Sand Creek Falls (Santeetlah)

Sand Creek Falls is a 50-foot waterfall on its namesake, a tributary of Santeetlah Creek, in Graham County, North Carolina.  The waterfall is located in the Cheoah Ranger District of Nantahala National Forest.

Hike Length: 2.4 miles
Estimated Time: 2 hours
Difficulty: Moderate
Location: Cheoah Ranger District of Nantahala National Forest
Trail Users: Hiking only
Dogs: Yes
Features: Waterfalls (1)
Crowds: Low
Warnings: The rocks around waterfalls are slippery.
Trailhead GPS: 35.34863,-83.97623
Waterfall GPS: 35.35494,-83.99255

Directions:

From Robbsinville, head north on US-129 and turn left on NC-143.  Drive 10.3 miles to the start of Cherohola Skyway and go right, then immediate left onto Forest Road 81 that descends down to Santeetlah Creek.  Go 6 miles on this gravel road and park at FR-81E just before the bridge over Sand Creek.

Map:

Hike Description:

Hike up FR-81E for about 0.3 miles until it switchbacks to the right and away from Sand Creek.  Follow an overgrown path that continues upstream.  At 0.5 miles, the trail crosses a tributary where a small bridge has collapsed and then crosses Wolf Laurel Branch.

At 1.2 miles, there is an old blue piece of a car.  Go up at the point to bypass the rhododendron and come out near the base of the falls.  There is a lot of downed trees at the base that obstruct the view.

Blog Entries:

01-Nov-2020: Slickrock and Sand Creek