About this spot
Midnight Hole sits about 1.4 miles up the Big Creek Trail from Big Creek Campground near Waynesville, NC, inside Great Smoky Mountains National Park (off I-40 exit 451). A short waterfall drops about 6 feet into a deep, boulder-lined pool, with several rocks around 10 feet used for jumping into clear, cold water. It's genuinely popular and genuinely dangerous: a 25-year-old visitor drowned here in 2020, pulled down by underwater hydraulics below the falls combined with cold-water shock, and pool depth exceeding 18 feet in spots hides that risk. Hurricane Helene damaged the trail beyond Mouse Creek Falls in 2024, but the section to Midnight Hole remains open. No lifeguards; check current NPS trail status before heading out.
Safety first. Cliff jumping is inherently dangerous and can cause serious injury or death. Conditions — water depth, submerged hazards, and access — change constantly. CliffScout is community-sourced reference information, not a guarantee a spot is safe. Always assess the conditions yourself before jumping, and never jump where you're unsure. You assume all risk.