Key Falls is a 70-foot tiered cascade in Transylvania County, North Carolina, on the grounds of Key Falls Inn a few miles east of Brevard. The falls are on private land, but the owners allow the public to walk up to them.
The falls
The stream is an unnamed tributary of the French Broad River, which it reaches within a few hundred yards of the falls. The World Waterfall Database classes the falls as tiered horsetails and puts the total at about 70 feet from lidar data, with a tallest drop of 50 feet; older surveys listed 50 feet.
Getting there
The falls sit behind Key Falls Inn on Everett Road. From Brevard, the route runs east on US 64, then right onto Crab Creek Road and right again onto Everett Road to the inn's driveway. A trail starts at the inn and climbs to an overlook. A visitor in July 2024 parked in the inn's lot with the owners' permission and called the walk easy; a gravel path runs about 0.2 mile one way, and the falls can also be seen from Seven Springs Road. There's no published fee or set hours; respect the property and its guests.
When to go
Flow depends on rain. Going after substantial rainfall is recommended, and the July 2024 visitor found only a modest flow.
On site
The overlook takes in both the falls and the creek running down toward the French Broad River. The inn runs a seasonal tapas restaurant, The Pavilion at Key Falls.
History and name
Key Falls Inn began as the Patton House, built by Charles Patton, a Transylvania County native: the back section before the Civil War and the larger front section in the 1860s.
Nearby
Camp Creek Falls is about 1 mile away, Glencannon Falls about 1.9 miles and Laughing Falls about 3.6 miles.
Distances are straight-line.