Dry Falls 
Nikon D700, Nikon 17-35mm lens at 17mm, f/16, 1/4 second, ISO 400, polarizing filter.
View waterfall on Google Earth. Link is for a Google Earth file. Click file after download and Google Earth will open and fly to the waterfall. Don't have Google Earth on your computer?
Driving Directions
From NC 106 in Highlands, drive 3.15 miles west on US 64 to the parking area on the left.
Hike Description
Follow the obvious paved path from the lower end of the parking area down to the falls. A new handicapped-accessible boardwalk also leads from the parking area to a viewpoint for the falls.
Overview
The idea is to walk behind the falls without getting wet—hence the name Dry Falls. Sounds good, but try to do so when the water’s up and you’ll call it Drenched Falls. The waterfall is among the most popular in the region, so you can expect company unless you arrive early in the morning. Visit on a weekend in the tourist season and you’ll have to wait for a parking space.
Since the last edition of my North Carolina Waterfalls book, the Forest Service has built a new parking area complete with odoriferous toilets. The trail to the falls has been upgraded, and there is a new handicapped-accessible viewing platform. Another change is that visitors no longer have to pay an access fee for the falls.
The Forest Service has also built a metal fence blocking access to the top of the falls. If you’re thinking you might try to slip around the fence, know that the brink of Dry Falls is exceedingly dangerous and has claimed several lives. I shot some of the photos included here from the brink of the falls before the new metal fencing was installed. I used a rope and harness for safety, and also secured my tripod with a rope.
If you attempt to duplicate the photos I shot from the brink of Dry Falls and you are not an experienced climber using rope and harness, you will likely go over the falls and die. You’ll also have to disobey the many signs posted by the Forest Service, although that will be the least of your worries. I’ve never heard of the Forest Service issuing a citation to a corpse.
The waterfall has been called Dry Falls forever, but it has also gone by other names in years past, among them High Falls, Pitcher Falls, and Cullasaja Falls.
Nikon D700, Nikon 24-70mm lens at 55mm, f/22, 1/4 second, ISO 200, polarizing filter.
Nikon D700, Nikon 17-35mm lens at 17mm, f/16, 0.6 second, ISO 200, polarizing filter.
Nikon D700, Nikon 17-35mm lens at 17mm, polarizing filter. Shot 3 exposures at about f/11, 0.4 second, ISO 200 to cover full tonal range and and combined them using HDR software.
Nikon D700, Nikon 17-35mm lens at 17mm, f/8, 1/125 second, ISO 1600, polarizing filter. Important note: I shot this image from the top of the falls using a rope and harness system for safety. Since I shot this image, the Forest Service has installed new metal fencing and has posted signs prohibiting visitors from accessing the top of the falls. Anyone who would disregard these signs should understand that this area is extremely dangerous and has claimed many lives. I strongly encourage everyone to heed the warning signs.
Nikon D700, Nikon 17-35mm lens at 17mm, f/16, 1.6 seconds, ISO 200, polarizing filter. Important note: I shot this image from the top of the falls using a rope and harness system for safety. Since I shot this image, the Forest Service has installed new metal fencing and has posted signs prohibiting visitors from accessing the top of the falls. Anyone who would disregard these signs should understand that this area is extremely dangerous and has claimed many lives. I strongly encourage everyone to heed the warning signs.
Nikon D700, Nikon 17-35mm lens at 25mm, f/16, 2 seconds, ISO 200, polarizing filter. Important note: I shot this image from the top of the falls using a rope and harness system for safety. Since I shot this image, the Forest Service has installed new metal fencing and has posted signs prohibiting visitors from accessing the top of the falls. Anyone who would disregard these signs should understand that this area is extremely dangerous and has claimed many lives. I strongly encourage everyone to heed the warning signs.
Nikon D700, Nikon 17-35mm lens at 17mm, f/22, 1 second, ISO 200, polarizing filter. Important note: I shot this image from the top of the falls using a rope and harness system for safety. Since I shot this image, the Forest Service has installed new metal fencing and has posted signs prohibiting visitors from accessing the top of the falls. Anyone who would disregard these signs should understand that this area is extremely dangerous and has claimed many lives. I strongly encourage everyone to heed the warning signs.
Nikon D700, Nikon 17-35mm lens at 17mm, f/8, 1/80 second, ISO 800, polarizing filter. Important note: I shot this image from the top of the falls using a rope and harness system for safety. Since I shot this image, the Forest Service has installed new metal fencing and has posted signs prohibiting visitors from accessing the top of the falls. Anyone who would disregard these signs should understand that this area is extremely dangerous and has claimed many lives. I strongly encourage everyone to heed the warning signs.
Nikon D700, Nikon 17-35mm lens at 17mm, f/22, 0.5 second, ISO 200, polarizing filter. Important note: I shot this image from the top of the falls using a rope and harness system for safety. Since I shot this image, the Forest Service has installed new metal fencing and has posted signs prohibiting visitors from accessing the top of the falls. Anyone who would disregard these signs should understand that this area is extremely dangerous and has claimed many lives. I strongly encourage everyone to heed the warning signs.
Nikon D700, Nikon 17-35mm lens at 22mm, f/22, 1.6 second, ISO 200, polarizing filter. Important note: I shot this image from the top of the falls using a rope and harness system for safety. Since I shot this image, the Forest Service has installed new metal fencing and has posted signs prohibiting visitors from accessing the top of the falls. Anyone who would disregard these signs should understand that this area is extremely dangerous and has claimed many lives. I strongly encourage everyone to heed the warning signs.
Nikon D700, Nikon 17-35mm lens at 22mm, f/8 1/50 second, ISO 800, polarizing filter. Important note: I shot this image from the top of the falls using a rope and harness system for safety. Since I shot this image, the Forest Service has installed new metal fencing and has posted signs prohibiting visitors from accessing the top of the falls. Anyone who would disregard these signs should understand that this area is extremely dangerous and has claimed many lives. I strongly encourage everyone to heed the warning signs.
Nikon D700, Nikon 17-35mm lens at 22mm, f/22, 5 seconds, ISO 200, polarizing filter.
Nikon D700, Nikon 16mm fisheye lens. Stack of several exposures for the star trails and a few for the light painting on the waterfall.
Nikon D700, Nikon 14-24mm lens at 14mm. Stack of several exposures for the star trails and a few for the light painting on the waterfall.