Catheys Creek Falls Highly recommended waterfall for everyone!

High Falls

Catheys Creek Falls

Nikon D800, Nikon 17-35mm lens at 24mm, f/13, 3 seconds, ISO 100, polarizing filter.

Beauty Rating:
7
Accessibility:
Trail
River:
Catheys Creek
River Basin:
French Broad
Watershed:
Small
Elevation:
2,520 feet
Type and Height:
Long series of cascades above a main sliding cascade about 45 feet high
Landowner:
Pisgah National Forest, Pisgah Ranger District
County:
Transylvania
USGS Map:
Rosman
Hike Distance:
A little over 100 yards
Hike Difficulty:
6
Photo Rating:
6
Compass:
320°
Canopy:
Partial
Waterfall GPS:
Trailhead GPS:
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Driving Directions

If you’re in the Davidson River vicinity of the national forest, drive to Gloucester Gap, which is on FR 475 some 6.05 miles from US 276. From the gap, take FR 471 (Catheys Creek Road) for 4.8 miles to a tiny pullout on the left 0.2 mile beyond where the road crosses Catheys Creek. You’ll pass the trailhead for Kuykendall Falls on the way.

To get here from downtown Brevard, drive 3.3 miles west on US 64, turn right at the sign for Kuykendall Group Camp, make an immediate left on Catheys Creek Road, and drive 3.2 miles to the pullout. Catheys Creek Road is unpaved after 0.7 mile.

Hike Description

Follow the obvious path down from the road to the base of the falls. The path is steep but short.

Overview

The 1938 publication Scenic Resources of the Tennessee Valley got a little carried away when it stated, “Perhaps the most beautiful waterfalls in this part of Pisgah Forest occur along a section of Catheys Creek.” Catheys Creek Falls is scenic, for sure, but I wouldn’t rate it higher than some others in the area. In the authors’ defense, outsiders knew about few of the region’s waterfalls in 1938.

In all the times I’ve visited this waterfall since the early 1990s, I’ve rarely seen it clear of downfall, and trees have always been lodged at the downstream edge of the pool. Immediately below the pool is another waterfall. It’s tiny compared to the main falls. On the far side of the pool there is a sandy beach, somewhat of a rarity for western North Carolina waterfalls.

According to Jim Bob Tinsley in The Land of Waterfalls, the creek and falls were named for George Cathey, a captain in the Revolutionary War who was awarded land in the area for his service.