High Falls - Pisgah National Forest

10-21-25  Hurricane Helene caused some damage along FR1206 back in 2024. The road is now open up to the point where you turn right at the horse camp on FR476 Wolf Ford Rd to go to the parking for High Falls. FR476 had been closed, but is now partially open. Instead of driving 1.3 miles to the parking area at the end of the road, you drive 0.6 miles to a gate. There's quite a bit of room to park here on the right, but don't block the gate and don't block FR5018 which is on the left. I don't know if this change is permanent. On my most recent trip in October 2025, I only went to Billy Branch Falls, so I don't know the condition of the rest of the trail down to High Falls. If they ever reopen FR476 to the end, subtract 0.7 miles from all of the distances I give below.

High Falls is a 15' waterfall on the south fork of Mills River. Even though it's not very big, it's a nice destination and has a big swimming hole at the base. To get to it requires a 5.4 mile round trip easy to moderate hike and a water crossing where you will have to get your feet wet. Looking at the photo above, water levels in the area were very low on that day and I still had to wade the river at that point along the trail. If water levels are very high, you won't be able to cross safely. The waterfall is down river from the old parking area at the old gaging station, so if the river looks unsafe there, it will be even higher at the crossing. Even if the river is too high to cross, you can still access Billy Branch Falls which is a nice 20' high waterfall before the river crossing.

Directions:  From the intersection of NC280 / US64 / US276 near Brevard, drive north on US276 north 11.6 miles and turn right on the gravel FR1206 - aka Yellow Gap Rd. If you are coming from the Blue Ridge Parkway, head south on US276 for 3.2 miles and turn left on FR1206. Drive 3.3 miles up FR1206 and turn right at the horse camp on to FR476. On my last visit in October 2025, we drove 0.6 miles down FR476 to the new gate I mentioned above. The old parking area was an additional 0.7 miles down at the end of the road. There's actually more parking at the new parking area, but now there's an additional 1.4 miles added to the hike.

Begin the hike by walking the remaining 0.7 miles down FR476 to the end at the old parking area. The South Mills River Trail begins where the road ends just beyond the gate. It begins as an easy hike along the river and you'll pass some swimming holes and places to get out on the rocks if water levels aren't too high. At about 1.4 miles from the new parking area, the trail heads to the left and you'll notice a side trail that leads to the right and down to a larger swimming hole called the Otter Hole. Expect company here on a hot summer week end. At 1.7 miles from the new parking area, the South Mills River Trail heads to the right and crosses a concrete bridge over the river. Don't take this! Look for and take a narrower unmarked and unofficial trail to the left just before the bridge that follows the river down it's left side. There is no sign here indicating that this is the trail to High Falls. After a short distance down this trail, you'll cross a creek called Billy Branch. Look for a narrower foot path heading off to the left before you cross. Take it up creek for less than 5 minutes to a 20' waterfall on Billy Branch, 'discovered' by KT and Cathy - thanks guys! You'll see the waterfall from the trail, but look for and take the scramble path down the bank if you want a closer look. The first picture below is from my most recent visit when water levels were very low. The second photo is from wetter times in 2006.

waterfall on Billy Branch

Back to High Falls directions - after crossing Billy Branch, the trail continues to follow the river and becomes more moderate in difficulty. The trail is very narrow in places and you have to watch where you step. There are some places that look like they stay wet from seepage and would be icy in cold weather. It wetter weather, parts of this section of the trail will be mucky. You'll come to a campsite on the left at the next creek crossing and after about 2.4 miles into the hike, you'll come to the river crossing and will have passed another camp site on the left. If you can't see the bottom, be really careful. The bedrock just below the surface is very slippery and there are some deeper holes you could step in. In higher water, the river flow is swifter than it looks. Once across, the trail continues down the right side of the river. It's narrow and rocky in this section and gets overgrown with dog hobble during the summer. It's another 1/4 mile to the top of High Falls after the river crossing. Along this stretch, another creek feeds in to the river on the opposite side with a taller waterfall, but the trees obscure the view in the summer. It looks like it could be a nice one! You'll also pass a couple of smaller cascades. Once at High Falls, look for a scramble path that will take you to the base of the waterfall. The picture below is from a visit when water levels were more normal - the video is from another visit in August 2015.

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