Staircase Falls is a 70-foot waterfall on Horsepasture River in Transylvania County, North Carolina, in the Blue Ridge region. It lies about 16.2 miles southwest of Brevard and roughly 35.7 miles northwest of Greenville as the crow flies.
At 70 feet it is taller than the typical North Carolina waterfall of about 50 feet, ranking 101st of 288 with a recorded height. By form it is a tiered waterfall, falling in several distinct steps one after another. It falls in 7 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. Horsepasture River carries 6 recorded waterfalls; the biggest of them reaches 320 feet.
Transylvania County holds 133 recorded waterfalls, and several are close by. Sidepocket Falls, a 30-foot tiered waterfall, is under a mile away. Rainbow Falls, a 128-foot fan waterfall, is under a mile away. Umbrella Falls, a 20-foot block waterfall, is under a mile away.
Staircase Falls is located at 35.0856° N, 82.9568° 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.