Catawba Water Falls-A North Carolina Cascade of Beauty

Catawba Falls is a must see for the waterfall enthusiast. The falls are located deep in the Pisgah National Forest in Western North Carolina and only a few years ago were opened to the public, having been privately owned prior to that. It is owned now by the Foothills Conservancy and managed by the Appalachian District of the Pisgah National Forest. This part of the Forest is in McDowell County and an easy find just off the Blue Ridge Parkway and Interstate 40.

From Interstate 40, take Exit 73 at Old Fort. From west of Old Fort, take I-40 east down the Old Fort grade and get off at Exit 73. Before the exit ramp ends, take the right hand turn onto Catawba Falls Rd. If you are coming from east of Old Fort, get on I-40 west and get off at the same Old Fort exit. Turn left and go under the interstate. Take the 1st right that looks like you are heading up the off ramp for I-40 east traffic. This is a two way traffic lane for a very short distance (just a few car lengths) to Catawba Falls Rd where you MUST turn left. There is a sign for Catawba Falls Campground. Drive about three miles to the end of the road and park on the shoulder of the road. There are several private residences there, do NOT park in their driveways or in the yards.

Walk to the old bridge and through the gate. It has an opening for foot traffic only, although we did see signs that horses had been on the trail. At this point you are on private property so please be appreciative of that. Walk straight ahead to the privately owned barn (do not pry) and then to the left where the Pisgah National Forest begins. The trail is nicely laid out and an easy walk. It is about one and one half miles to the Lower Catawba Falls from this point. The elevation at this point is 1,650 feet and you will climb 700 feet higher as the trail inclines uphill.

As you hike, the river will be on your left. Be prepared to cross the creek three times. The water was very low on this visit so we had no trouble crossing on rocks and a fallen log. After heavy rains or snow melt, the water will be higher so be ready to get your feet wet or remove your shoes for the crossings. The first crossing is the most difficult although my eight year old scrambled over with no problem.

Shortly after the second crossing there is a small waterfall on the left. The water spills out at the base of a wall, all that remains of a hydro-electric facility built back in 1923. These are the ruins of the dam that supplied the old powerhouse. One can get down to the water by following a small path. Be careful, it is slick in this entire area. Do NOT attempt to walk, lean on or in any other way use the old wall. It is crumbling and not stable. If the fall didn’t kill a person, he would drown in the water below. However these ruins make for an amazingly beautiful photo opportunity so I was happy.

As the hike proceeds, the trail winds uphill for a while with several small waterfalls off to the left. After a third creek crossing, the dry wash is easy to cross or ford because of the huge boulders and a fallen tree. Lower Catawba Falls is a short distance and this area is comprised of gorgeous and giant boulders. The trail gets lost here but stay to the right and up the hill slightly to the base of the falls. There is a lovely wading pool with glorious views of the cascades above. The water has carved out terraces and the water cascades for over one hundred feet. Winter viewing is better to see the complete falls because the forest closes in and obscures the view above. I overhead a person state the Forest Service should trim back the trees to allow for a better view. I informed him that would be interfering with nature and he shortly thereafter took his five hundred dollar hiking boots and left.

Climbing up the falls here is easy because of the size of the rocks, but be very careful. They are covered with moss and general water slime and if one were to fall and break something, there is no way for emergency personnel to get in and out easily or quickly. Many people fall to their deaths every year at waterfalls, mostly because they do not heed warning signs or follow directions. It you must climb, do so downstream where the water level is lower and the rocks drier.

There are three falls total right in this area. Upper Falls is very dangerous to reach and the trail is actually closed. A warning sign is posted but we saw several people go up anyway. The trail turns into a wall where one has to pull oneself up with handholds like a rock climber. The climber is exposed to the sheer, open side of the falls and a slip could send one all the way down to the bottom, a fall of approximately two hundred feet. According to the Catawba River Keeper website an experienced hiker said “the trek to the Upper Falls is more technical than the trek to the base camp on Mt. Everest.” If one makes it to the top, the climb down is even more treacherous and difficult.

I recommend you sit down and enjoy the cool water and refresh from the hike to this point. There is much to see and enjoy. A swarm of tiny periwinkle butterflies kept us company and a large black and blue butterfly posed for photographs also. Take your dog. He will have fun hunting crawdads in the wading pool, although you will have wet dog smell in the car for weeks afterward. If you see yellow jackets, stay away from them. They are angry little critters and will sting you if they can. They also travel with dozens of close kin.

When leaving the falls, take the same trail back to the road. While walking keep in mind this used to be a stagecoach trail and allowed for settlers to enter the mountains in western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee and beyond on the way out west.. Sadly, groups of local militia contributed to killing and forcing the Cherokee people from this area. As one walks the trail with this in mind, the forest seems even more to become a sacred place full of spiritual significance as well as natural beauty and wonder.

If you are in western North Carolina, please visit the Catawba Falls and Old Fort for an experience never to be forgotten.

Here is an actual journal entry from 1888: “Stories from 1888. Having had our hair cropped, we set out next morning, following the fountain pipe, for Catawba Falls, which we reached this time without difficulty. On every side the forest was thick with the white and pink ivy, which was now in full blossom, mingled with the white laurel and the superb azalea – white, scarlet and brilliant orange. In going to the falls we followed, the last mile of the way, the course of a stream, entirely without a path, down a very wild and steep yet extremely beautiful gorge. We had almost despaired of ever finding the falls, when suddenly we found ourselves at their foot. They are in two divisions. The lower is a succession of cascades, the whole aggregating nearly two hundred feet. Very beautiful they are, but the upper falls, with their single plunge, are still more so. The climb to the latter was like trying to walk up a wall. Fort two hundred yards or more, we had to hold on to trees and bushes every step lest we fall and know no more. North Carolina University magazine. University of North Carolina “A Mountain Tramp: From Black Mountain to Highlands.” 1888”

The beauty and majesty of nature is an intentional gift from God the Creator. One cannot experience it without acknowledging there is more than mankind at work in the Universe. And I know that is the only living God-Jehovah. I thank Him for giving us beauty while providing the necessity of life giving water. And for a healthy body that can hike into these amazing places and photograph them, write about them and offer them to people unable to do this for themselves. I am blessed to be a blessing and hope this has allowed you to know that God is always thinking of you.

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