Corbin Creek Falls (Whitewater)

Corbin Creek Falls, also called Laurel Falls, is a tall waterfall on Corbin Creek just upstream of Whitewater River in Transylvania County, North Carolina.  The waterfall is located in the Pisgah Ranger District of Pisgah National Forest.

Hike Length: 2 miles
Estimated Time: 2 hours
Difficulty: Moderate
Location: Pisgah Ranger District of Pisgah National Forest
Trail Users: Hiking
Dogs: Must be on a leash
Features: Waterfalls (2)
Crowds: Low
Warnings: The rocks around the waterfalls are very slippery.  There is no good place to view the falls.
Trailhead GPS: 35.02908,-83.01603
Waterfall GPS: 35.03420,-83.01244

Directions:

From Brevard, head west on US-64 for about 18 miles.  After passing Lake Toxaway, turn left on NC-281 south.  Drive 8.6 miles and turn left into Whitewater Falls Recreation Area and park.  There is a nominal fee to access, payable at self serve kiosks.

Map:

Hike Description:

From the parking area, follow the paved Whitewater Falls Trail to the first overlook then descend the stairs to the second overlook for Upper Whitewater Falls.

From here, descend to the Foothills Trail and go left to keep switchbacking down.  In winter, there a views of Corbin Creek Falls along the trail.  This gives a good idea of just how big the waterfall is.

The trail continues going down to Whitewater River and crosses on a footbridge.

In another 0.1 miles, there is a small footbridge over Corbin Creek.  The waterfall is immediately upstream, but this is only the very lower portion.

After crossing the footbridge, an obvious path on river left leads further up the waterfall.

The waterfall keeps going up but this is as far as I went.

Blog Entries:

03-Jan-2021: White Cliffs and Falls

External Links:

US Forest Service website: https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/nfsnc/specialplaces/?cid=stelprdb5188436