Waterfall Hero Hikes: Rufus Morgan Falls

Rufus Morgan Falls is a 60-foot waterfall on Left Prong Rough Fork in Macon County, North Carolina. The waterfall is located near Wayah Bald in Nantahala National Forest.

Hike Length: 1.1 miles
Estimated Time: 1 to 2 hours
Difficulty: Moderate

Location: Wayah Bald (Nantahala Ranger District of Nantahala National Forest)

Trail Users: Hiking only
Dogs: Yes
Features: Waterfalls (1)
Crowds: High
Warnings: The rocks around waterfalls are slippery.
Trailhead GPS: 35.14666,-83.54742
Waterfall GPS: 35.14266,-83.54805

Directions:

From Franklin, head west on US-64 for 3.5 miles past US-441 and turn right on Patton Road. Go 0.3 miles and turn left on Wayah Road. Drive 6.4 miles and turn left on gravel Forest Road 388. Follow this for 2 miles to a parking area at the trailhead for Rufus Morgan Trail. Note that FR-388 is gated in winter.

Map:

Hike Description:

From the parking area, pick up the blue-blazed Rufus Morgan Trail (#27) behind the sign and initially climb up via switchbacks. At about 0.4 miles, the trail crosses Left Prong Rough Fork on a small footbridge.

Just upstream is a small sliding waterfall.

Right past here is a split, where left continues the loop back to the parking area. Go right to climb a few hundred feet to the base of the waterfall.