours as dawn to dusk and allows dogs on a leash no longer than 6 ft.
Which waterfalls near Asheville are easy to reach?
Looking Glass Falls near Brevard needs no real hike: you see it from a deck beside US-276. Moore Cove Falls is 0.7 mile on a trail the Forest Service calls easy, with three footbridge crossings. At Whitewater Falls, a paved path leads to the upper overlook, but the lower overlook is down 154 wooden steps.
What is the prettiest waterfall in North Carolina?
There is no objective answer, so here is a measurable one for this list. Whitewater Falls is the tallest here, at 411 ft for the upper falls per the Forest Service and Wikipedia. Hickory Nut Falls is next at 404 ft, per NC Parks. Catawba Falls follows, with a 205-ft lower falls per the Forest Service. Linville Falls totals about 150 ft over four drops, per Wikipedia.
Where can you swim near Asheville?
The only falls on this list with a clear yes is Sliding Rock, 22 miles straight-line from the city. Naventure, the operator, lists $6 per person, collected at the gatehouse in the staffed season. Outside summer there are no lifeguards, so check the current rules first. Our waterfall safety guide covers cold water and slick rock.
Do I need to pay at waterfalls near Asheville?
At three. Sliding Rock lists $6 per person in the staffed season, per Naventure. Hickory Nut Falls needs a Chimney Rock ticket, $17 per adult as listed Nov 7, 2026. For Whitewater, a 2024 Forest Service proposal gives the day-use rate as $3 per vehicle and proposes $5. Soco and Mingo cost nothing, per Visit Cherokee. No fee appears for Looking Glass, Catawba, Linville, Triple Falls or Moore Cove on the pages we checked. Crabtree is closed to hiking.
Sources
Facts for each waterfall come from its own guide, where every source is listed. The city sources are below.
- USDA Forest Service: Catawba Falls (last updated Sept 30, 2025)
- USFS National Forests in North Carolina: Moore Cove Trail TR318 (updated Jan 21, 2026; read Nov 3, 2026)
- USDA Forest Service: Sliding Rock Recreation Area (last updated June 24, 2026)
- Naventure: Sliding Rock Recreation Area (fee, hours, rules)
- Explore Asheville (Buncombe County TDA): Sliding Rock, what to know (updated Feb 23, 2026)
- USDA Forest Service: Looking Glass Falls Scenic Area (last updated Jan 20, 2026)
- N.C. Forest Service: DuPont closures (last modified Oct 27, 2026)
- Visit Cherokee (EBCI): Waterfalls in Cherokee (Soco Falls and Mingo Falls)
- NPS: Linville Falls (MP 316)
- USDA Forest Service: Whitewater Falls (last updated Jan 5, 2026; Site Open)
- NC Parks: Chimney Rock State Park (trails, fees, swimming; read Nov 4, 2026)
- Chimney Rock at Chimney Rock State Park: Info and tickets (read Nov 7, 2026)
- NPS Blue Ridge Parkway: Road status and closures (as of Nov 3, 2026; read Nov 4, 2026)
- SC State Parks: Caesars Head State Park (Raven Cliff Falls trail, fees, advisory; read Nov 11, 2026)
- US Census Bureau: 2024 Gazetteer Files (places)
State guides: North Carolina waterfalls, South Carolina waterfalls. More cities.
Photos: LTreadwell, CC BY-SA 4.0; US Forest Service, Southern Region, CC BY-SA 2.0; Korlandella, CC0. Photo credits