Cascades Falls

Cascades Falls is a 100-foot, cascading waterfall located off the Blue Ridge Parkway near milepost 364 in North Carolina. The 4.2-mile hike begins at the Craggy Gardens Visitor Center. Take the Craggy Gardens Trail on the south side of the lot. The trailhead sign will indicate the Douglas Falls Trail is blazed yellow. Take this trail. At the fork you'll see another sign. Follow the yellow blaze. A word of caution: there are a lot of steps along this rocky terrain trail.

At 1.1 miles in, you'll reach another fork. Take the trail to the left with signage for Douglas Falls and FS Road 74 parking. At 1.7 miles in, you'll cross Waterfall Creek. At 2.1 miles in, you'll reach Cascades Falls. At this point, you can either head back or extend the hike to see Douglas Falls. Doing so will make the hike 7.2 miles in total. where you'll cross Waterfall Creek once more.

Portable restrooms are available at the visitor center, but there is no electricity or running water here. Landmark navigational photos can be seen below.

Google Location: 364 Blue Ridge Pkwy, Black Mountain, NC 28711
GPS Location: 35.7132° N, 82.3721° W
Parking: Lot
Total Hike: 4.2 miles
Wheelchair Accessible: No
Admission: Free
Open: 24/7
Swimming: N/A
Pets: Yes, with leash