Cascade Falls, also called "The Cascades", is a
waterfall
A waterfall is any point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge
of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf.
Waterfalls can be formed in seve ...
located at
E. B. Jeffress Park on the
Blue Ridge Parkway
The Blue Ridge Parkway is a National Parkway and National Scenic Byway, All-American Road in the United States, noted for its scenic beauty. The parkway, which is the longest linear park in the U.S., runs for through 29 counties in Virginia and ...
in the
Blue Ridge Mountains
The Blue Ridge Mountains are a Physiographic regions of the United States, physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Highlands range. The mountain range is located in the Eastern United States and extends 550 miles southwest from southern ...
of
North Carolina
North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...
, United States.
Geology
The waterfall is located on Falls Creek. It begins with a small free-fall before cascading and sliding down the rock face.
The water here eventually ends up in the
W. Kerr Scott Reservoir and the
Yadkin River
The Yadkin River is one of the longest rivers in the US state of North Carolina, flowing . It rises in the northwestern portion of the state near the Blue Ridge Parkway, Blue Ridge Parkway's Thunder Hill Overlook. Several parts of the river a ...
. Like many other falls in the northern North Carolina Mountains, the falls are high, but limited in water.
Visiting the falls
The falls is located in E. B. Jeffress Park on the Blue Ridge Parkway at milepost 271.9, 4.4 miles north of where
U. S. Highway 421 crosses the parkway at
Deep Gap.
The easy-to-moderate loop trail begins at the north end of the parking area for a total loop of approximately 0.8 mile. The trail, which includes educational material concerning local
wildflowers
A wildflower (or wild flower) is a flower that grows in the wild, rather than being intentionally seeded or planted. The term implies that the plant is neither a hybrid nor a selected cultivar that is any different from the native plant, eve ...
and
other plants, such as
mountain laurel, descends 50 feet to an upper overlook and another 200 feet to a lower overlook. The upper overlook allows the visitors to see approximately 20 feet of cascades above the overlook and a long slide below the overlook. The lower overlook allows a different view of the slide.
The lower section of the falls is no longer accessible from the trail. A scramble path used to be available, but damage to the plant life and the banks of the stream resulted in the construction of a fence to restrict further access and potential injury to both the falls and to visitors.
Nearby falls
Betsey's Rock Falls
See also
*
List of waterfalls
This list of notable waterfalls of the world is sorted by continent, then country, then province, state or territory. A waterfall is included if it is at least tall and has an existing Wikipedia article, or it is considered historically sig ...
*
List of waterfalls in North Carolina
The waterfalls of North Carolina, U.S., are a prominent feature of the geography of the Piedmont and mountain regions of the state, as well as a major focus of tourism and outdoor recreation. Many of these falls are located in state parks, nation ...
References
External links
North Carolina Waterfalls
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Waterfalls of North Carolina
Protected areas of Wilkes County, North Carolina
Blue Ridge Parkway
Landforms of Wilkes County, North Carolina