Douglas Falls
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| Location | Blue Ridge Mountains, Buncombe County, North Carolina |
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| Coordinates | |
| Type | Plunge |
| Total height | 70 ft (21 m) |
| Number of drops | 1 |
Douglas Falls is a 60 foot waterfall located in Buncombe County, North Carolina. It is on a tributary of Waterfall Creek which flows into the Ivy River, and it is within the Big Ivy section of the Pisgah National Forest. The stream flows off the slope of Craggy Pinnacle, starting just below the Blue Ridge Parkway. It is surrounded by a forest of very large Eastern Hemlock trees, which are dying due to being attacked by the Hemlock Wooly Adelgid.
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[edit] Natural History
The falls is located on a tributary of Waterfall Creek, which eventually flows into Carter Creek.
[edit] History
Douglas Falls was supposedly named for William O. Douglas, a Supreme Court Justice and author of Of Men and Mountains: The Classic Memoir of Wilderness Adventure.[1]
[edit] Visiting the Falls
The trail to the falls is located at the far end of a parking lot 4.7 miles from Walker Falls on F.R. 74. Visitors may follow an easy .55 mile path to the base of the falls. The trail continues up the mountain and becomes difficult after reaching the falls, eventually connecting with the Mountains to Sea Trail just below Craggy Pinnacle. From there, hikers can go either direction to reach the Parkway, but going right takes you to the Craggy Gardens Visitor Center. Many hikers hike down to Douglas Falls from there.
[edit] Nearby Falls
- Cascades Waterfall - 1.4 miles further down the trail from Douglas Falls, the trail crosses Waterfall Creek at Cascades Waterfall, a steep sliding waterfall above and below the trail. Visitors are encouraged to be extremely careful, since the crossing is extremely dangerous. It is generally regarded as not worth the hike just to see the other falls, but the other scenery along the trail and a connection to the Blue Ridge Parkway makes it see some use. Very large trees grow along this section of trail.
- Walker Falls
- Glassmine Falls
- Mitchell Falls
- Setrock Creek Falls
- Roaring Fork Falls
- Whiteoak Creek Falls
[edit] See also
Blackwater River (West Virginia), a tributary of which also has a "Douglas Falls"
[edit] References
- ^ Kevin Adams, North Carolina Waterfalls, p. 150
