Waterfall Hero Hikes: Scotsman Falls (Chattooga)

Scotsman Falls is a beautiful 50-foot waterfall on its namesake creek in Jackson County. The waterfall is located in the Nantahala Ranger District of Nantahala National Forest just inside the Ellicott Rock Wilderness.

Hike Length: 0.1 miles
Estimated Time: < 1 hour
Difficulty: Difficult
Location: Ellicott Rock Wilderness (Nantahala Ranger District of Nantahala National Forest)
Trail Users: Hiking only
Dogs: Yes
Features: Waterfalls (1)
Crowds: Low
Warnings: There path to the falls is steep and requires climbing over large trees. The rocks around the waterfalls are very slippery.
Trailhead GPS: 35.01731,-83.11242
Waterfall GPS: 35.01656,-83.11211

Directions:

To visit the falls, head south on NC-107 from the intersection of US-64 in Cashiers. In 6.9, turn right on Bull Pen Road. This road starts paved and then turns to gravel and becomes Forest Service Road 1178. The pull-off for the waterfall trailhead is 4.3 miles from the turn off NC-107. When you're approaching the trailhead, the road will make a sharp switchback turn to the left and cross over Scotsman Creek. You will pass gated Forest Road 4564 on the right and Scotsman Creek will be to the left. A few hundred feet past FR 4564, the road curves right. Park along the side of the road in the right-hand curve. There's not much of a pull-off here, so be sure to get your vehicle completely off the road.

Map:

Hike Description:

The hike to the falls is short but challenging. Right in the right-hand curve where you parked, you should see a faint trail heading down to the creek. There was flagging tape when I was here. It's not much of a trail and very steep, but you should be able to hear the waterfall, so just keep heading to the sound.

Scotsman Creek Falls is a really beautiful waterfall. The water splits into two free-falling streams and then cascades down. The two streams flow around a small island and there's a nice big rocky area to relax and enjoy the falls.