The Smoky Mountains National Park has innumerable waterfalls and all of them are beautiful. Some are very hard to reach and require good experience in extraneous hiking while others require a lot of bush whacking to reach the falls.
It is very hard to choose a handful from these amazing waterfalls. I chose based on my perception of beauty & serenity of the waterfall, the uniqueness of some and finally based on feedback from some of my patrons who bought large prints of these Smoky Mountains Waterfalls.
1. Dry Falls in Nantahala National Forest
The other name for Dry Falls is the Upper Cullasaja Falls & is located in the Nantahala National Forest in North Carolina. This is a 65 feet waterfall but its hard to photograph the entire height because there is no easy way down into the ravine below.
The Dry Falls is easily accessible and beautiful all year round. The best time is around September – October when there is enough moisture in the air and you may also capture the beauty of the fall foliage colors around the falls.
2. Grassy Creek Falls in Pisgah National Forest
The Grassy Creek Falls is a multi-tiered waterfall of which the main drop is about 25 feet. There are a couple of ways to get to the base of this waterfall but both of them are steep. I was photographing the Grassy Creek falls in rain, which made it very difficult for me to climb down & then back-up to the trail and the slope appeared to be incredibly steep and slippery for me.
The hike from the parking lot is about a mile and passes through a privately owned land. But the owners do not mind hikers as long as they remain on the trail. This image of the Grassy Creek Falls has been made into very large immersive prints, stretching from wall to wall, almost giving the feeling that you are at the waterfall!
3. Schoolhouse Falls in Nantahala National Forest
This picturesque little waterfall is a 25 feet run off from the Greenland Creek in Nantahala National Forest in the Ashville area of North Carolina. The half mile hike is fairly easy (I do not hike at all and felt it was quite manageable) and there are several unique ways to photograph this waterfall from all the directions.
While I was there, a small group of adventurous photographers were also trying shots from behind the waterfall! I am sure it would have come out great.
4. Catawba Falls in Pisgah National Forest
This is part of the Catawba Falls, there is also an Upper Catawba Falls but I could never see that because the trail was badly broken almost every time I went there. The hike from the parking area is about a mile and a half to the Upper Catawba Falls. But all along the stream there are numerous cascades and each one of them could be photographed for days!
5. Moore Cove Falls in Pisgah National Forest
The Moore Cove Falls in the Pisgah National Forest is a little hard to photograph except for in rainy seasons. Most of the year, this remains a trickle and only after some heavy rain, you can see the true beauty of this 50 feet waterfall. The picture above was taken after days of heavy rain, while the picture below was done after a mild rain.
There is a small cave at the foot of this waterfall. Many photographers find that an interesting position to photograph the falls. I have not tried that point of view but have shot around the base of the waterfall and also done some unique panoramas.
The nearby Looking Glass Falls get a lot of attention compared to this hidden gem. A very easy drive and a comfortable 1 mile hike (approximately) leads to this waterfall.
6. Looking Glass Falls in Pisgah National Forest
The name of this waterfall comes from the Looking Glass Rock which looks shiny and reflective like a looking glass in winter when the water on either sides freeze into ice. This is one of the most popular tourist spots and almost always heavily populated. I always chose rainy days or very cold wintry days to do my pictures but even then there were a few tourists in the area.
I love taking pictures of waterfalls. And although this is a small collection of some of the North Carolina waterfalls, there are a lot more that I have not seen. There are several Facebook groups focused just on Waterfalls in North Carolina and especially in the Ashville & Smoky Mountains National Park regions that could offer tips and assistance if you are interested in visiting them.