Waterfall Hero Hikes: Little River Falls (South Mountains)

Little River Falls is a 40-foot waterfall on a tributary of Little River in Burke County, North Carolina. The waterfall is located in South Mountains State Park.

Hike Length: 4 miles
Estimated Time: 2 to 3 hours
Difficulty: Difficult
Location: South Mountains State Park
Trail Users: Hiking only
Dogs: Yes
Features: Waterfalls (1)
Crowds: Low
Warnings: The rocks around waterfalls are very slippery. Don't go near the top of the waterfall as people have died here.
Trailhead GPS: 35.60246,-81.62914
Waterfall GPS: 35.60961,-81.62317

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:

Pick up the blue-blazed Little River Trail from the northeast end of the parking lot. The trail follows an old road up and passes a junction with Raven Rock and then Turkey Ridge Trails. At 1.7 miles, descend and cross the tributary on a footbridge. The trail follows the tributary downstream a short ways then turns left and heads up. Get off the trail here near the top of the falls. This is a very dangerous area and there are no views from the top. An obvious path goes left away from the waterfall. Follow this for a a couple hundred feet to a point where there is a view of the waterfall through the trees.

From here, bushwhack down to the base. It is open at first, but you'll have to climb through dense rhododendron at the bottom. You should come out at a huge boulder at the base of the falls. Climb around the right of the boulder to get a view from the base. In high water, I had to wade to get a decent view.