Setrock Creek Falls is a waterfall in the Pisgah National Forest, in North Carolina.

Geology

The falls is located at the base of

Mount Mitchell Mount Mitchell, known in Cherokee as Attakulla, is the highest peak of the Appalachian Mountains and the highest peak in mainland eastern North America. It is located near Burnsville in Yancey County, North Carolina in the Black Mountain subra ...

, the tallest mountain in the United States east of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...

, on Setrock Creek, a small

tributary A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainage ...

of the

South Toe River The South Toe River is a river in Yancey County in Western North Carolina. The name Toe is taken from its original name Estatoe, pronounced 'S - ta - toe', a native American name associated with the Estatoe trade route leading down from the NC m ...

, which itself is a tributary of the Nolichucky River. The creek falls over multiple steep to near-vertical sections of rock under a solid canopy of trees. It has low water flow which can slow to a mere trickle in dry weather. The water clings to the rocks on its way down and ends in a nice pool at the bottom.

Height

There are some disputes as to the height of the falls. Kevin Adams' book, North Carolina Waterfalls, lists the height as "about 55 ft (17 m) high", whereas the North Carolina Waterfalls website lists the height as .

Visiting the Falls

From the intersection of NC 80 and the

Blue Ridge Parkway The Blue Ridge Parkway is a National Parkway and All-American Road in the United States, noted for its scenic beauty. The parkway, which is America's longest linear park, runs for through 29 Virginia and North Carolina counties, linking Shenand ...

, go 2.2 miles north on NC 80 and turn left on South Toe River Road. Passing the access to Roaring Fork Falls, go 2.19 miles to the fork, go right, and go 0.61 miles further to the Black Mountain Campground. From the hiker parking area, enter the campground and take the drive furthest to the left, on Briar Bottom Road. Just over 200 yards from the parking area, the drive crosses a small creek. Take the trail on the left, pass the start of the Mount Mitchell Trail, cross Little Mountain Creek, take the right-hand path 200 yards to the falls.

Nearby Falls

* Roaring Fork Falls *

Mitchell Falls Mitchell Falls is a waterfall located in Yancey County, North Carolina on the slope of Mount Mitchell, the highest mountain in the Appalachian Mountain chain and highest point in the eastern United States. The falls, the mountain and its relate ...

Douglas Falls Douglas Falls are a 60-foot waterfall located in Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. It is on a tributary of Waterfall Creek which flows into the Ivy River, and it is within the Big Ivy section of the Pisgah National Forest. The stream ...

* Walker Falls *

Crabtree Falls Crabtree Falls is one of the tallest sets of waterfalls in the United States east of the Mississippi River. It is located in the George Washington National Forest in Nelson County, Virginia, off of Virginia State Route 56. The name of the falls ...

References

External links

Setrock Creek Falls on NCWaterfalls.com
{{Authority control Waterfalls of North Carolina Protected areas of Yancey County, North Carolina Pisgah National Forest Waterfalls of Yancey County, North Carolina