On Carter Creek in the Big Ivy area of Pisgah National Forest, Douglas Falls leaps 90 feet off a sheer ledge in Buncombe County, North Carolina. The trails to the falls have been closed since September 2025.
The falls
A lidar survey puts the full drop at about 90 feet in a single sheer plunge. The Blue Ridge Parkway still uses an older figure of 70 feet, and the falls are also known as Carter Creek Falls. The falls sit on a tributary of Waterfall Creek, which drains to the Ivy River.
Getting there
The Forest Service's Appalachian Ranger District has closed the Douglas Falls Trail (TR162), along with all Big Ivy trails, from September 15, 2025, to October 1, 2026. Check with the Pisgah National Forest before planning a visit.
When open, the falls have two approaches. From a parking lot on F.R. 74, 4.7 miles beyond Walker Falls, a 0.55-mile path leads to the base. From above, the route starts at the Graybeard Mountain Overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway: 1 mile south on the Mountains-to-Sea Trail to the Falls Trail, then 3 miles down to the falls, 8 miles round trip in all, rated strenuous by the Park Service. That route passes cascades and two groves of old-growth hemlock.
When to go
Seasonal flow and road-opening dates for the Big Ivy access are not documented. The trail is closed until at least October 1, 2026.
On site
The falls are ringed by large eastern hemlocks killed by the hemlock woolly adelgid. The dead trees are decaying and falling; watch for falling limbs and avoid the area in high wind. Above the falls, the trail continues uphill to join the Mountains-to-Sea Trail below Craggy Pinnacle.
History and name
The falls were supposedly named for William O. Douglas, the Supreme Court justice.
Nearby
Cascades Waterfall is about 0.5 mile away, 1.4 miles further down the trail. Glassmine Falls is about 2.6 miles away and Walker Falls about 2.7 miles. Asheville is about 13.1 miles southwest.
Distances are straight-line.