About this spot
Secret Falls (also called Big Shoals Falls) drops about 50 feet into a wide pool on Big Creek in Nantahala National Forest, roughly 20 minutes south of downtown Highlands, NC, just off the Georgia line. Reach it via the Forest Service's Big Shoals Trail (#402), a 0.75-mile hike from a Horse Cove Road or Rich Gap Road trailhead off FS 4567; the route includes stairs down to a sandy beach at the base. It's a longtime local swimming hole -- summer visitors regularly climb the boulders lining the pool and jump into the water. Access is seasonally gated (mid-December to mid-March) and can require a longer road walk in winter. Rocks around the falls and the upper ledge are slick when wet; stay off the lip and don't scramble above the drop. Public land, no fee.