Waterfall Hero Hikes: Upper Catawba Falls (Pisgah)

Upper Catawba Falls is a beautiful 60-foot waterfall near the headwaters of Catawba River in McDowell County. It is much more difficult to reach than Catawba and Lower Catawba Falls. The waterfalls are located in the Old Fort Area of Pisgah National Forest.

Hike Length: 2.3 mile
Estimated Time: 2 to 3 hours
Difficulty: Difficult
Location: Old Fort Area (Grandfather Ranger District of Pisgah National Forest)
Trail Users: Hiking only
Dogs: Yes, but trail is not dog friendly
Features: Waterfalls (3)
Crowds: High
Warnings: The rocks around waterfalls are slippery. Do not climb out on the rocks along the waterfall, many people have fallen to their deaths here.
Trailhead GPS: 35.61389,-82.22998
Waterfall GPS: 35.60197,-82.24753 (Upper Catawba Falls), 35.60406,-82.24533 (Catawba Falls), 35.60653,-82.24316 (Lower Catawba Falls)

Directions:

From I-40 in Old Fort, take exit 73. If coming from the west, at the end of the exit ramp, make a sharp right turn on Catawba River Road and follow for about 3 miles. If coming from the east, at the end of the exit ramp, turn left on Catawba Avenue and then a right on Catawba River Road after crossing under I-40. There is a bridge over Catawba River that leads to a Forest Service parking area for the waterfalls.

Map:

Hike Description:

Pick up the trail at the far end of the parking lot and cross Catawba River on a new footbridge the Forest Service installed. The trail follows the river upstream eventually crossing Clover Patch Branch, which is an easy crossing at about 0.9 miles. Just before the dam, a steep scramble path leads down to the river at the base of Lower Catawba Falls.

After the dam, you'll have to cross Chestnut Branch, another easy crossing and then soon come out at the base of Catawba Falls.

This is the end of the trail and its been easy up to this point. See Catawba and Lower Catawba Falls if only going this far. On river left side of the falls, is an obvious but very steep path that climbs up the side of the waterfall. There's a profile view of the falls here, but don't go out on the rocks as several people have fallen to their deaths here.

The climb up is very steep and there are places where a rope is helpful. At the top, the path levels out a bit and follows the river upstream. Stay close to the river and the path drops to the river just downstream of Upper Catawba Falls.