Sliding Rock
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Sliding Rock is a waterfall in North Carolina, at a modelled elevation of 819 m. Black Balsam Knob stands 1,890 m to the west-northwest, 5.1 miles off. The nearest named place is Hidden Falls, a waterfall 0.3 miles away. Forest Heritage Scenic Byway runs past it.
The story
Sliding Rock is a waterfall in Western North Carolina, located near Brevard, so named because visitors can slide all the way down the waterfall into the plunge pool below. The plunge pool is around 8 feet deep in the middle, with a strong churning river current, so users must be able to swim or wear a life vest. The water in the river and the plunge pool remains near 55 degrees Fahrenheit year round. Sliding Rock is a small slide-type waterfall on Looking Glass Creek, in the Pisgah National Forest, near Brevard, North Carolina. It has a gentle slope and is about 60 feet long, ending in a large, deep pool (between 6–8 feet deep) at the bottom.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Wikidata Q37255, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.
What to expect
- Step-free access
- No
How to reach it
- On the Forest Heritage Scenic Byway
- On the Forest Heritage National Scenic Byway, National
- 2.3 mi off the Blue Ridge Parkway, National
- 11.5 mi off the Waterfall Byway
Overlooks nearby
- Sliding Rock Viewpoint · 1 mi
- Log Hollow Overlook (MP 416.6) · 2 mi
- View Cherry Cove (MP 415.7) · 2 mi
- Looking Glass Rock Overlook · 2 mi
Named places within 25 miles
- Cradle of Forestry in America: 2.7 mi
- City of Brevard Sports Complex: 5.8 mi
- Franklin Park: 6.5 mi
- Silvermont Mansion Park: 6.5 mi
- Etowah Park: 11.2 mi
- Hidden Falls: 0.3 mi
- Tranquility Falls: 0.4 mi
- Little Looking Glass Falls: 0.4 mi
- Mystery Falls: 0.5 mi
- Little Moore Cove Falls: 0.5 mi
- Looking Glass Rock: 0.6 mi
- Coontree Mountain: 1.3 mi
- Bennett Knob: 1.6 mi
- Buckwheat Knob: 1.6 mi
- Rich Mountain: 2.3 mi
- Camp John Rock: 1.9 mi
- North Carolina Confederate Veterans Memorial Forest: 6.7 mi
- Buck Springs Lodge foundation: 7.4 mi
- Ferin Fire Tower: 12.1 mi
- the "Big Gun" Clyde Veterans Memorial: 16.9 mi
- Brevard Community Garden: 6.3 mi
- Plant Professional Landscape Garden: 16.0 mi
- Plants of Promise Garden: 16.2 mi
- Bonsai Garden: 16.3 mi
- Native Azalea Garden: 16.3 mi
- 1915 Climax Locomotive: 2.8 mi
- M1: 6.3 mi
- Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.: 15.5 mi
- Elijah Mountain Gem Mine And Crystal Store: 16.0 mi
- Bear Lake Reserve: 16.0 mi
- Berm Park: 15.3 mi
- Chief Junaluska: 18.4 mi
- Statue of Diana: 20.7 mi
- E. W. Pearson: 22.0 mi
- Chalice: 22.1 mi
- Castle Rock: 9.4 mi
- Dunns Rock: 9.7 mi
- Horseshoe Rock: 11.3 mi
- Jump Off Rock: 14.6 mi
- Bald Cliff: 14.7 mi
- Cradle of Forestry: 2.8 mi
- Transylvania Heritage Museum: 6.0 mi
- Canton Area Historical Museum: 15.6 mi
- Historic Johnson Farm: 16.0 mi
- Shook Museum: 17.0 mi
- Bracken Preserve: 4.5 mi
- Shining Rock Wilderness: 7.1 mi
- Cold Mountain Gameland: 9.4 mi
- Green Mountain Preserve: 19.0 mi
- Bat Fork Bog Site: 19.7 mi
- Coontree Picnic Area: 2.0 mi
- Sycamore Flats Picnic Area: 4.8 mi
- Pisgah Picnic: 7.2 mi
- N. Mills River Picnic Area: 10.4 mi
- I-26 Henderson County Rest Area: 16.5 mi
- I-26 Buncombe County Rest Area: 16.6 mi
- Haywood County US 74 Westbound Rest Area: 18.0 mi
- Haywood County US 74 Eastbound Rest Area: 18.3 mi
- Lake Powhatan Beach: 14.9 mi
- Sandbar Pool Beach: 16.2 mi
- Sandstone Beach: 24.6 mi
- Crystal Spring: 16.5 mi
- Cool Spring: 16.9 mi
- Lenox Spring: 17.9 mi
- Mountain Springs Lane: 11.0 mi
- Covered Bridge Trail: 22.7 mi
Summits around it
The highest named summits within 6.3 miles of Sliding Rock. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Balsam Knob | WNW 283° | 1,890 m | 5.1 mi |
| Tennent Mountain | WNW 291° | 1,846 m | 5.0 mi |
| Grassy Cove Top | WNW 301° | 1,844 m | 5.1 mi |
| Sam Knob | WNW 282° | 1,844 m | 6.2 mi |
| Shining Rock | NW 313° | 1,829 m | 5.8 mi |
| Silvermine Bald | W 269° | 1,822 m | 5.4 mi |
| Chestnut Bald | W 267° | 1,821 m | 5.8 mi |
| Flower Knob | NW 307° | 1,795 m | 5.5 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:36 | 19:10 | 19:43 |
| June solstice | 06:17 | 20:12 | 20:50 |
| September equinox | 07:20 | 18:56 | 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 | 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, 6 mi away.
Months at or above the year’s average flow: Dec–May — fullest in Mar, leanest in Jul.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean cfs | 160 | 169 | 178 | 171 | 144 | 112 | 95.2 | 98.7 | 100 | 97.7 | 109 | 138 |
USGS monthly mean discharge at gauge Davidson River Near Brevard, NC, 5 mi away — the nearest gauge, which can sit on a different stream.
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
OpenStreetMapWikidataOpenStreetMap element node/2727786885
Day trips start here
- Asheville · 23 mi
Take the scenic way to Sliding Rock.
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