About this spot
Cedar Rock Falls is a 20-foot cascade on Cedar Rock Creek in Pisgah National Forest, reached via the Cat Gap Loop Trail from the Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education and fish hatchery north of Brevard, NC — a moderate 0.8-mile round trip, free, with no permit needed. The falls feed a shallow, moss-lined wading pool popular with families for cooling off; Upper Cedar Rock Falls sits just upstream and is worth the extra few minutes. The main hazard is footing, not depth: the rock apron around the pool stays slick and mossy year-round, and the spray-cliff area behind the falls is undercut. This is a wading and photo stop rather than a cliff-jumping spot — there's no real jump ledge. Best visited spring through fall; ice makes the approach dangerous in winter.