Skip to content

Roaring Fork Falls

Roaring Fork Falls, seen from above at true elevation

Roaring Fork Falls is a waterfall in North Carolina, at a modelled elevation of 919 m. Mount Mitchell stands 2,038 m to the west, 4.1 miles off. The nearest named place is Big Laurel Mountain, a peak 1.2 miles away. Blue Ridge Parkway passes 0.5 miles off.

The story

Roaring Fork Falls, also called Roaring Creek Falls, is a waterfall in the Pisgah National Forest, in North Carolina.

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Wikidata Q38282, linked from the OpenStreetMap record's article tag.

How to reach it

Coordinates35.76024, -82.19172

Named places within 25 miles

Peaks
Waterfalls
  • Setrock Creek Falls: 2.2 mi
  • Curtis Creek Falls: 2.5 mi
  • Lower Middle Creek Falls: 3.3 mi
  • Squawroot Falls: 3.3 mi
  • Middle Creek Falls: 3.3 mi
Parks
Historic sites: 28
Artworks: 22
  • Friends: 12.4 mi
  • Stream: 12.4 mi
  • Petal & Leaves: 12.4 mi
  • Black Mountain Range: 12.4 mi
  • Rock Bridge: 12.4 mi
Attractions: 18
  • Buck Creek Trout Farm: 2.4 mi
  • McDowell Tourism Authority: 9.2 mi
  • Gem Mountain Gemstone Mine: 11.1 mi
  • Little Snowball Lookout Tower: 13.4 mi
  • Navitat Canopy Adventures: 14.2 mi
Museums: 18
Gardens: 9
Cliffs: 8
Nature reserves: 6
Springs: 5
Rest areas: 4
  • Marion Rest Area - Westbound: 12.8 mi
  • Marion Rest Area - Eastbound: 12.8 mi
  • McDowell County Rest Area: 12.8 mi
  • Brown Mountain View: 23.3 mi
Picnic sites: 3
  • Carolina Hemlocks Rec. Area Picnic Site: 3.2 mi
  • Mt Mitchell Picnic Grounds: 4.1 mi
  • Linville Falls Picnic Area: 20.7 mi
Beaches: 3
Ghost towns: 1

Summits around it

The highest named summits within 6.9 miles of Roaring Fork Falls. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.

SummitBearingElevationDistance
Mount MitchellW 275°2,038 m4.1 mi
Mount CraigWNW 287°2,023 m4.1 mi
Balsam ConeWNW 299°2,007 m4.1 mi
Big TomWNW 290°2,002 m4.1 mi
Cattail PeakNW 305°1,986 m4.5 mi
Clingmans PeakWSW 252°1,981 m5.6 mi
Mount GibbesWSW 254°1,971 m5.5 mi
Potato KnobWSW 249°1,946 m6.0 mi

When to go

Light through the year

DateSunriseGolden hourSunset
March equinox07:3319:0719:41
June solstice06:1420:1120:49
September equinox07:1718:5419:27
December solstice07:3616:4017:20

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, 5 mi away.

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

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Mean cfs16417420218416312388.696.9145130140146

USGS monthly mean discharge at gauge South Toe River Near Celo, NC, 5 mi away — the nearest gauge, which can sit on a different stream.

Where this comes from

Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.

OpenStreetMapWikipedia

OpenStreetMap element node/554242324

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 Roaring Fork 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