Looking Glass Falls 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 ...

in Western

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 ...

, located near Brevard.

Natural history

The name comes from nearby Looking Glass Rock, which resembles a wintertime mirror (or "looking glass") of sunlight, as water freezes on its sides and reflects the sun, and from the name of the stream from which the falls plunge, Looking Glass Creek.

Geology

The waterway is Looking Glass Creek, which flows through the

Pisgah National Forest Pisgah National Forest is a United States National Forest, National Forest in the Appalachian Mountains of western North Carolina. It is administered by the United States Forest Service, part of the United States Department of Agriculture. The P ...

Visiting the Falls

The falls are open to the public and are accessible on the side of U.S. Highway 276, approximately 5.6 miles north of the intersection of 276, U.S. Highway 64, and NC Highway 280 in

Pisgah Forest, North Carolina Pisgah Forest is an unincorporated community in Transylvania County, North Carolina, United States. It sits at an elevation of 2100 feet (640 m) along U.S. Route 64, northeast of Brevard. It is approximately a 30-minute drive from the Ashevi ...

. The falls are just under 70' tall from top to bottom, with the main falls at 60'. It is an extremely popular waterfall, due to ease of access to the falls directly on the side of the road. There is a path that leads to the plunge pool. During the winter when the falls freeze solid, they are popular

Ice Climbing Ice climbing is a climbing discipline that involves ascending routes consisting entirely of frozen water. To ascend, the ice climber uses specialist equipment, particularly double ice axes (or the more modern ice tools) and rigid crampons. ...

destination. Looking Glass Falls in Autumn

According to local

Emergency Services Emergency services and rescue services are organizations that ensure public safety, security, and health by addressing and resolving different emergencies. Some of these agencies exist solely for addressing certain types of emergencies, while ot ...

personnel, there have been many injuries and deaths at the falls, mainly due to individuals who

rock climb Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

near the edge of the falls and accidentally fall in the plunge pool, or persons who jump in the plunge pool. In 1990, South African kayaker Corran Addison kayaked over the falls successfully, but injured his back in the process. Persons who visit Looking Glass Falls should take care to respect both basic safety rules and the fragile environment that exist at the falls.

Nearby falls

* Slick Rock Falls *

Moore Cove Falls Moore Cove Falls is a waterfall in Pisgah National Forest in Western North Carolina, located near Brevard, North Carolina, Brevard. Natural history The name comes from Moore Cove, and was named for Adam Q. Moore, who purchased the property. In ...

* Sliding Rock * Cedar Rock Falls * Cove Creek Falls * Daniel Ridge Falls * Twin Falls * Log Hollow Falls * Falls on Log Hollow Branch *

Key Falls Key Falls, is a 50 ft (38 m) waterfall located near Brevard, in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. Geology Key Falls is a waterfall with a watershed located on an unnamed tributary of the French Broad River. The creek trickles o ...

References

External links