7+ Best Waterfalls Near Hendersonville, NC
From the waterfalls in DuPont State Forest to the ones along the Green River to the countless cascades in Transylvania County, there are some beautiful waterfalls near Hendersonville, NC.
I visit Western NC often and have done countless waterfall hikes so I’m excited to share a few of my favorites in this area.
This list contains options from roadside waterfalls to falls that require easy or moderate hikes so there’s a little something for any ability.
My personal favorites are Little Bradley Falls and Grassy Falls but that’s closely followed by the waterfall loop hike in DuPont. It just gets a little crowded for me at times.
Here’s everything you need to know about visiting some of the beautiful Hendersonville waterfalls!
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7+ Best Waterfalls Near Hendersonville, NC
This list of waterfalls is in no particular order, but be sure to look at the length and trail rating of the hike to make sure you pick one that matches your ability level. While none of these trails are really strenuous, some are harder than others.
Please follow Leave No Trace Principles when visiting these waterfalls! Note: distances shown are from AllTrails. Please verify before starting out on your hike!
🥾 Want to download trail maps for all these hikes? Check out AllTrails+ for trail maps, tracking, and finding the best trails all over the country! 🥾
1. High Falls, Triple Falls, & Hooker Falls
- Distance: 3.3mi | 0.8mi
- Type: Loop | Out & Back
- Rating: Easy | Easy
- Dog friendly? Yes
- AllTrails: High Falls & Triple Falls Tour | Hooker Falls
This is a great “bang for your buck” hike since you can see three different amazing waterfalls in a short amount of time.
For this one, we always park at the DuPont State Forest Visitor Center where there are bathrooms and a small outpost with maps. It can get VERY crowded at Visitor Center parking on the weekends so I highly recommend getting here early. There is an overflow lot.
High Falls and Triple Falls are on a loop hike and there’s a short off-shoot trail that you take to get to Hooker Falls. It can be a bit confusing, but when you get down to the Hooker Falls Access Parking Area but go almost directly across the parking lot and you’ll see the trailhead for Hooker Falls.
Pro tip: The bathrooms at Hooker Falls Parking are typically much better than the ones at the Visitor Center.
Hooker Falls gets crazy crowded when hiking in the summer because it’s one of the easiest waterfalls to reach and is a large swimming hole. People bring picnics here and hang out all day.
This loop is one of the most popular in general, so as I mentioned earlier, come early in the day if you don’t want to deal with crowds. I’ve been on a busy weekend though and the crowds aren’t unbearable other than at Hooker Falls.
DuPont stays busy even when hiking in winter so just keep that in mind. Make sure to dress warmly! We love hiking here in winter but it is so dang cold.
Another Pro Tip: Cell phone service isn’t always great here so either grab a map or take a photo of one at the Visitor Center.
This is a very popular trail for many of the Asheville hiking tours.
2. Bridal Veil Falls
- Distance: 4.7mi *If you start at High Falls Parking Area
- Type: Out & Back
- Rating: Moderate
- Dog friendly? Yes
- AllTrails: Bridal Veil
Another waterfall located in DuPont State Forest, this one is known as being one of the filming locations for The Hunger Games. The other waterfall in the movie is Triple Falls.
It’s not quite as popular as the other three, but you can still reach it from the main Visitor Center so it still gets a good amount of foot traffic.
If you have a full day, you can tack this one onto your hike of visiting the other three but you need to be in decent shape for that. I’m pretty worn out after doing the hike to the other three falls.
The trail is mainly a gravel forest road so not much to look at until you get to the falls themselves and it’s shared with bikers so be aware.
If you come from the Visitor Center, you can add on the Three Lakes Trail and there’s a great swimming area at one of the lakes.
3. Wintergreen Falls
- Distance: 3.1mi | Loop option: 3.2mi
- Type: Out & Back | Loop
- Rating: Easy | Moderate
- Dog friendly? Yes
- AllTrails: Wintergreen | Wintergreen Loop (includes Wintergreen and Upper Grassy)
Wintergreen Falls is another gem tucked away in DuPont State Forest. This is a relatively easy hike that leads to a beautiful, rocky creek with a nice little waterfall.
The trail is wide and is shared with horses and bikes, so it’s not too strenuous, making it perfect for families or someone just wanting a leisurely hike. This one starts from the Guion Farm Access which is much less crowded than the main area – even on a weekend.
Along the way, you’ll find multiple connector trails, and this is where the AllTrails app becomes your best friend. At least, I’m really glad that I had it!
There are a few nice swimming holes once you get to the creek but beware of snakes in the summer. I visited in the cooler months but I could definitely see this as a prime snake hangout.
I visited on a weekday and this trail was almost eerily quiet – I’m glad that I had my dog Barley for this one! The leaves were just past peak and the forest was absolutely beautiful.
We fueled up with breakfast at Hendough, one of the best downtown Hendersonville restaurants and I’m so glad that we did! I didn’t get hungry the entire hike – that’s saying something for me.
4. Upper Grassy Falls
- Distance: 1.1mi
- Type: Out & Back
- Rating: Moderate
- Dog friendly? Yes but see notes below about large dogs
- AllTrails: Upper Grassy
I thought this waterfall was more impressive than Wintergreen but it’s a little trickier to make it down from the trail.
