Big Crabtree Falls is a waterfall on East Fork Big Crabtree Creek in Mitchell County, North Carolina, in the Blue Ridge region, with a total height of about 80 feet. It lies about 5.7 miles southwest of Spruce Pine and roughly 29.3 miles northeast 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. The water comes down as a tiered waterfall, falling in several distinct steps one after another. It falls in 2 drops.
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.
There are 5 recorded waterfalls in Mitchell County. Murphy Falls, is under a mile away. Crabtree Falls, a 70-foot fan waterfall, is about 2.7 miles away. Grassy Creek Falls, a 25-foot tiered waterfall, is about 2.9 miles away.
Big Crabtree Falls is located at 35.8569° N, 82.1365° 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 position was verified on aerial imagery. Details on trails, parking and access have not been documented for this waterfall yet.