Clawhammer Falls
Transylvania County, North Carolina
Your visit at a glance
- Waterfall height
- Not recorded
- Location
- Transylvania County, North Carolina
- Access status
- Partial guide: short off-trail finish and the FR 477 vehicle closure status is unverified
- The walk
- About 2 miles return (Waterfall Hero hike length), plus about 1.6 miles of road walking if the FR 477 closure noted in late 2024 remains
- Ground & access
- Easy to moderate trail with two footbridges, then a short open bushwhack and a steep overgrown scramble to the base.
This 12 to 15 foot waterfall on Clawhammer Cove Creek is in the Avery Creek area of Pisgah National Forest near Brevard. From the blue-blazed Avery Creek Trail (#327) trailhead on FR 477, descend to Avery Creek, cross the footbridge and go right on Clawhammer Cove Trail (#342), which follows Clawhammer Cove Creek upstream and crosses it on a footbridge in about 0.75 mile. Just after the crossing, where two blue blazes mark a tree, leave the trail and go about 100 feet up the creek to the falls; a steep bank must be scrambled for a clear view.
Plan your visit
Avery Creek Trail and Clawhammer Cove Trail from FR 477 to the waterfall on Clawhammer Cove Creek
Waterfall Hero lists 2.0 miles round trip from the Avery Creek Trail pull-off, with a short bushwhack of about 100 feet at the end. The legacy NC Waterfalls page says that in late 2024 part of FR 477 was closed to vehicles and visitors parked 1.4 miles up the road and walked the remaining 0.8 mile to the trailhead.
Easy to moderate trail with two footbridges, then a short open bushwhack and a steep overgrown scramble to the base.
Where to start
From US 276 2.2 miles north of the US 64/NC 280 junction, gravel Avery Creek Road (FR 477) 2.2 to 2.3 miles to a small pull-off on the right at the Avery Creek Trail marker; a larger pull-off is a quarter mile farther at Buckhorn Gap. Trailhead GPS 35.31488, -82.74921. Check whether FR 477 is open to vehicles past the 1.4 mile parking area.
Timing & water
Open year round; FR 477 status should be checked with the Pisgah Ranger District.
Before you go
Pisgah National Forest, Pisgah Ranger District. No fee or reservation is reported. Dogs on leash.
Visitor informationVisit sources
More waterfalls nearby
Within 40 straight-line miles. Road and trail distances will differ.
- Avery Creek FallsNational forest trail route documentedTransylvania County, NC0.5 miSW
- Twin FallsPartial: forest trail documented; road gate status near the trailhead not confirmedTransylvania County, NC1.1 miNW
- Upper Avery Creek FallsPartial guide: forest trail route described; vehicle access on FR 477 was limited and current status is unknownTransylvania County, NC1.2 miW
- Powerline FallsTransylvania County, NC1.3 miW
- High FallsPartial guide: unofficial path and river wade; trail beyond Billy Branch not checked since HeleneTransylvania County, NC1.8 miNE
Upper Moore Cove FallsTransylvania County, NC2.0 miSW
Moore Cove FallsResearched visit notes49 ft (15 m) · Transylvania County, NC2.0 miSW
Upper Little Moore Cove FallsPartial guide: off-trail Class III bushwhack on an unofficial path beyond the Forest Service trailTransylvania County, NC2.0 miSW
Little Moore Cove FallsNational forest trail and short informal side path; post-Helene condition unverified26 ft (8 m) · Transylvania County, NC2.0 miSW