Upper Steels Creek Falls
Burke County, North Carolina
Your visit at a glance
- Waterfall height
- Not recorded
- Location
- Burke County, North Carolina
- Access status
- Partial: forest road closed to vehicles; walk-in parking not described
- The walk
- A couple hundred feet from the creek crossing, plus the walk along FR 496
- Ground & access
- Gravel forest road, then a faint path cluttered with fallen trees. The rocks at the falls are slippery.
FR 496 is listed as closed to motor vehicles but open on foot. Walk the gravel road toward Steels Creek. Just past the crossing of Steels Creek, a faint path on the left bank (facing downstream) leads a couple hundred feet up to the base of the 50-foot falls. Return the same way.
Plan your visit
FR 496 (New Gingercake Road) from NC 181 to the Steels Creek crossing, then a faint path up the creek
Waterfall Hero gives under 0.1 miles from the pull-off past the crossing. FR 496 is about 1 mile long from NC 181 to the crossing, per the driving directions. Where the road is gated is not stated.
Gravel forest road, then a faint path cluttered with fallen trees. The rocks at the falls are slippery.
Where to start
Near the FR 496 turn off NC 181, about 21 miles north of Morganton or 6.2 miles south of the Blue Ridge Parkway. A legal parking spot near the closed road is not described by the sources.
Timing & water
The Forest Service lists New Gingercake Road (FSRD 496) in Burke County as closed to motorized vehicles but open to recreational use on foot, bike and horseback. Waterfall Hero describes driving to the creek crossing before the closure.
Before you go
Wilson Creek area, Grandfather Ranger District, Pisgah National Forest. No fee is stated by the sources.
Visitor informationVisit sources
More waterfalls nearby
Within 40 straight-line miles. Road and trail distances will differ.
- Newt FallsPartial: forest road closed to cars; parking at the closure not confirmed; difficult descentBurke County, NC0.1 miE
- Zig Zag FallsBurke County, NC0.4 miS
- Rip Breeches FallsBurke County, NC0.7 miSE
- Upper Creek FallsRoute and parking documented; secondary route details attributed98 ft (30 m) · Burke County, NC1.1 miN
- Gingercake Creek FallsBurke County, NC1.4 miS
- Teacups FallsPartial guide: exact waterfall and total distance not confirmed; creek wade and scramblesBurke County, NC1.5 miSE
- Beverly Hillbilly FallsNational forest trail then a creek walk; exact location not confirmed by a sourceBurke County, NC1.6 miS
- Steels Creek FallsNational forest trail; creek crossing and steep scramble to the viewBurke County, NC1.9 miS
- Burnthouse Branch FallsPartial guide: the access trail is on the Forest Service Helene closure listBurke County, NC2.0 miE