Big Bradley Falls is an 80-foot waterfall on Cove Creek in Polk County, North Carolina, in the Blue Ridge region. It lies about 5.1 miles northwest of Tryon and roughly 27.3 miles southeast of Asheville 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. By form it is a fan, spreading out horizontally as it falls and staying in contact with the rock.
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. Cove Creek carries 3 recorded waterfalls, and Big Bradley Falls is the tallest of them.
Polk County holds 8 recorded waterfalls, and several are close by. Little Bradley Falls, a 40-foot tiered waterfall, is about 1 miles away. Stairstep Falls, a tiered waterfall, is about 1.5 miles away. Fig Falls, is about 3.3 miles away.
Big Bradley Falls is located at 35.2681° N, 82.2916° 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 creek name is confirmed against the federal Geographic Names Information System. 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.