Upper Harper Creek Falls is a waterfall on Harper Creek in Avery County, North Carolina, in the Blue Ridge region, with a total height of about 80 feet. It lies about 12.4 miles east of Spruce Pine and roughly 35.9 miles southeast of Johnson City as the crow flies.
At 80 feet it is taller than the typical North Carolina waterfall of about 50 feet, ranking 85th of 288 with a recorded height. The water comes down as a cascade, descending over a series of rock steps rather than in a single drop.
The Blue Ridge is the highest part of the southern Appalachians, a range of forested peaks and coves with oak, hickory, tulip poplar and hemlock and spruce-fir on the summits, in one of the wettest climates in the East. Steep mountain streams drop over granite, gneiss and quartzite ledges, giving the region hundreds of waterfalls. Harper Creek carries 4 recorded waterfalls; the biggest of them reaches 120 feet.
There are 19 recorded waterfalls in Avery County. Lower Upper Creek Falls, a tiered waterfall, is about 1.3 miles away. Upper Creek Falls, a 50-foot slide waterfall, is about 1.5 miles away. Chestnut Cove Branch Falls, is about 1.8 miles away.
Upper Harper Creek Falls is located at 35.9816° N, 81.8579° W. The listing is based on the World Waterfall Database, one of the sources compiled by the U.S. Geological Survey in its inventory of waterfalls and rapids of the conterminous United States. The exact position has not yet been verified on aerial imagery, so treat the map pin as approximate. Details on trails, parking and access have not been documented for this waterfall yet.