Haywood

From the junction of NC 215 and Blue Ridge Parkway at Beech Gap, drive 4.3 miles north on NC 215 to where the road crosses the river on a high bridge. A small pullout is on the left, just beyond the bridge. From the other direction, the bridge is 13.6 miles south of US 276.

North Carolina has plenty of roadside waterfalls, but did you know it also has waterfalls that pass beneath the road? There are a few, and Sunburst Falls is the most dramatic.

You can see the falls from your car, but for the best view you need to get out and walk to the rock wall. The main part of the falls is upstream. Downstream, you’ll get a harrowing view looking down as the water pours out beneath the bridge’s arch. And if you can manage the scramble down to the pool, you’ll find a striking view looking up at the waterfall with the bridge running over it.

View roadside

View from your car or walk a few yards from the pullout to the bridge.

Directly across from the pullout is a scramble path that descends to the pool below the falls. You can also climb down on the river-right bank and view the falls from a big boulder.

To see the upper portion of the falls, you can scramble up on the river-right side. Very few people do this, but those who are used to getting off trail and creekwalking will find it rewarding.

Historical photo of Sunburst Falls . Estimated date is the 1950s. (101I-01)

This historical photo of Sunburst Falls is attributed to Henry Scadin, but I have doubts. It appears that the man is measuring in preparation for building High Arch Bridge over the river, but the bridge was built in the late 1930s and Scadin died in 1923. (101I-03)

This historical photo of Sunburst Falls photo is attributed to Henry Scadin, but I have doubts. It appears that the men are measuring in preparation for building High Arch Bridge over the river, but the bridge was built in the late 1930s and Scadin died in 1923. (101I-04)

Autumn view of Sunburst Falls. (101I-094085)

The NC 215 bridge over Sunburst Falls. (101I-082001)

Autumn view of Sunburst Falls. (101I-0458)

Autumn view of Sunburst Falls. (101I-081978)

Autumn view of Sunburst Falls. (101I-081955)

NC 215 bridge over Sunburst Falls. (101I-082001)

Winter view of Sunburst Falls looking downstream from the bridge. (101I-142572)

Aerial view of NC 215 at Sunburst Falls. (101I-164069)

Aerial view of NC 215 at Sunburst Falls. (101I-164074R)

Aerial view of NC 215 at Sunburst Falls. (101I-164082)

Aerial view of NC 215 at Sunburst Falls. (101I-164088)

Autumn view of Sunburst Falls and NC 215. (101I-200186)

Autumn view of Sunburst Falls and NC 215. (101I-200190)

Autumn aerial view of Sunburst Falls. (101I-0453)

The brink of Sunburst Falls, where part of the river squeezes through a narrow opening in the rocks. (101I-266145)

The brink of Sunburst Falls, where part of the river squeezes through a narrow opening in the rocks. (101I-266277)

The upper section of Sunburst Falls. (101I-266278)

The upper section of Sunburst Falls. (101I-266279)

The upper section of Sunburst Falls. (101I-266280)

The lower section of Sunburst Falls. (101I-266317)

View of Sunburst Falls looking downstream over the Bridge. (101I-266055)

View of Sunburst Falls looking downstream over the Bridge. (101I-266057)

The lower section of Sunburst Falls. (101I-266322)

Summer view of Sunburst Falls. (101I-266323)

Lindsay wedding portrait at Sunburst Falls.

Sunburst Falls is along NC 215, south of Canton and north of Blue Ridge Parkway.

Get Your Bearings

You’ll be viewing the falls from a sharp curve in the road, so stay alert. Drivers may be paying more attention to the falls than the road.

Special Considerations

Sunburst Falls has endured countless floods over the centuries. The 

 no doubt hit it hard, but the road had not yet been built, and I’ve not found evidence that the flood seriously damaged nearby logging operations.

I’ve seen several high-water events at Sunburst Falls—I live just 15 minutes away—but I wonder if there has ever been a three-year stretch that rivals 2021 to 2024.

