North CarolinaNC Waterfalls

Quick Glance

Ain’t nothing quick about this one!

Detailed Look

I’m describing the hike from both trailheads and including Upper Bee Branch Falls.

From Trace Ridge Trailhead in Pisgah National Forest. Two gated forest roads, close together, begin from the trailhead. FS 5097 is on the right and the continuation of FS 142 is to the left. Take FS 142 and hike 1.6 miles to Hendersonville Reservoir. (Along the way you’ll pass by Waterfall on Long Branch.)

At the lake, take the trail to the right that leads a short distance to the top of Waterfall 1 on Fletcher Creek. Cross the creek and begin hiking Big Creek Trail. You’ll follow the trail for about 2.5 miles, making four crossings of Big Creek, plus a few braid crossings. All should be relatively easy during normal flows.

A quarter mile from the fourth crossing is the Bee Branch crossing. The crossing is nondescript, but it doesn’t really matter if you miss it because you don’t want to cross, anyway. You want to follow Bee Branch upstream on the river-left side to the waterfall. From the trail crossing, you’ll be able to follow an old logging grade for a little bit before it becomes a Class I bushwhack. It’s roughly 0.2 miles up to the falls.

When you reach the falls, you’ll see only the lower section. To view the middle and upper sections, you must bushwhack up the slope, with the river-left side probably easiest. This is a much more difficult bushwhack, but you definitely should see at least the middle section. It wouldn’t be a big deal to miss the upper part, but if you’re continuing to Upper Bee Branch Falls, you’ll see it anyway.

For Upper Bee Branch Falls, you’ll just continue following the creek upstream. It’s less than 0.2 miles from the top of Bee Branch Falls. The woods are nicely open for bushwhacking, but it’s very steep. Along the way you’ll pass a nice little cascade. If you’re hiking in late summer/early autumn, look out for the deep purple flowers of monkshood, a relatively rare plant that grows here.

From the trailhead at Blue Ridge Parkway. Big Creek Trail begins right at the south entrance of the tunnel. You’ll ascend gently and then descend. At 0.2 miles, the trail swings right, while an old road swings left. This road is the bypass road that was used while the tunnel was constructed. You hiked on part of it to get here.

Now the trail begins a steep descent down Little Pisgah Ridge. It follows the ridge closely, using lots of switchbacks. The easiest way to reach Bee Branch Falls is to follow the trail all the way down to the crossing of Bee Branch, then follow Bee Branch upstream on the river-left side to the falls. From Blue Ridge Parkway to the Bee Branch crossing is about 2.1 miles, with an elevation loss of about 1,900 feet.

If you’re planning to see Upper Bee Branch Falls, an easier option is to turn off Big Creek Trail and bushwhack over to the upper falls, then follow the creek downstream to the lower falls and continue down to Big Creek Trail from there. This is the route I like to take.

I don’t know the best spot from which to leave the trail for the upper falls, but the route I took was relatively easy as bushwhacks go. The point I left the trail was 35.42014, -82.72334. It was at an elevation of about 3,500 feet. I climbed up and over a small ridge, then a larger one, then a smaller one. If you follow a direct route to the falls from this GPS point, you’ll hike through mostly open woods on a Class II bushwhack.