Waterfall Hero Hikes: Glen Burney Falls (Blowing Rock)

Glen Burney Falls is a 40-foot waterfall on New Year's Creek in Watauga County, North Carolina. The waterfall is located on Glen Burney Trail, a town of Blowing Rock park.

Hike Length: 2.0 miles
Estimated Time: 1 to 2 hours
Difficulty: Moderate
Location: Glen Burney Trail
Trail Users: Hiking only
Dogs: Yes
Features: Waterfalls (1+)
Crowds: Moderate
Warnings: The rocks around waterfalls are slippery.
Trailhead GPS: 36.13263,-81.68043
Waterfall GPS: 36.12347,-81.68413

Directions:

From the intersection of US-221 and Main Street/US-321 Business in downtown Blowing Rock, go south on Main Street for less than a quarter-mile and turn right on Laurel Lane. In about 0.2 miles, after passing Willingford Road, turn left into the Annie Cannon Gardens and the Glen Burney Trailhead.

Map:

Hike Description:

Pick up Glen Burney Trail at the end of the parking area and follow into the woods. In the first 0.4 miles, the trail passes the ruins of the town's old sewer plant and crosses New Year's Creek on a footbridge. At 0.6 miles, the trail passes by the top of the Cascades. The trail gets a little steeper after this point. In another quarter mile, the trail passes an overlook at the top of Glen Burney Falls, but the view is poor here, even in winter. In summer, there's no view at all.

Several people have died here, so don't try to climb out past the overlook. At just under a mile from the start, there is a split. Turn right to reach the base of the waterfall, where left descends to Glen Marie Falls.