Barbara Falls

Transylvania County, North Carolina

Your visit at a glance

Waterfall height: Not recorded
Location: Transylvania County, North Carolina
Access status: Roadside bushwhack; private land on the far bank
The walk: A few hundred feet off-trail
Ground & access: Difficult. Steep bushwhack down a bank with cliffs near the falls.

NC Waterfalls: Upper Shoals (Barbara Falls), Catheys Creek

Barbara Falls, also called Upper Shoals, is a steep cascading falls about 40 feet high on Catheys Creek in Pisgah National Forest. It is close to the road but has no trail. From the pullout, walk down the road around the curve before entering the woods, then bushwhack down the bank toward the sound of the water. The left bank (facing downstream) near the falls is cliffy; it may be easier to reach the creek below the falls and follow it back up. The right bank (facing downstream), which has the best view, is private property.

Plan your visit

Narrow pullout on Catheys Creek Road (FS 471), then walk down the road around the curve and bushwhack down the bank to Upper Shoals (Barbara Falls)

NC Waterfalls gives the hike distance as a few hundred feet. No measured distance.

Difficult. Steep bushwhack down a bank with cliffs near the falls.

Where to start

Narrow pullout on Catheys Creek Road (FS 471), about 5.15 miles from the US 64 turn at Kuykendall Group Camp, or 2.85 miles from Gloucester Gap. The road is unpaved after 0.7 mile.

Timing & water

No seasonal details confirmed.

Before you go

No fee mentioned.

Visitor information

Visit sources

More waterfalls nearby

Within 40 straight-line miles. Road and trail distances will differ.

Explore North Carolina

Waterfall location

Transylvania County, North Carolina.

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