Cullasaja Falls

Cullasaja Falls
Cullasaja Falls in the fall
Location	Macon County, North Carolina
Coordinates	35°06′59″N 83°16′10″W / 35.116397°N 83.269527°W / 35.116397; -83.269527
Type	Cascade
Total height	200 ft (61.0 m) - Disputed (see Geology Section)

Cullasaja Falls 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.^[1] 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^[1] and 250 ft (77.1 m) by NCWaterfalls.com.^[2] However, Google Earth gives a height (based on the elevation of the water at the top of the falls and the elevation of the plunge pool at the bottom of the falls) of 137 ft (42 m).

Visiting the Falls

It is easy to catch a glimpse of the falls as you drive by; however, getting a better view of the falls is not easy. The falls are located beside of a series of blind curves on Highway 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 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

• Quarry Falls
• Dry Falls
• Bridal Veil Falls

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Adams, Kevin (2005). North Carolina Waterfalls. John F. Blair. p. 470. ISBN 0895873206. 
2. ^ NCWaterfalls.com

External links

• North Carolina Waterfalls
• "Cullasaja Falls". National Forests in North Carolina. http://www.cs.unca.edu/nfsnc/recreation/wncwaterfalls/cullasajafalls.htm. 
• "Cullasaja Falls". Carolina Clips. http://www.ncwiseowl.org/CarolinaClips/caroclips/wfalls/cullasajafalls.html. 
• TopoQuest map of Cullasaja Falls