Alarka Falls (Nantahala)

Alarka Falls is a tall cascading waterfall on Alarka Creek in Swain County, North Carolina.  The waterfall is located in the Nantahala Ranger District of Nantahala National Forest.

Hike Length: 1.0 mile
Estimated Time: 1 hour
Difficulty: Moderate

Location: Nantahala Ranger District of Nantahala National Forest

Trail Users: Hiking only
Dogs: Yes
Features: Waterfalls (1)
Crowds: Low
Warnings: The rocks around waterfalls are slippery.
Trailhead GPS: 35.33650,-83.37813
Waterfall GPS: 35.33822,-83.37051

Directions:

From Bryson City, head south on US-19 for about 3.5 miles.  At US-74 interchange, go straight to get on Alarka Road.  Follow this road for 8.6 miles to a parking area at the end.  It changes to gravel about a half-mile before the end.

Map:

Hike Description:

From the parking area, go straight on an obvious trail that heads upstream along Alarka Creek.  There are some nice cascades along the way.

Towards the end, the trail gets very close to the creek and becomes very rocky.

It's a tall waterfall, but hard to see the entire thing from one point.

Here's a video of the falls in icy conditions.

Blog Entries:

27-Dec-2020: Alarka & Indian Camp Creek Falls

24-May-2013: Alarka Falls