Crabtree Falls is a
waterfall
A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf.
Waterfalls can be formed in severa ...
located near the boundary of
McDowell County and
Yancey County, North Carolina
Yancey County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 18,470. Its county seat is Burnsville.
This land was inhabited by the Cherokee prior to European settlement, as was much of the ...
.
Geology and Natural History
Crabtree Falls is a 70 ft. cascade on Big Crabtree Creek. The creek spreads over a rock face with many small ledges, giving it a delicate appearance, before trickling into a clear pool at the base. Though there are hardly any crabtrees here now, in the spring, an impressive array of wildflowers abound on the trail, including four species of
trillium
''Trillium'' (trillium, wakerobin, toadshade, tri flower, birthroot, birthwort, and sometimes "wood lily") is a genus of about fifty flowering plant species in the family Melanthiaceae. ''Trillium'' species are native to temperate regions of No ...
.
[Adams, Kevin. North Carolina Waterfalls, pp. 137-140] By July, ferns fill the forest and soak in the spray of the falls, with
rosebay rhododendron in bloom.
History
The Celo USGS topographic quadrangle map labels this falls "Upper Falls", and shows another waterfall some distance away and on another creek being called Crabtree Falls. Originally, the falls was known as Murphy's Falls and a small community was located nearby, including a church and blacksmith shop. When the Blue Ridge Parkway was constructed in the 1930s, the falls was renamed Crabtree Falls by the National Park Service.
Visiting the falls
The trailhead is located outside Crabtree Falls Campground at mile marker 339.5 on 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 Shenan ...
. A trail leads to a footbridge over the creek at the base of the falls. The trailhead loop starts at the parking area just before the entrance to the campground, and is a medium to strenuous hike at just under 2.5 miles in length. The path to the falls is a rugged, downhill 0.9-mile, with a gentler 1.5-mile uphill return following Crabtree creek upstream before looping back to the parking area.
[Logue, Logue & Blouin. (1997) Guide To The Blue Ridge Parkway; Menasha Ridge Press; ]
Nearby Falls
*
Murphy Falls
*
Big Crabtree Falls
*
Grassy Creek Falls
*
Falls of Gouges Creek
Gallery
Image:Crabtree_Falls_7.JPG, Crabtree Falls
File:Crabtree Falls,Crabtree Meadows, NC(1).jpg, Crabtree Falls
Image:Crabtree_Falls_4.JPG, Crabtree Falls
Image:Crabtree_Falls_18.JPG, Crabtree Falls
File:Crabtree Falls, Crabtree Meadows, NC(2).jpg, Crabtree Falls
Image:Crabtree_Falls_5.jpg, Crabtree Falls
Image:Crabtree_Falls_1.jpg, Crabtree Falls
Image:Crabtree_Falls_Winter.jpg, Winter
Image:Crabtree_Falls_@_Wintertime.jpg, Winter
Image:Crabtree_Falls_11.JPG, Foot Bridge
Image:Crabtree_Falls_Upper_Stream.jpg, Crabtree Creek Upstream
References
External links
Crabtree Falls at NCWaterfalls.com
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Protected areas of Yancey County, North Carolina
Waterfalls of North Carolina
Blue Ridge Parkway
Waterfalls of Yancey County, North Carolina