Waterfall Hero Hikes: Sam Branch Falls (Pisgah)

Sam Branch Falls is a tall waterfall on Sam Branch, a tributary of West Fork Pigeon River, in Haywood County, North Carolina. The waterfall is located in Pisgah National Forest near Shining Rock Wilderness.

Hike Length: 1.4 miles
Estimated Time: 2 to 3 hours
Difficulty: Difficult
Location: Pisgah Ranger District of Pisgah National Forest
Trail Users: Hiking only
Dogs: Yes
Features: Waterfalls (2+)
Crowds: Moderate
Warnings: The rocks around the waterfalls are very slippery. There is no trail to the waterfall, the route involves creek-walking and bushwhacking around waterfalls on the creek.

Trailhead GPS: 35.33962,-82.90110
Waterfall GPS: 35.33875,-82.89137

Directions:

From Brevard, head west on US-64 for about nine miles and turn right on NC-215 north. Drive about 21.2 miles on NC-215 N to a pull-off on the right side of the road in a sharp left-hand turn. The pull-off is about 4 miles north of the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Map:

Hike Description:

From the parking, take a steep path that heads up the bank to an old logging grade. Turn left and follow the path for 0.25 miles to the end at the middle of Lower Sam Branch Falls.

Cross the creek here and immediately after crossing, climb up the steep path up along the waterfall. There are some slippery rocks to navigate. Continue to follow this narrow, overgrown path until it passes a chute waterfall on Sam Branch and turns left to head up. Go straight from here down to the creek. You should come out near the base of this small waterfall.

At this point, the last quarter mile is in the creek. Rock hop, scramble and wade to continue up the creek. The only reason to leave the creek is to bushwhack to get around the many small waterfalls on Sam Branch.

We got out of the creek on river left each time to bushwhack around the waterfalls. It's steep and lots of rhododendron but typically short to get back in the creek.

The very last bushwhack section was the only time we got out of the creek on river right, to bypass one last difficult spot.

The views along the creek are very nice.

After creek-walking about 0.2 miles, you'll reach the beautiful Sam Branch Falls. Although there are numerous small waterfalls along the creek, there's no question when you reach the real one.