Burgan Creek Falls
Graham County, North Carolina
Your visit at a glance
- Waterfall height
- Not recorded
- Location
- Graham County, North Carolina
- Access status
- Published route from a forest road gate with two easy creek crossings
- The walk
- Approximately 1.9 miles return
- Ground & access
- Old road, then a steep 0.3 mile climb and two easy creek crossings. Scramble up the creekbed to reach the base.
Burgan Creek Falls is a 65-foot near-vertical slide of black rock in Nantahala National Forest near Robbinsville. From the gate on the old forest road off Atoah Road, follow the road 0.1 mile to a fork, turn right, pass an old fuel tank, climb steeply 0.3 mile to a ridge, descend to Burgan Creek, cross it twice (easy crossings) and reach the falls. NC Waterfalls says the route was flagged and cleared by a retired forest technician and should be easy to follow. A good view is from the right bank (facing downstream) a short distance below the falls.
Plan your visit
Atoah Road gate to Burgan Creek Falls by the flagged trail
NC Waterfalls gives 0.1 mile of old road, a 0.3 mile climb, a descent of a little over 100 yards, a quarter mile along the creek, and less than 0.2 mile to the falls. Those pieces total about 0.95 mile one way; the return figure doubles that.
Old road, then a steep 0.3 mile climb and two easy creek crossings. Scramble up the creekbed to reach the base.
Where to start
NC Waterfalls: from Business 143 in Robbinsville take Atoah Circle, then Atoah Road for 2.4 miles (dirt after 2 miles, a little rough) and turn left onto an old forest road; park at the gate.
Timing & water
The author found a summer visit best for the black rock against green foliage; water was low in September 2022.
Before you go
Nantahala National Forest. No fee or reservation is reported.
Visitor informationVisit sources
More waterfalls nearby
Within 40 straight-line miles. Road and trail distances will differ.
- Cover FallsNew land trust preserve trail opened June 2026; no dogsCherokee County, NC3.1 miS
- Sassafras FallsNational forest trails; long backcountry hikeGraham County, NC7.2 miW
- Nelsons FallsMacon County, NC8.2 miE
- Verlie FallsRoadside waterfall with a pull-offGraham County, NC8.8 miNW
- Handpole Branch FallsPartial: very difficult, trail ends above the fallsGraham County, NC9.0 miE
- The NotchGraham County, NC9.3 miE
- Bartram FallsNational forest trail with creek crossingsGraham County, NC9.3 miE
- Ledbetter Canyon FallsGraham County, NC9.3 miE
- Inside Passage FallsPartial: faint path and creekwalk; railroad crossing permission not statedGraham County, NC9.3 miE