On August 17, 2021, Tropical Storm Fred dumped a tremendous amount of rain on the upper reaches of West Fork and East Fork Pigeon rivers. The flooding and related landslides killed several people. Canton was inundated. At Sunburst Falls, the river rose over the road—keep that in mind when you stand on the bridge and look far down at the water—buckling pavement, destroying guardrails, and undermining the roadway. Visitors often assume Hurricane Helene caused the undercutting and extensive damage on the river-right side of the falls, but you can thank Fred for that.

, downgraded from a hurricane, struck western North Carolina on a biblical scale on September 26, 2024. It hit both forks of the Pigeon River hard, though not as severely as Fred—or perhaps Fred had already wiped out so much that Helene didn’t seem as bad. At Sunburst Falls, as with Fred, Helene overtopped the road, buckled pavement, and destroyed guardrails.

High water at Sunburst Falls

High Water

Sunburst Falls takes its name from the historic logging town a few miles downstream. In fact, there were two towns named Sunburst. The first stood where Middle Prong joins West Fork Pigeon River, near today’s Sunburst Campground, and included several dozen houses, a general store, barber shop, school, church, and even a skating rink and dance hall.

In 1913, a new sawmill opened four miles north at present-day Lake Logan. This mill town took the Sunburst name, while the original Sunburst was renamed Spruce. Logging at Sunburst ended in the mid-1920s. A few years later, work began on the dam that created Lake Logan.

The origin of the first town’s name is described in 

If Rails Could Talk, Volume 2, Sunburst and Champion Fibre

, 2nd edition: “One morning at Montgomery Smith’s rough construction camp at the unnamed Three Forks village, Peter G. Thomson [founder of Champion Fibre Company] observed the sunrise. The sun seemed to ‘burst’ over a high ridge to the east. ‘We’ll call it Sunburst,’ he said, and so it was. George Smathers [Thomson’s attorney] indicates that it was Montgomery Smith who named the village Sunburst.”237

The upper reaches of West Fork Pigeon River were heavily logged in the early 1900s. Today’s NC 215, which crosses Sunburst Falls, roughly follows the main logging railroad through the gorge. The railroad crossed the river on a trestle just downstream from the present road bridge.

Naming & Logging

There’s no single vantage point for measuring the entire waterfall. It could be measured in sections, but that would take time and effort that I’d rather spend on other waterfall pursuits.

Using LiDAR data, I measured from what I consider the top of the waterfall to the large pool below the bridge and came up with 101 feet. It’s difficult to determine exactly where to start and stop counting on the map. I’d place my margin of error at about +/- 6 feet.

Measuring

One of western North Carolina’s more scenic drives, this section of NC 215 (built in the late 1930s), snakes through West Fork Pigeon River Gorge, closely following the river and offering gorgeous views, especially in autumn. It also provides access to many waterfalls.

As noted above, the road crosses directly over Sunburst Falls. The stone bridge, known as High Arch Bridge by the locals (Triple Arch Bridge is the one upstream), is believed to have been constructed by Civilian Conservation Corps workers in 1937. The CCC also built the stone bridges along US 276 north of Brevard.

The road is part of the Forest Heritage Scenic Byway, which is a National Scenic Byway, a North Carolina Scenic Byway, and a National Forest Scenic Byway. I guess they all wanted a piece of the scenic pie!

Scenic Byway

Most everyone photographs Sunburst Falls from the road and gets back in the car, but you won’t find many waterfalls in North Carolina that offer as many different vantage points. Granted, most of them require some effort, and it may not be safe or possible for some to reach them, but those who are able should explore the options. Check out the photos in the Image Gallery for ideas.

Unfortunately, while the view from the road is terrific, photographing the upstream section of the falls from there has become difficult since a tree branch has grown out into the view. If the wind is calm, it works okay, but that doesn’t happen very often. 

Accessibility:	Roadside view
County:	Haywood
River Basin:	French Broad
Watercourse:	West Fork Pigeon River
Watershed:	Medium
Type and Height:	Long, twisting, cascading, sliding waterfall about 100 feet high
Landowner:	Pisgah NF, Pisgah RD

Beauty Rating:	7
Elevation:	4200 feet
USGS Map:	Sam Knob
Hike Difficulty:	View roadside
Hike Distance:	View roadside or walk a few yards from the parking area
Waterfall GPS:	35.3388, -82.90329
Parking GPS:	35.33864, -82.9038

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