You can do both Wintergreen and Grassy Falls as a loop trail from the Guion Farm Parking Lot, but I didn’t realize that at the time (see Wintergreen Loop linked above).
Instead, I parked at a small parking area (if you can call it that) in front of one of the gated service roads and hiked down from there. There is only room for one, maybe two cars here, so if people are already there, you’ll need to go back to Guion Farm Parking.
If you choose to go this way, the trail is much narrower than the other waterfall trails listed above and it gets pretty steep for the last 1/4 mile before you reach the falls.
For those in shape, the steep slope won’t be too bad, but my dog Barley is around 65 pounds and tends to pull on her leash and that made the steep section much more difficult for me. I was afraid she was going to pull me down.
Once you make it down to the creek, there are multiple little offshoots where you can access the waterfall at different stages but a few of these are so steep that you are basically scrambling to get back up.
Again – a little difficult to navigate with a large dog especially if you don’t feel comfortable letting go of their leash. If you’re on your own, it’s not bad at all and pretty fun.
The trail and waterfall are well worth the workout though, this is a gorgeous area of the forest. Once you get close to the creek there are tons of rhododendrons that I’m sure are beautiful when blooming.
The waterfall has a few tiers and I recommend going down to the bottom one because there’s a nice beach that would be the perfect summer hang out spot.
5. Little Bradley Falls
- Distance: 1.8mi
- Type: Out & Back
- Rating: Moderate
- Dog friendly? Yes
- AllTrails: Little Bradley
Little Bradley Falls was absolutely an unexpected gem and it’s the closest waterfall near Hendersonville on this list! It’s also one of the best hikes near Greenville, SC if you’re out that way.
The hike really isn’t that difficult but it is a very popular one in the Green River Gamelands. I had zero cell service when I got to the parking area but did have some along the trail. Just remember which way you need to go when you leave.
It’s just roadside parking with no paved parking lot but there are a few pull-in spots right in front of the trailhead that go quickly.
There are a few creek crossings along the trail but if you take your time, you can navigate these without getting your feet wet by hopping across the rocks. If I was doing this in the summer though, I would definitely wear my Chacos and wade through.
The entire trail is pretty flat and the waterfall is gorgeous so I highly recommend this one. There’s plenty of space to hang out at the base of the waterfall to enjoy the view and eat a snack.
If you have a dog, just note that dogs are not required to be on a leash on this trail.
We did this one really quickly when I was headed home from a few days visiting the wineries near Hendersonville and it was a great way to stretch our legs for the day. I do wish we had more time to enjoy the falls!
6. Looking Glass Falls
- Distance: 0.3mi
- Type: Out & Back
- Rating: Easy
- Dog friendly? Yes
- AllTrails: Looking Glass
This is one of the most popular and well-known waterfalls in western North Carolina because you can see it from the roadside. It’s located along Highway 276 where you’ll find tons of other waterfalls as well.
While the roadside view is fine, you’ll get the best view from walking down the stairs to the viewing platform. You can go all the way down into the creek as well.
Be VERY careful on the stairs during the winter – especially when the temperature is close to freezing. The spray from the waterfall creates a layer of ice on the stairs and you will bust your butt. Ask me how I know. 😑
Since this one is so popular, parking does fill up very quickly but there are usually people coming and going constantly. If not, just head down the road to Moore Cove Falls or Sliding Rock.
Moore Cove is a great additional waterfall hike that’s literally two minutes down the road from Looking Glass. When we went to Brevard, we did both of these hikes and it made for a great morning.
7. Hickory Nut Falls
- Distance: 1.9mi
- Type: Out & Back
- Rating: Easy
- Dog friendly? Yes
- AllTrails: Hickory Nut Falls
This one is in a different direction than the others but still only about 30 minutes from downtown Hendersonville and there is so much to do around here other than just see the waterfall.
One thing to know before going – this is located in Chimney Rock State Park which charges a fee to enter. As of January 2026, the price is $17 for adults and $8 for kids ages 5 – 15.
I recommend only going if you want to spend some time hiking to other things in Chimney Rock. It does offer beautiful views of the surrounding area!
We hiked up from the parking lot (you can also take a shuttle) but the stairs around the top of the mountain are no joke. It’s a great workout!
The waterfall is incredibly tall and thin and there are picnic tables and benches along the trail. The small stream and base of the falls is not accessible because they have it fenced off to protect the environment.
There are lots of little shops in the village of Chimney Rock to check out but we love going to Burntshirt Vineyards just across the road for wine and small plates.
We used to visit Hickory Nut Gorge Brewery but they have new owners and rebranded to Chimney Rock Brewing Company. We haven’t been back since they changed but will be trying it next time!
This is also close to Lake Lure so you can also go check out the Lake Lure Flowering Bridge.
Map of Waterfalls Near Hendersonville, NC
Want more ideas for waterfalls in the area? Check out these cool Asheville waterfalls.
Wrap Up: Hendersonville Waterfalls
These are just a few of the waterfalls near Hendersonville and if you venture out to Looking Glass Falls, there are over 250 waterfalls in that area.
The ones on this list are just a few of my personal favorites and I tried to mix in ones for different ability levels. No matter which one you visit though, each is beautiful.
Please do be very careful around the falls as they can be very slick and follow Leave No Trace principles.
