Shunkawauken Falls

Shunkawauken Falls is a very tall waterfall on Horse Creek, in Polk County, North Carolina.  The waterfall is on private property but can be viewed from the road.

Hike Length: < 0.1 miles
Estimated Time: < 1 hour
Difficulty: Easy
Location: Private
Trail Users: N/A
Dogs: Must be leashed
Features: Waterfalls (1)
Crowds: Moderate
Warnings: Use caution on the walking on the road and do not leave the road right-of-way.
Trailhead GPS: 35.27142,-82.21430
Waterfall GPS: 35.27213,-82.21471

Directions:

From Hendersonville, head east on I-26 and take exit 67 in Columbus. Go right at the fork for US-74 E and then take the exit for NC-108 to Columbus. Go about a half-mile on NC-108 (W Mills St) and turn left on Houston Road. You'll have to go right to stay on Houston Road. In about a mile, turn left on White Oak Mountain Road. This road is very steep and windy - if you get car sick, you won't enjoy this drive. It's about 1.8 miles to a small gravel pull-off on the left, right before the falls. If you reach the falls, you've gone too far and it's tricky to turn around on this road.

Map:

Hike Description:

From the pull-off, walk up the road a short ways to see the waterfall.  It's all private property so you must stay in the road right-of-way.

From the pull-off, the lower portion of the waterfall is partly visible in winter.

Blog Entries:

13-Jan-2024: Polk County Waterfalls

23-Aug-2015: DuPont State Forest Waterfalls