Cullasaja Falls
Cullasaja Falls in the fall
LocationMacon County, North Carolina
Coordinates35°06′59″N 83°16′10″W / 35.116397°N 83.269527°W / 35.116397; -83.269527
TypeCascade
Total height200 ft (61.0 m) - Disputed (see Geology Section)

Cullasaja Falls (/ˌkləˈsə/)[1] is a waterfall in southwestern North Carolina. The waterfall is located on the Cullasaja River in the Nantahala National Forest and is part of the Mountain Waters Scenic Byway. Cullasaja comes from a Cherokee word meaning "honey locust place".

Geology

The falls is the last major waterfall on the Cullasaja River.[2] The falls is a long cascade over the course of 0.2 miles (.3 km).

The height of the falls is given as 200 ft (61 m) in Kevin Adams' book, North Carolina Waterfalls[2] and 250 ft (77.1 m) by NCWaterfalls.com.[3]

Visiting the falls

It is easy to catch a glimpse of the falls while driving by; however, getting a better view of the falls is not easy. The falls are located beside of a series of blind curves on U.S. 64, with sheer rock cliffs above and below the road. There is only one small pull-off near the falls, but walking on the road puts visitors in danger of being hit by a passing vehicle.

Activities

Though difficult to reach, some use the falls as a place for leisure activities such as swimming (in the pool below) or rappelling.

Cullasaja Falls during a period of very high flow

Nearby falls

References

  1. Talk Like A Tarheel Archived 2013-06-22 at the Wayback Machine, from the North Carolina Collection's website at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 2013-02-08.
  2. 1 2 Adams, Kevin (2005). North Carolina Waterfalls. John F. Blair. p. 470. ISBN 0-89587-320-6.
  3. NCWaterfalls.com
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