Wateroak Falls is a waterfall on Wateroak Creek in Clay County, North Carolina, in the Blue Ridge region, with a total height of about 45 feet. It lies about 12.4 miles northwest of Mountain City and roughly 67 miles west of Greenville as the crow flies.
At 45 feet it is on the modest side for North Carolina, where the typical waterfall with a recorded height stands around 50 feet; it ranks 149th of 288. The water comes down as 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.
There are 5 recorded waterfalls in Clay County. High Falls, a 140-foot tiered waterfall, is about 1.9 miles away. Bull Cove Falls, a 40-foot tiered waterfall, is about 2 miles away. Burnt Cabin Branch, is about 2.8 miles away across the state line in Georgia.
Wateroak Falls is located at 35.0305° N, 83.5560° 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.