About this spot
Teacups Falls is a multi-tiered sliding cascade on Steels Creek in Pisgah National Forest's Wilson Creek Wilderness, reached via a roughly 3-mile round-trip hike from FR228 off NC-181 north of Morganton. The trail crosses Steels Creek near a popular swimming hole before reaching two viewpoints: one at the base of the main slide, one at the upper cascades and potholes. The final ~20-foot slide empties into a shallow pool hikers commonly use for sliding and swimming in summer, confirmed by trip reports, a dedicated YouTube video, and years of AllTrails reviews. Hazards include heavy poison ivy and stinging nettle along the trail, a creek ford that runs high after rain, and slick, algae-covered rock at the slide. FR228's gate is locked January 1 to April 1 each year.