Sam Branch Falls
Sam Branch Falls is a waterfall in North Carolina, at a modelled elevation of 1,530 m. Richland Balsam stands 1,951 m to the west-northwest, 5.9 miles off. The nearest named place is Lower Sam Branch Falls, a waterfall 0.4 miles away. Forest Heritage Scenic Byway passes 0.5 miles off.
What the record says
- Height
- 20 m
How to reach it
- 0.5 mi off the Forest Heritage Scenic Byway
- 2.0 mi off the Blue Ridge Parkway, National
- 4.5 mi off the Forest Heritage National Scenic Byway, National
- 13.5 mi off the Waterfall Byway
Overlooks nearby
Named places within 25 miles
- Lower Sam Branch Falls: 0.4 mi
- Wash Hollow Falls: 0.4 mi
- Sunburst Falls: 0.7 mi
- Waterfalls of Flat Laurel Creek: 1.0 mi
- Little Bird Falls: 1.4 mi
- Sam Knob: 0.7 mi
- Black Balsam Knob: 1.2 mi
- Tennent Mountain: 1.3 mi
- Little Sam Knob: 1.3 mi
- Grassy Cove Top: 1.7 mi
- Cradle of Forestry in America: 6.4 mi
- Roy Taylor Forest: 7.4 mi
- Canada Community Park: 9.2 mi
- Wolf Creek Lake Access Area: 10.0 mi
- City of Brevard Sports Complex: 11.8 mi
- Brevard Community Garden: 11.4 mi
- Rhododenron Garden: 13.1 mi
- Susanna Wesley Garden: 14.0 mi
- Cullowhee Community Garden: 16.4 mi
- Plant Professional Landscape Garden: 19.0 mi
- 1915 Climax Locomotive: 6.7 mi
- M1: 11.6 mi
- Bear Lake Reserve: 11.7 mi
- Historical Downtown: 11.8 mi
- Judaculla Rock: 12.6 mi
- North Carolina Confederate Veterans Memorial Forest: 2.6 mi
- Camp John Rock: 6.7 mi
- Buck Springs Lodge foundation: 9.6 mi
- the "Big Gun" Clyde Veterans Memorial: 13.5 mi
- Ferin Fire Tower: 14.9 mi
- Horseshoe Rock: 8.0 mi
- Bald Cliff: 8.6 mi
- River Cliffs: 11.2 mi
- Castle Rock: 14.3 mi
- Dunns Rock: 14.5 mi
- Chief Junaluska: 14.0 mi
- Berm Park: 14.4 mi
- Chalice: 16.3 mi
- American Eclipse: 16.4 mi
- Ear: 16.6 mi
- Cradle of Forestry: 6.4 mi
- Transylvania Heritage Museum: 11.3 mi
- Shook Museum: 13.4 mi
- Canton Area Historical Museum: 13.7 mi
- Wheels Through Time Motorcycle Museum: 16.0 mi
- Shining Rock Wilderness: 3.6 mi
- Cold Mountain Gameland: 4.7 mi
- Bracken Preserve: 9.4 mi
- Falconhurst-West Asheville Preserve: 23.8 mi
- Collier Cove Nature Preserve: 23.9 mi
- Coontree Picnic Area: 8.0 mi
- Pisgah Picnic: 9.3 mi
- Sycamore Flats Picnic Area: 11.0 mi
- N. Mills River Picnic Area: 14.7 mi
- Heintooga Picnic Area: 22.9 mi
- Haywood County US 74 Westbound Rest Area: 12.2 mi
- Haywood County US 74 Eastbound Rest Area: 12.3 mi
- I-26 Henderson County Rest Area: 21.3 mi
- I-26 Buncombe County Rest Area: 21.3 mi
- Cool Spring: 18.0 mi
- Crystal Spring: 22.5 mi
- Lenox Spring: 23.9 mi
- Mountain Springs Lane: 12.4 mi
- Covered Bridge Trail: 17.8 mi
- Sandbar Pool Beach: 13.7 mi
- Lake Powhatan Beach: 17.9 mi
Summits around it
The highest named summits within 7.3 miles of Sam Branch Falls. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richland Balsam | WNW 290° | 1,951 m | 5.9 mi |
| Black Balsam Knob | SE 128° | 1,890 m | 1.2 mi |
| Mount Hardy | SW 220° | 1,866 m | 3.2 mi |
| Reinhart Knob | W 279° | 1,856 m | 4.9 mi |
| Tennent Mountain | E 95° | 1,846 m | 1.3 mi |
| Sam Knob | SSW 197° | 1,844 m | 0.7 mi |
| Grassy Cove Top | ENE 66° | 1,844 m | 1.7 mi |
| Shining Rock | NE 39° | 1,829 m | 2.6 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 | 17:23 |
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 | 35 | 38 | 44 | 53 | 61 | 68 | 71 | 70 | 64 | 54 | 44 | 38 |
| Precip in | 4.6 | 4.3 | 4.4 | 4.5 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 4.3 | 3.0 | 3.6 | 4.7 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Waynesville 1 E, 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, 5 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/553197727
Day trips start here
- Asheville · 25 mi
Take the scenic way to Sam Branch Falls.
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