Lower Wildcat Falls
Lower Wildcat Falls is a waterfall in North Carolina, at a modelled elevation of 1,457 m. Richland Balsam stands 1,951 m to the northwest, 5.9 miles off. The nearest named place is Middle Wildcat Falls, a waterfall less than a tenth of a mile away. Forest Heritage Scenic Byway runs past it.
What the record says
- Height
- 12 m
How to reach it
- On the Forest Heritage Scenic Byway
- 0.8 mi off the Blue Ridge Parkway, National
- 6.1 mi off the Forest Heritage National Scenic Byway, National
- 12.3 mi off the Waterfall Byway
Overlooks nearby
Named places within 25 miles
- Middle Wildcat Falls: 0.0 mi
- Bubbling Spring Branch Cascades: 0.2 mi
- Little Sam Falls: 0.2 mi
- Wildcat Falls: 0.2 mi
- Split Falls: 0.5 mi
- Little Sam Knob: 0.7 mi
- Black Mountain: 0.9 mi
- Devils Courthouse: 1.1 mi
- Chestnut Bald: 1.2 mi
- Sam Knob: 1.2 mi
- Roy Taylor Forest: 6.1 mi
- Canada Community Park: 7.6 mi
- Cradle of Forestry in America: 7.7 mi
- Wolf Creek Lake Access Area: 8.1 mi
- Cedar Cliff Lake Access: 11.3 mi
- Horseshoe Rock: 6.2 mi
- Bald Cliff: 7.9 mi
- River Cliffs: 9.5 mi
- Castle Rock: 13.8 mi
- Cedar Cliffs: 13.9 mi
- North Carolina Confederate Veterans Memorial Forest: 0.9 mi
- Camp John Rock: 6.9 mi
- Buck Springs Lodge foundation: 11.2 mi
- the "Big Gun" Clyde Veterans Memorial: 15.1 mi
- Lyn Lowry Cross: 15.3 mi
- 1915 Climax Locomotive: 7.9 mi
- Bear Lake Reserve: 10.0 mi
- M1: 11.4 mi
- Judaculla Rock: 11.5 mi
- Wayehutta OHV Trail System: 12.9 mi
- Brevard Community Garden: 11.1 mi
- Rhododenron Garden: 14.6 mi
- Susanna Wesley Garden: 15.3 mi
- Cullowhee Community Garden: 15.4 mi
- Sylva Community Garden: 18.5 mi
- Cradle of Forestry: 7.7 mi
- Transylvania Heritage Museum: 11.1 mi
- Shook Museum: 15.0 mi
- Canton Area Historical Museum: 15.5 mi
- Fine Art Museum: 15.6 mi
- Chief Junaluska: 15.3 mi
- Chalice: 15.3 mi
- American Eclipse: 15.4 mi
- Wi: 15.5 mi
- Ear: 15.5 mi
- Shining Rock Wilderness: 5.5 mi
- Cold Mountain Gameland: 6.2 mi
- Bracken Preserve: 9.2 mi
- Kelsey Trail Preserve: 23.8 mi
- Ralph and Louise Sargent Preserve: 24.2 mi
- Coontree Picnic Area: 8.3 mi
- Pisgah Picnic: 11.0 mi
- Sycamore Flats Picnic Area: 11.3 mi
- N. Mills River Picnic Area: 16.1 mi
- Heintooga Picnic Area: 23.5 mi
- Haywood County US 74 Westbound Rest Area: 12.7 mi
- Haywood County US 74 Eastbound Rest Area: 12.7 mi
- I-26 Henderson County Rest Area: 22.6 mi
- I-26 Buncombe County Rest Area: 22.7 mi
- Sandbar Pool Beach: 11.8 mi
- Lake Powhatan Beach: 19.6 mi
- Sandstone Beach: 23.8 mi
- Cool Spring: 16.4 mi
- Crystal Spring: 23.4 mi
- Lenox Spring: 24.7 mi
- Mountain Springs Lane: 14.2 mi
- Covered Bridge Trail: 18.8 mi
Summits around it
The highest named summits within 6.4 miles of Lower Wildcat Falls. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richland Balsam | NW 308° | 1,951 m | 5.9 mi |
| Black Balsam Knob | ENE 65° | 1,890 m | 2.1 mi |
| Mount Hardy | SW 234° | 1,866 m | 1.4 mi |
| Reinhart Knob | WNW 301° | 1,856 m | 4.6 mi |
| Tennent Mountain | NE 55° | 1,846 m | 2.6 mi |
| Sam Knob | NE 36° | 1,844 m | 1.2 mi |
| Grassy Cove Top | NE 47° | 1,844 m | 3.4 mi |
| Shining Rock | NE 35° | 1,829 m | 4.4 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:36 | 19:10 | 19:44 |
| June solstice | 06:18 | 20:13 | 20:50 |
| September equinox | 07:20 | 18:57 | 19:30 |
| December solstice | 07:37 | 16:44 | 17:24 |
Local time (America/New_York).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: Apr–Oct.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 37 | 40 | 47 | 55 | 63 | 70 | 73 | 72 | 66 | 56 | 46 | 39 |
| Precip in | 7.0 | 5.4 | 5.9 | 5.8 | 5.6 | 6.8 | 6.3 | 7.6 | 6.1 | 6.1 | 5.9 | 7.1 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Brevard, 11 mi away.
Months at or above the year’s average flow: Dec–May — fullest in Mar, leanest in Aug.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean cfs | 130 | 148 | 150 | 133 | 108 | 78.3 | 60.7 | 57.7 | 67.9 | 73.0 | 88.8 | 117 |
USGS monthly mean discharge at gauge W F Pigeon R Above Lake Logan NR Hazelwood, NC, 6 mi away — the nearest gauge, which can sit on a different stream.
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
OpenStreetMapOpenStreetMap element node/10016914675
Day trips start here
- Asheville · 27 mi
Take the scenic way to Lower Wildcat Falls.
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