Buckeye Falls
Haywood County, North Carolina
Your visit at a glance
- Waterfall height
- 66 ft (20 m)
- Location
- Haywood County, North Carolina
- Access status
- Partial: wilderness trail then an off-trail creek walk
- The walk
- About 3.0 miles return, part of it in the creek
- Ground & access
- Difficult. Unblazed wilderness trail with a steep descent, then creek walking and climbing cascades. Rocks are slippery.
From the Blue Ridge Parkway, take NC 215 north 0.4 miles to a large pulloff on the left. Follow the Mountains-to-Sea Trail a short way to a split and go left on Haywood Gap Trail (#142) into Middle Prong Wilderness. The trail descends steeply beside Haywood Gap Stream and crosses Middle Prong in just over a mile. Get into the creek and go upstream to where Buckeye Creek enters on the left, then follow Buckeye Creek up for just under a quarter mile, climbing a series of cascades, to the falls, which drops in several sections. The banks are steep with dense rhododendron, so the route stays in the creek. This is a partial guide: the last part is off trail in the creek, and wilderness trails are not signed or blazed.
Plan your visit
NC 215 pulloff north of the Blue Ridge Parkway, Haywood Gap Trail into Middle Prong Wilderness, then a creek walk up Buckeye Creek to Buckeye Falls
Waterfall Hero gives a 3.0 mile round trip: just over a mile on Haywood Gap Trail, then creek walking to and up Buckeye Creek for just under a quarter mile.
Difficult. Unblazed wilderness trail with a steep descent, then creek walking and climbing cascades. Rocks are slippery.
Where to start
Large pulloff on the left (west) side of NC 215, 0.4 miles north of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Published trailhead coordinates: 35.31351, -82.95398.
Timing & water
Creek walking is dangerous in high water; a 2018 trip report turned back in flood.
Before you go
No fee. Middle Prong Wilderness, Pisgah National Forest. Groups of 10 or fewer; no campfires; no bicycles.
Visitor informationVisit sources
More waterfalls nearby
Within 40 straight-line miles. Road and trail distances will differ.
- Sheephead FallsHaywood County, NC0.9 miSE
- Upper Buckeye FallsHaywood County, NC1.2 miSE
- Big Beartrap FallsDocumented wilderness approach; last half mile on a steep unofficial pathHaywood County, NC1.4 miNW
- Upper Middle Prong FallsPartial guide: route is to Middle Prong Falls as a whole; the exact upper drop is not identifiedHaywood County, NC1.7 miN
- Lower Middle Prong FallsPartial guide: steep off-trail finish; sources call this waterfall Middle Prong FallsHaywood County, NC1.7 miN
- Little Wildcat FallsRoadside view; needs high waterHaywood County, NC1.9 miSE
- Mount Hardy FallsUnblazed wilderness trail and short bushwhack; needs high water98 ft (30 m) · Haywood County, NC2.0 miSE
- Berry Branch FallsForest road walk then off-trail; final approach not described in detailHaywood County, NC2.0 miN
- Bubbling Spring Branch CascadesShort roadside scramble documented by two firsthand sourcesHaywood County, NC2.0 miSE