Between Cashiers and Brevard lies Sapphire, NC. Much like Glenville, it is little more than a few stores and a post office, but it is home to some of North Carolina’s most stunning waterfalls including Whitewater Falls. I have a lot of family that lives in Brevard, so I am up and down this road frequently.
Mike and I went to Whitewater Falls during the extremely cold weather of January. I wanted to see how much ice had formed on the NC waterfall. We had also visited it this summer. It is a great hike if you just want a short and easy walk to a view.
The trail to Whitewater Falls is paved and only about a quarter of a mile to the first overlook. A second overlook is down a flight of 153 stairs, but the view is even better from there so I think that it is worth it. It is a very tall waterfall, and as such, it is hard to get a scope of how big it is in a photograph. The total drop of this NC Waterfall is 411 feet.
Whitewater Falls is about 8 1/2 miles south on Highway 281 from US 64. It costs $2 per car. It is near Gorges State Park and the Foothills Trail.