Skip to content

Glassmine Falls

Glassmine Falls is a waterfall in North Carolina, at a modelled elevation of 1,442 m. Mount Mitchell stands 2,038 m to the east-northeast, 4.2 miles off. The nearest named place is Blackstock Knob, a peak 0.8 miles away. Blue Ridge Parkway passes 0.4 miles off.

The story

Glassmine Falls is an ephemeral waterfall in Buncombe County, North Carolina, on Glassmine Branch, near Barnardsville, NC. It is located below the Blue Ridge Parkway around milepost 362.

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Wikidata Q38054, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.

What the record says

Elevation
5200 m

How to reach it

Coordinates35.73544, -82.33127

Named places within 25 miles

Peaks
Parks
  • Welsh Field: 6.5 mi
  • Andrews Geyser: 7.8 mi
  • Lake Tomahawk Park: 7.9 mi
  • Lake Tomahawk Park: 8.0 mi
  • Town Square: 8.1 mi
Waterfalls: 55
Historic sites: 34
  • Tennis Court: 8.4 mi
  • Spring House: 8.4 mi
  • Caretaker's Cabin: 8.4 mi
  • Potato House: 8.4 mi
  • Tool Shed: 8.4 mi
Gardens: 28
Artworks: 23
  • Blue Ridge Assembly: 9.4 mi
  • Tebbé Davies Fine Art Studios: 11.2 mi
  • Friends: 12.6 mi
  • Stream: 12.6 mi
  • Petal & Leaves: 12.6 mi
Attractions: 22
  • Little Snowball Lookout Tower: 5.9 mi
  • Navitat Canopy Adventures: 7.5 mi
  • Buck Creek Trout Farm: 10.2 mi
  • McDowell Tourism Authority: 11.2 mi
  • Botanical Gardens at Asheville: 15.7 mi
Museums: 18
Nature reserves: 9
Cliffs: 7
Rest areas: 5
Springs: 3
Picnic sites: 2
  • Mt Mitchell Picnic Grounds: 4.4 mi
  • Carolina Hemlocks Rec. Area Picnic Site: 8.6 mi
Beaches: 2
  • Riverside Park Beach Access: 19.3 mi
  • Lake Powhatan Beach: 24.1 mi
Ghost towns: 1

Summits around it

The highest named summits within 5.8 miles of Glassmine Falls. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.

SummitBearingElevationDistance
Mount MitchellENE 61°2,038 m4.2 mi
Mount CraigNE 53°2,023 m4.9 mi
Balsam ConeNE 48°2,007 m5.6 mi
Big TomNE 53°2,002 m5.0 mi
Clingmans PeakE 90°1,981 m2.5 mi
Mount GibbesE 85°1,971 m2.6 mi
Potato KnobE 100°1,946 m2.3 mi
HallbackENE 73°1,923 m3.2 mi

When to go

Light through the year

DateSunriseGolden hourSunset
March equinox07:3419:0819:41
June solstice06:1420:1120:49
September equinox07:1818:5419:28
December solstice07:3616:4117:20

Local time (America/New_York).

Climate normals

Months averaging 5080 °F: Jun–Sep.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Avg °F252732415056605954453630
Precip in7.55.67.26.56.15.56.97.78.86.36.26.9

1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — MT Mitchell, 4 mi away.

Months at or above the year’s average flow: Dec–May, Sep — fullest in Mar, leanest in Jul.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Mean cfs57.156.060.056.352.733.026.027.347.430.335.349.6

USGS monthly mean discharge at gauge North Fork Swannanoa River Near Walkertown, NC, 3 mi away — the nearest gauge, which can sit on a different stream.

Where this comes from

Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.

OpenStreetMapWikipediaWikidata

OpenStreetMap element node/550611334

More waterfalls in North Carolina

Day trips start here

Drive to it

Byway plans a real route around stops like this one.

Private beta · Free to join

Take the scenic way to Glassmine Falls.

Byway plans around your taste, verified places, real weather and opening hours — then opens every leg in Google Maps with one tap.

Private beta · Free to join · No card · Invite when a spot opens