Skip to content
Byway
Waterfall · North Carolina

Phillips Branch Falls

Phillips Branch Falls, seen from above at true elevation

Phillips Branch Falls is a waterfall in North Carolina, at a modelled elevation of 507 m. Pilot Knob stands 1,466 m to the north, 9.2 miles off. The nearest named place is Woodcock Knob, a peak 0.2 miles away. Pisgah Loop Scenic Byway passes 3.8 miles off.

The record

What the record says

Height
13 m
Getting there

How to reach it

Driving directionsPlan a drive around it
Coordinates35.96834, -81.77150

Overlooks nearby

Around it

Named places within 25 miles

Peaks
Waterfalls
  • Harper Creek Falls: 1.1 mi
  • Destiny Falls: 2.0 mi
  • Thorps Creek Falls: 2.1 mi
  • South Harper Creek Falls: 2.3 mi
  • Upper South Harper Creek Falls: 2.4 mi
Parks
Artworks: 37
Attractions: 33
  • House Of Mugs (Collettsville Cup House): 3.5 mi
  • Stack Rock: 8.8 mi
  • Linn Cove Viaduct: 8.9 mi
  • Linville Caverns: 9.9 mi
  • Daffodil Flats: 12.0 mi
Museums: 22
Historic sites: 15
  • Mortimer memorial: 1.3 mi
  • Avery County Veterans Memorial: 11.9 mi
  • Law Enforcement Memorial: 11.9 mi
  • Old Blowing Rock Sewage Pump Station: 12.2 mi
  • Historic Town Limit: 15.8 mi
Cliffs: 14
Nature reserves: 10
Gardens: 10
Picnic sites: 8
Springs: 4
  • Bear Wallow Spring: 9.9 mi
  • Shanty Springs: 10.2 mi
  • Water Tree (Blackgum Springs): 11.5 mi
  • Gully Pipe: 11.9 mi
Beaches: 3
Rest areas: 2
Ghost towns: 1
On the horizon

Summits around it

The highest named summits within 9.2 miles of Phillips Branch Falls. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.

SummitBearingElevationDistance
Pilot KnobN 355°1,466 m9.2 mi
Grandmother MountainNNW 329°1,408 m7.7 mi
Beacon HeightsNNW 338°1,327 m8.5 mi
Little BaldNW 325°1,307 m7.3 mi
Ball Ground MountainW 271°1,294 m7.3 mi
Gingercake MountainWSW 253°1,262 m7.0 mi
Cranberry KnobW 279°1,258 m6.4 mi
Camp Creek MountainWNW 283°1,254 m7.9 mi
Conditions

When to go

Light through the year

DateSunriseGolden hourSunset
March equinox07:3219:0519:39
June solstice06:1220:1020:48
September equinox07:1618:5219:26
December solstice07:3516:3817:17

Local time (America/New_York).

Climate normals

Months averaging 50–80 °F: May–Sep.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Avg °F293138475561656459494034
Precip in5.03.95.45.96.06.46.25.86.55.04.24.5

1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Grandfather MTN, 10 mi away.

Streamflow

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

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Mean cfs455433485494446354308312343304349399

USGS monthly mean discharge at gauge Johns River AT Arneys Store, NC, 10 mi away — the nearest gauge, which can sit on a different stream.

Sources

Where this comes from

Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.

OpenStreetMap

OpenStreetMap element node/536202095

More waterfalls in North Carolina

Day trips start here

Drive to it

Byway plans a real route around stops like this one.

Plan a driveMore waterfalls
Private beta · Free to join

Take the scenic way to Phillips Branch 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