Buckeye Falls (Middle Prong)

Buckeye Falls is a waterfall in several section on Buckeye Creek in Haywood County, North Carolina.  The waterfall is located in Middle Prong Wilderness in Pisgah National Forest.

Hike Length: 3.0 miles
Estimated Time: 2 to 3 hours
Difficulty: Difficult
Location: Middle Prong Wilderness (Pisgah Ranger District of Pisgah National Forest)
Trail Users: Hiking only
Dogs: Yes
Features: Waterfalls (1)
Crowds: Low
Warnings: Part of the hike is off trail and requires walking up the creek.  The rocks around waterfalls are slippery
Trailhead GPS: 35.31351,-82.95398
Waterfall GPS: 35.32626,-82.94146

Directions:

From Brevard, head west on US-64 for about nine miles and turn right on NC-215 north. Drive about 17.5 miles on NC-215 N to a large pull-off on the left side of the road. The pull-off is just under a half-mile north of the parkway. If coming from the Blue Ridge Parkway, take NC-215 N and go 0.4 miles to the pull-off on the left.

Map:

Hike Description:

From the parking area, follow the Mountains-to-Sea Trail a short ways to a split and go left on Haywood Gap Trail (#142) and enter Middle Prong Wilderness. The trail follows Haywood Gap Stream steeply down and crosses where a tributary enters the creek. In just over a mile, the trail crosses Middle Prong. Get in the creek and go upstream to the confluence of Buckeye Creek and Haywood Gap Stream. Buckeye Creek is on the left. Follow the creek upstream for just under a quarter mile. There are a series of cascades that you'll need to climb up before reaching the falls. The banks of the creek are very steep with dense rhododendron so easiest to stay in the creek except to get around cascades.

Blog Entries:

04-Aug-2018: Flooded Falls