McGalliard Falls is a waterfall in Burke County,

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

Geology

The waterfall is located on McGalliard Creek, where it flows over a large bedrock to a lower plunge pool.

Natural history

The falls is owned by the town of

Valdese, North Carolina Valdese is a town in Burke County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 4,689 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Hickory-Lenoir- Morganton Metropolitan Statistical Area. One of the largest Waldensian congregations in the United St ...

, which has built a city park around the falls. The falls was the home to a mill called Meytre Grist Mill, which was built in 1906 by Fred Meytre. The mill remained in operation until 1941, when Mr. Meytre became too old to operate the mill without younger men, who were being called to serve during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. The mill was rebuilt in 1982 for the park.McGalliard Falls NC
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Visiting the falls

The falls is located at McGalliard Falls Park in Valdese, North Carolina. The park may be found by taking exit 112 off of

Interstate 40 Interstate 40 (I-40) is a major east–west Interstate Highway running through the south-central portion of the United States. At a length of , it is the third-longest Interstate Highway in the country, after I-90 and I-80. From west to ea ...

and going north to Main Street in Valdese. Head west on Main Street for .8 miles and turn right onto Church St. Go north 1.5 miles to the turn-in for the park on the right. There is a short path to the falls. Visitors should obey all rules at the park concerning the falls, and should not swim near or above the falls.

Nearby falls

High Shoals Falls High Shoals Falls is a waterfall in Burke County, North Carolina. Geology The waterfall is on the Jacob's Fork River, flowing over a large rock outcropping in the South Mountains of North Carolina. The river continues over a series of cascade ...

Catawba Falls Catawba Falls is a series of waterfalls on the headwaters of the Catawba River, in McDowell County, near Old Fort, North Carolina. Geology The Catawba River flows over 2 major waterfalls in a short distance. The first drop, called Upper Cata ...

* Upper Catawba Falls

References

External links

McGalliard Falls Park
{{Authority control Protected areas of Burke County, North Carolina Waterfalls of North Carolina Parks in North Carolina Landforms of Burke County, North Carolina