Thunderhole Falls is a waterfall on Thunderhole Creek in Caldwell County, North Carolina, in the Blue Ridge region, with a total height of about 15 feet. It lies about 2.1 miles southwest of Blowing Rock and roughly 39 miles east of Johnson City as the crow flies.
At 15 feet it is on the modest side for North Carolina, where the typical waterfall with a recorded height stands around 50 feet; it ranks 265th of 288. The water comes down as a tiered waterfall, falling in several distinct steps one after another. It falls in 2 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.
There are 11 recorded waterfalls in Caldwell County. Glen Marie Falls, a 60-foot cascade waterfall, is about 1.2 miles away. Glen Burney Falls, a 45-foot slide waterfall, is about 1.3 miles away. New Years Creek Cascades, a tiered waterfall, is about 1.6 miles away.
Thunderhole Falls is located at 36.1101° N, 81.6999° 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.