About this spot
Two main jumping platforms and an excellent pool for swimming. Suitable for supervised children. From I-40, take exit 103 to US-64 heading toward Morganton/Rutherfordton. Turn right onto Burkemont Ave/US-64, then left on W Fleming Dr/US-64/US-70. Continue left on N Green St/NC-181, then right on Brown Mountain Beach Rd/NC-1405. Turn left on Brown Mountain Beach Rd/NC-1328 and proceed approximately 5 miles past a narrow single-lane bridge. The parking area is on the left. Harpers Creek trail FS 260 is roughly 1 mile long, typically requiring 30-45 minutes. The initial eighth-mile features steep terrain; the remainder is largely flat with minor obstacles. A thick rope aids descent to the lower pool or the smaller pool beneath the falls. From the water, swim around the cascade to a prominent rock near the corner. The first platform is a 20-25 foot jump accessed via a small rope on the right side of the falls. The second jump measures 35-40 feet and requires free climbing leftward and upward from the waterfall's top. This route involves friction climbing over bare rock without protection—any fall results in impact with stone. Climbers must ascend above the jump site, then friction-descend to a small pine growing from a broken rock formation. The jump point lies at a small crack just left of this formation. Sit several feet above the crack and commit immediately upon standing, taking two powerful steps to clear 10-15 feet of rock projecting below. Exercise extreme caution. Additional hazard: diving into the whitewater risks being pulled under a rock ledge approximately 15 feet down. A fatality has occurred from entrapment beneath this ledge by the current.