High Shoals Falls (South Mountains)

High Shoals Falls is a 50-foot waterfall on Jacob Fork in Burke County, North Carolina.  The waterfall is located in South Mountains State Park.

Hike Length: 2.0 miles
Estimated Time: 1 hour
Difficulty: Moderate
Location: South Mountains State Park
Trail Users: Hiking only
Dogs: Yes
Features: Waterfalls (1)
Crowds: High
Warnings: The rocks around waterfalls are very slippery.
Trailhead GPS: 35.60246,-81.62914
Waterfall GPS: 35.59448,-81.63553

Directions:

From I-40 in Morganton, take exit 106 and go south on NC-18.  In 11 miles, turn right on Sugarloaf Road and go 4.3 miles.  Turn left on Old NC-18 and go 2.7 miles and turn right on Ward Gap Road. Go 1.4 miles and turn right on South Mountains Park Road to enter the park.  Follow for 3.4 miles to the parking area at the end.

Map:

Hike Description:

From the parking area, pick up the blue-blazed High Shoals Falls Loop Trail that follows an old road past the restrooms.  At 0.5 miles, the trail splits.  Go left and cross the Jacob Fork below some scenic cascades way below the waterfall.

The trail then gets quite steep and climbs up along the creek with numerous stairs.  At 1 mile, there is an viewing platform for the waterfall.

Here's a video of the falls.

Blog Entries:

27-Feb-2021: Big Bear Falls

29-Jul-2018: South Mountains Day Hike

26-Oct-2014: One More Waterfall!

External Links:

NC State Parks website: https://www.ncparks.gov/south-mountains-state-park/home