About this spot
Raven Rock Falls sits on the Toxaway River in Gorges State Park, reached via the Toxaway River Trail off Cold Mountain Road near Lake Toxaway, NC (roughly a 3-mile loop, moderate). The river drops in two stages — a 15-20 ft free fall followed by a lower cascade over layered Toxaway gneiss — into a clear pool at the base, and hikers and multiple video/trip reports describe wading in and dunking to cool off after the hike. No fee; limited trailhead parking. The real hazard is the approach, not the pool: the trail crosses a stream that free-falls about 20 ft directly over the path, and a footbridge nicknamed the 'Bridge of Death' spans the worst of it — wet rock and exposed drop-offs make this crossing genuinely dangerous, especially after rain. Land is state park property; stay on marked trail sections elsewhere.