Roaring Fork Falls
Busick Work Center Rd, Burnsville, NC
Burnsville, NC
A long ribbon of water sliding down a mossy rock face, reached by a nearly flat forest walk short enough for small children.
Roaring Fork Falls is the rare waterfall that asks almost nothing of you and gives a great deal back. A nearly flat old forest road leads a short way up a shaded cove, and at the end a long ribbon of water comes sliding down a mossy rock face, framed by rhododendron and ending in a quiet pool ringed with granite boulders. It is gentle enough for the smallest hikers yet pretty enough to feel like a real discovery.
The falls sit deep in Pisgah National Forest in the South Toe River country below Mount Mitchell, the highest peak in the eastern United States. Because the walk is easy and the setting so green and secluded, it has become a favorite first waterfall hike for families, and a restful stop for anyone traveling the nearby Blue Ridge Parkway who wants to stretch their legs beside moving water.
What Guests Love
- A long, graceful cascade sliding over a mossy rock face into a calm pool
- An easy, mostly flat walk short enough for toddlers and welcoming to leashed dogs
- Big granite boulders at the base for sitting, picnicking, and cooling off in summer
- A secluded, shaded cove that feels a world away yet is only a short drive off the Parkway
Worth Knowing
- Parking is a small pull-off by the forest gate that fills on weekends, so come early or on a weekday and never block the gate
- The falls run fullest after rain and can be thin in a dry spell, so time a visit for a wet week if you can
- The trail is flat but gravelly with roots and rocks, so it is not stroller or wheelchair friendly
- Cell service is poor to none out here, so know your route before you go and bring water
Details
Burnsville, NC
Learn about Roaring Fork Falls
A gentle walk into a green cove
The route begins at a gate by the Forest Service work center and follows an old road bed, wide and mostly level, into a cool, shaded hollow. Blue blazes mark the way, and the walking is easy enough that children and older visitors manage it comfortably, with only a little rise over the whole distance. It is a round trip of not much more than a mile, so an hour is plenty for the walk out, some time at the falls, and the stroll back.
Along the way the trail passes a couple of old concrete bunkers, once used to store explosives for road and forest work, an odd and memorable landmark half-swallowed by the greenery. Then a short side path branches off toward the sound of falling water, and the cascade comes into view at the head of the cove.
The falls themselves
Roaring Fork does not plunge so much as slide, running down a long, angled face of rock in a bright sheet perhaps a hundred feet from top to bottom. Moss and ferns crowd the wet stone, rhododendron leans in from both sides, and the water gathers in a clear pool at the base where big granite boulders make natural benches. On a warm day people wade at the edge, picnic on the rocks, and simply sit in the mist and the sound.
Like all mountain waterfalls, it is a creature of the weather. After a good rain it roars and fills its whole face; in a dry spell it thins to a gentle trickle. That variability is part of its charm, and it means every visit looks a little different, so it rewards a return trip in a wetter season.
Part of the Mount Mitchell high country
The falls are one small piece of a much bigger playground. They sit in Pisgah National Forest along the South Toe River, a clear mountain stream good for wading and fishing, at a turnoff that also leads to Black Mountain Campground and, higher up, to Mount Mitchell itself. The Blue Ridge Parkway runs just to the south, so the falls fit naturally into a day of overlooks, cool forest, and mountain air.
Because it is public national forest land, there is no gate fee and the falls are open to all, cared for by the Appalachian Ranger District. That makes it an easy, low-cost stop to fold into a bigger loop through the highest mountains in the East, whether you come for ten minutes or linger a whole afternoon by the pool.
Visiting Roaring Fork Falls
The trailhead is easy to miss: look for the turnoff by the work center off NC-80, following signs toward Black Mountain Campground on the South Toe River road. Parking is just a small pull-off by the gate, so it fills quickly on summer weekends. Arrive early or come on a weekday, and be careful never to block the gate itself, since it must stay clear.
Wear shoes that can handle wet, gravelly footing, bring water, and remember that cell service is spotty out here. The falls pair well with the other easy waterfalls and river spots nearby, so a short walk to Roaring Fork can be the first of several stops in a slow, green day in the mountains below Mount Mitchell.
Closest Boutels
The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is an independently owned, editorially selected place to stay.
Things to Do Near Burnsville
Mount Mitchell State Park
About 30 minutes
The highest peak east of the Mississippi, with a summit lookout, cool spruce forest, and trails, reached via the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Black Mountain Campground
About 2 miles
A forest campground on the South Toe River at the same turnoff, a base for river swimming, fishing, and more waterfall hikes.
Setrock Creek Falls
About 2.5 miles
Another short, easy waterfall hike near Black Mountain Campground, an easy add-on to the same trip.
Crabtree Falls
About 7 miles
A tall, scenic waterfall on the Blue Ridge Parkway reached by a loop trail, one of the Parkway's prettiest.