Hemlock Falls is a 25-foot waterfall on tributary of Bobs Creek in McDowell County, North Carolina, in the Blue Ridge region. It lies about 5.8 miles southeast of West Marion and roughly 34.8 miles east of Asheville as the crow flies.
At 25 feet it is on the modest side for North Carolina, where the typical waterfall with a recorded height stands around 50 feet; it ranks 223rd of 288.
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. tributary of Bobs Creek carries 3 recorded waterfalls, and Hemlock Falls is the tallest of them.
McDowell County holds 11 recorded waterfalls, and several are close by. Split Rock Falls, 25 feet high, is under a mile away. Hidden Falls, 25 feet high, is under a mile away. High Shoals Falls, a cascade waterfall, is about 1.1 miles away.
Hemlock Falls is located at 35.6160° N, 81.9351° 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.