Gouges Creek, Falls of is a 40-foot waterfall on Gouges Creek in Mitchell County, North Carolina, in the Blue Ridge region. It lies about 3.2 miles north of Spruce Pine and roughly 29.7 miles southeast of Johnson City as the crow flies.
At 40 feet it is on the modest side for North Carolina, where the typical waterfall with a recorded height stands around 50 feet; it ranks 166th of 288. By form it is a horsetail, where the water keeps some contact with the bedrock as it falls.
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.
Mitchell County holds 5 recorded waterfalls, and several are close by. Beaver Creek Falls, is under a mile away. Duggars Creek Falls, a tiered waterfall, is about 6.9 miles away. Linville Falls, a 120-foot tiered waterfall, is about 7 miles away.
Gouges Creek, Falls of is located at 35.9598° N, 82.0513° 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.