Upper Catawba Falls is a 75-foot horsetail waterfall on the Catawba River in McDowell County, North Carolina, in Pisgah National Forest near Old Fort. It is the far end of the Catawba Falls loop, reached by a long stair climb above the lower falls. A hiker died after falling from it in 2017.
The falls
Lidar measurements indicate a drop of about 75 feet in a single horsetail. Earlier surveys showed 70 feet in two drops. Rangefinder measurements showed about 65 feet, with water that partly free-falls and partly cascades.
Getting there
The trailhead is at the end of Catawba River Road, 3.1 miles from Exit 73 on I-40 at Old Fort, with parking and restrooms. The River Trail (right of the restrooms) and the Ridge Trail (left) make a 3.3-mile loop, and going counterclockwise on the River Trail is the shortest way to the upper falls. Between Catawba Falls and the upper falls the route climbs more than 500 steps; the trailhead kiosk shows 580. The hike is rated moderate to difficult, with the stairs the hardest part. The Ridge Trail avoids the stairs but has steep sections.
In a July 15, 2026 update, the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources reported the whole loop open, but the upper viewing platform and the Wildflower Trail were still closed after Hurricane Helene.
When to go
The loop was included among summer waterfall hikes for 2026. Flow timing isn't documented.
On site
The trail crosses two long footbridges, 103 feet over the Catawba River and 107 feet over Chestnut Branch, and ends at a viewing deck at the base of the falls, part of which is the platform still closed in 2026. Dogs struggle on the punched-steel stair treads. In June 2017 a man fell about 70 feet at Upper Catawba Falls and died; rescuers described steep, hazardous ground around the falls. Stay on the stairs and platforms.
History and name
For years the upper falls were reached by a rough unofficial path. The Forest Service closed the route in 2022 and spent nearly two years building the boardwalk and stair system that leads there now.
Nearby
Catawba Falls is about 0.2 mile downstream, on the same loop. Flat Creek Falls is about 5.3 miles away and Slick Falls about 6.6 miles. Black Mountain is about 4.3 miles west.
Distances are straight-line.