Southeast Waterfall & Hiking Guide

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Dry Falls

Posted on February 15, 2016 Written by 2 Comments

Nearby Areas: Highlands, Nantahala National Forest   State: North Carolina   Ease of Trail: Easy, Roadside

 

Dry Falls side viewDry Falls is my favorite waterfall that you can walk behind. Dry Falls is 75 feet in height and is on the Cullasaja River flowing through the beautiful Nantahala National Forest. This waterfall is located in Highlands, North Carolina and has road access from US Highway 64 with a good sized parking area.

The hike distance is 0.2 miles to the waterfall. The trail to Dry Falls is paved and goes right up to, behind and around the waterfall to the other side. This gives photographers multiple angles to get great shots.

There’s also a little spot behind the waterfall that looks like a tiny cave. My kids liked to pretend it was their “hidden cave”. It’s not real tall, so adults will need to squat to fit.

There’s a lot of spray behind the waterfall, so you will probably get wet (despite it being named Dry Falls). But, you can walk to the other side of the falls to get a different perspective. However, if you don’t want to get wet, you can always just view the waterfall at the observation platform.

There are really no bad views of this waterfall once you get on the paved trail. There are some stairs as part of this trail, but the steps are wide enough for people to go up and down at the same time and are easy to climb. Pay attention to where you are walking as the path runs right beside a rocky outcropping and you don’t want to run into it.

I would recommend this waterfall to people of all ages. However if you want photos during the summer without people in your photographs, I would recommend visiting Dry Falls on a weekday.

Dry Falls is open year round. During the winter the mist from the waterfall can freeze on the path and cause the stairs to become slippery or icy. Make sure you take it slow and use the handrails.

Other nearby waterfalls include: Cullasaja Falls, Bust Your Butt Falls, and Bridal Veil Falls.

Dry Falls

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Directions

From Highlands: Take Highway 64 west for about 3 miles from the Highway 106 intersection. Pass Bridal Veil Falls, then look for a brown and white for Dry Falls and turn left into the parking area.

Google Map: Map Link

GPS Coordinates

To the Trailhead:35.0681° N, 83.2391° W

Nearby Areas: Highlands, Nantahala National Forest

State: North Carolina

Ease of Trail: Easy, Roadside

Comments

  1. Linda says

    May 26, 2016 at 9:54 PM

    Loved this falls, maybe because we honeymooned in Highlands and I would have loved anything I saw with my honey. Worth seeing

    Reply
  2. Eugenia says

    November 22, 2016 at 1:57 PM

    This is one of our family’s favorites. We try to visit it at least once a year. Well worth the drive!

    Reply

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