Near Old Fort, NC, and just off I-40 lies a peaceful, shady hike to the beautiful and rushing Catawba Falls, which is actually two falls in one. 

The hike to this amazing mountain waterfall is only 3 miles round trip, and easy to moderate in difficulty.  

Both the trail and Catawba Falls itself are very photogenic, making the hike well worth it. If you're ever visiting the Pisgah National Forest, this is a trail that is perfect for families and friends alike.

Keep reading to learn more about this great hike in McDowell County, the two falls and see our photos!

Updated 3/12/2025 - New Information and photos added highlighting recent changes safety and accessibility changes following the trail closure for 2 years. 

Parking at Catawba Falls Trailhead

The Catawba Falls trailhead is about 10 minutes from downtown Old Fort NC, on the south side of I-40. You'll follow Catawba River Road until it ends in the main parking lot, where you'll find the trailhead and some public restrooms.

While the parking lot is large, on a busy weekend day, it's challenging to find a parking spot. We always recommend hiking on a weekday if possible, and arriving early.

The photo above is from early morning. We thought we were pretty early, but as you can see, the parking area was already filling up.

Hiking to Catawba Falls

We hiked to Catawba Falls many years ago, while camping with our kids when they were young.  

Since then, and rather recently, the Catawba Falls Trail was updated. At the falls, decking and stairs have been built to make viewing the falls and accessing them better and safer.

This was our first time back in many years, and since the trail improvements were made.

We visited Catawba Falls as part of a long weekend spent in Old Fort, NC and McDowell County during September 2024, literally days before the flooding from Hurricane Helene hit and did significant damage to the area.

You'll find the trailhead to Catawba Falls at the end of the parking area, and to the right of the restrooms. 

The hike begins through a forest, and alongside the Catawba River. Trees cover the trail, providing a nice shady hike nearly the entire way to the base of Catawba Falls.

The hike itself is 1.1 miles out to the base of Catawba Falls. The hike is easy to moderate, with only minor elevation changes. You'll be alongside the Catawba River most of the way, and you'll find lots of side trail to the river to explore.

We really enjoyed exploring the side trails and found some great photo opportunities just off the trail a little.

The beautiful sounds of the rushing water from the river will also enhance your enjoyment of the hike. The trail is wide and very well maintained, making it a nice, relaxing and pleasant hike.

Shortly after beginning the hike, you'll cross a large foot-bridge, with an old building to the left. These are some remanents of the old 1920s hydropower dam which served power for the town of Old Fort. You'll pass by the old dam further down the trail.

This is one of a few foot bridges you'll cross on your way to the base of the falls.

Before you begin the gradual incline up to Catawba Falls, you'll pass by a small but beautiful waterfall. If you look closely, you'll realize the falls are in fact not natural and they are falling over an old stone and concrete wall that is overgrown with vegetation. This is the old dam.

After the dam, the trail climbs up a bit more steeply and you'll know you're close to reaching Catawba Falls itself.

You'll hear Catawba Falls well before you see it. You'll also see the new stairs leading up to the newly constructed wood decking and stairs that allow you to view the falls and make the climb up to the trail to Upper Catawba Falls.

Catawba Falls

Catawba Falls itself is 100' tall, gently cascading waterfall. The entire fall is difficult to view from the base, but regardless, even from the base, the falls are gorgeous and very photogenic.

There are steps leading down to the base of the falls where you can take photos, sit and enjoy the views, or wade in the cool and crisp waters.

In the past, this is where most ended their hike. The climb up to the upper falls was steep, dangerous and involved needing to use ropes.

With the new decking and stairs, everyone can safely walk up and not only enjoy marvellous views of the entire Catawba Falls, but see Upper Catawba Falls as well.

The climb up isn't easy though. It's 580 steps and 0.3 miles to the upper falls trail. It's the equivalent of climbing a 30-story building and it is strenuous. We consider ourselves in pretty good shape, and by the time we climbed up and back down, our legs and knees were shot.

On your way up, you'll climb the new metal 60-foot tall observation tower, which delivers a magnificent view of the falls and surrounding mountains. But warning, if you are afraid of heights, skip this. The stairs are metal grates that you can see through all the way to the bottom.

Catawba Falls (Upper)

After reaching the top of the stairs (be sure to hold your hands in the air and sing the Rocky theme), you'll follow a narrow dirt trail out to the base of Upper Catawba Falls.

There are two ways to get to it. Take the second one, which has a nice wooden deck to view the falls.

While Catawba Falls is a gently cascading waterfall, made up of many smaller cascades. Upper falls is a single large, 80-foot tall plunge into a deep pool at the base.

This was our first time hiking up to Upper Catawba Falls, and it is equally beautiful as the main Catawba Falls, just different. This is a more powerful and louder waterfall and also very photogenic.

Hiking Back to the Parking Area

After visiting Upper Catawba Falls, you can return the way you came OR continue on the loop trail.

If you return the way you came, the complete hike is a 3-mile round-trip hike. Following the loop trail makes for a 4-mile round-trip hike.

Because of time constraints, and frankly, us spending too much time exploring side trails; we elected to go the shorter route and hike back the way we came.

Recent Closure History for Catawba Falls

Catawba Falls closed in 2022 for a scheduled two-year trail improvement project. The focus of the improvements were to improve safety and accessibility.   The changes were definitely necessary, given the popularity of the falls, at more than 10,000 visitors per week during peak season.  

The also beautiful upper Catawba Falls area was only accessible by climbing rocks or using ropes places by visitors. Both extremely unsafe options.

Catawba Falls reopened to the public on May 31, 2024, with lots of new changes, including:

• New wooden Stairs: Upper Falls is now accessible by 580 stairs, designed for safer access and provides enhanced views of Lower Catawba Falls.
• Observation Tower: A 60-foot metal tower was installed, that offers panoramic views of the upper falls and surrounding mountains. 
• New Trails: The Catawba Falls Ridge Trail and a Wildflower Trail were added.
• Overlooks: Several overlook platforms were built along the trail 

Catawba Falls closed again shortly after its reopening because of damage from Hurricane Helene. Several washouts, slides, and fallen trees damaged the trail out to the falls. Crews also repaired several damaged wooden overlooks near the falls.

Catawba Falls re-opened again in January 2025 and remains open for visitors.

Our Catawba Falls and Catawba Falls Trail Photos