Mitchell Falls
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Mitchell Falls is a waterfall in North Carolina, at a modelled elevation of 1,328 m. Mount Mitchell stands 2,038 m to the southeast, 1.3 miles off. The nearest named place is Big Pine Mountain, a peak 1.0 miles away. Blue Ridge Parkway passes 3.4 miles off.
The story
Mitchell Falls is a 25-foot (7.6 m) waterfall located in Yancey County, North Carolina on the slope of Mount Mitchell, the highest mountain in the Appalachian Mountain chain and highest point in the eastern United States. The falls, the mountain and its related state park are named for Elisha Mitchell, a professor who, while confirming his measurements of the mountain, fell over a rocky ledge above the falls to his death on June 27, 1857.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Wikidata Q37687, matched on coordinates and name (309 m apart).
What the record says
- Height
- 10 m
How to reach it
- 3.4 mi off the Blue Ridge Parkway, National
- 11.6 mi off the Black Mountain Rag
- 14.1 mi off the Interstate 26 Scenic Highway
- 16.6 mi off the South Mountain Scenery
Overlooks nearby
Named places within 25 miles
- Big Pine Mountain: 1.0 mi
- Mount Craig: 1.2 mi
- Mount Mitchell: 1.3 mi
- Big Tom: 1.3 mi
- Balsam Cone: 1.7 mi
- Middle Fork Rock Creek Falls: 1.9 mi
- Galvladi Falls: 2.2 mi
- Falling Water Branch Falls: 2.4 mi
- Guyot Falls: 2.6 mi
- Split Rock Falls: 2.6 mi
- Carolina Hemlocks Recreation Area: 4.8 mi
- Toe River Campground: 8.0 mi
- Andrews Geyser: 9.0 mi
- Welsh Field: 9.2 mi
- Burnsville Town Square: 9.8 mi
- Yancey County Veterans Memorial: 9.7 mi
- Yancey County Confederate Soldiers Monument: 9.7 mi
- Otway Burns: 9.8 mi
- Arrowhead Monument: 11.7 mi
- Davidson's Fort Historic Park: 11.8 mi
- Friends: 9.7 mi
- Stream: 9.7 mi
- Petal & Leaves: 9.7 mi
- Black Mountain Range: 9.7 mi
- Rock Bridge: 9.7 mi
- Buck Creek Trout Farm: 7.6 mi
- Little Snowball Lookout Tower: 8.4 mi
- Navitat Canopy Adventures: 9.0 mi
- McDowell Tourism Authority: 11.7 mi
- Gem Mountain Gemstone Mine: 14.6 mi
- Mt Mitchell Museum: 1.2 mi
- The Lloyd Bailey Annex: 9.8 mi
- McElroy House: 9.8 mi
- Swannanoa Valley Museum: 11.3 mi
- Old Fort Railroad Museum: 11.7 mi
- Mountain Gardens: 5.6 mi
- Terrace garden: 5.6 mi
- Camp Celo Gardens: 6.2 mi
- Dr. John Wilson Community Garden: 12.2 mi
- Columbarium Garden: 13.4 mi
- Rocky Knob: 5.5 mi
- Craggy Mountain Wilderness Study Area: 6.9 mi
- Pisgah National Forest: 7.4 mi
- Beaver Lake Bird Sanctuary: 18.3 mi
- Florence Nature Preserve: 20.5 mi
- Slaty Cliffs: 7.3 mi
- Raven Cliffs: 19.4 mi
- Last house on the Hare RDG: 22.6 mi
- Eagle Cliff: 22.7 mi
- Roan High Bluff: 23.2 mi
- Pinnacle Spring: 4.9 mi
- Hemphill Spring: 5.3 mi
- Mountain Spring @ Lakey Gap: 13.0 mi
- Gully Pipe: 21.7 mi
- Water Tree (Blackgum Springs): 22.1 mi
- Mt Mitchell Picnic Grounds: 1.2 mi
- Carolina Hemlocks Rec. Area Picnic Site: 4.9 mi
- Linville Falls Picnic Area: 23.8 mi
- Riverside Park Beach Access: 15.4 mi
- Boat beach: 22.7 mi
- Swimming beach: 22.8 mi
- Marion Rest Area - Eastbound: 17.6 mi
- Marion Rest Area - Westbound: 17.6 mi
- McDowell County Rest Area: 17.6 mi
- Lost Cove: 21.4 mi
Summits around it
The highest named summits within 6.1 miles of Mitchell Falls. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Mitchell | SE 129° | 2,038 m | 1.3 mi |
| Mount Craig | E 87° | 2,023 m | 1.2 mi |
| Balsam Cone | ENE 59° | 2,007 m | 1.7 mi |
| Big Tom | E 80° | 2,002 m | 1.3 mi |
| Cattail Peak | NE 45° | 1,986 m | 2.0 mi |
| Clingmans Peak | S 184° | 1,981 m | 2.9 mi |
| Mount Gibbes | S 184° | 1,971 m | 2.6 mi |
| Potato Knob | S 189° | 1,946 m | 3.3 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:34 | 19:07 | 19:41 |
| June solstice | 06:14 | 20:11 | 20:49 |
| September equinox | 07:18 | 18:54 | 19:28 |
| December solstice | 07:36 | 16:40 | 17:20 |
Local time (America/New_York).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: Jun–Sep.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 25 | 27 | 32 | 41 | 50 | 56 | 60 | 59 | 54 | 45 | 36 | 30 |
| Precip in | 7.5 | 5.6 | 7.2 | 6.5 | 6.1 | 5.5 | 6.9 | 7.7 | 8.8 | 6.3 | 6.2 | 6.9 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — MT Mitchell, 1 mi away.
Months at or above the year’s average flow: Jan–May — fullest in Mar, leanest in Jul.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean cfs | 164 | 174 | 202 | 184 | 163 | 123 | 88.6 | 96.9 | 145 | 130 | 140 | 146 |
USGS monthly mean discharge at gauge South Toe River Near Celo, NC, 7 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/6302112810
Day trips start here
- Asheville · 20 mi
Take the scenic way to Mitchell Falls.
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