Lower Wildcat Falls (W Fk Pigeon River)

Lower Wildcat Falls is a 40-foot waterfall on a tributary of West Fork Pigeon River in Haywood County, North Carolina. The waterfall is located in Pisgah National Forest.

Hike Length: 0.2 miles
Estimated Time: 1 hour
Difficulty: Difficult
Location: Pisgah Ranger District of Pisgah National Forest
Trail Users: Hiking only
Dogs: Yes, but the trail is not dog friendly
Features: Waterfalls (1)
Crowds: Low
Warnings: The rocks around the waterfalls are very slippery.  There is no trail to the waterfall and the route is steep and required crossing West Fork Pigeon River.

Trailhead GPS: 35.31511,-82.90854
Waterfall GPS: 35.31540,-82.90740

Directions:

From Brevard, head west on US-64 for about nine miles and turn right on NC-215 north.  Drive about 19.1 miles on NC-215 N to a pull-off on the right side of the road.  If coming from the Blue Ridge Parkway, take NC-215 N and go 2 miles to the pull-off on the right.

Map:

Hike Description:

From the pull-off, walk north on the side of the road and look for a spot to go down very steeply to West Fork Pigeon River. There was some flagging tape when I visited, but the route is steep and with lots of downfall. At the river you want to go upstream a short ways to where the tributary enters the river.

I think its easiest to cross and then go upstream. The waterfall is right here at the confluence. The more well known Wildcat Falls is upstream quite a ways.

Blog Entries:

03-Jul-2017: Middle Prong Waterfalls