9-30-25 - Mingo Falls is often on the list of sights to see if you are visiting the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It isn't in the park, but is close by in Cherokee, NC. The 120' tall waterfall lies the Qualla Boundary which is home to the Eastern Band of Ckerokee Indians. In the summer of 2025, the waterfall was closed to the public for renovations, and reopened to the public in September. We revisited the falls shortly after the reopening and I must say they did a fantastic job. The hike to the falls is a short one - maybe 1/4 of a mile, but it includes 163 steps that were rebuilt, then a short section of trail, then a few more steps up to the new viewing platform. Mingo Falls is impressive in any water flow due to it's height, but it's best seen after some good rain. There's not much parking, so go early to avoid the crowds.

Directions: There are several ways to get to Mingo Falls depending on which way you are coming from. If you want a scenic route and the Blue Ridge Parkway where you are is open to the Great Smoky Mountains NP, hop on the Parkway and drive south until it ends and turn left towards Cherokee. If you are in the Asheville area and want to save some time, but want to see a bit of the Parkway, take I-40 west and get off at Exit 27 for US 74/23 and 19. Heading west, drive almost 4 miles and take Exit 103 US19 south towards Maggie Valley. Pass Lake Junaluska, go through Maggie Valley and continue on US19 up hill a few miles to the Blue Ridge Parkway. Get on the Parkway heading south towards Cherokee and the Great Smoky Mountains NP. The Parkway ends in about 15 miles near Cherokee at US 441 Newfound Gap Rd.. Turn left off of the Parkway, drive 0.5 miles and turn left on Saunooke Bridge Rd. Drive 0.2 miles until it ends and turn left on Big Cove Rd. Follow Big Cove Rd for 4.5 - 5 miles, passing the KOA Campground on the right. Start looking for a small sign saying 'Mingo Falls Next Right" and take that road - Mingo Falls Bridge Rd - over the bridge to the small parking area at the trail head. If the Parkway is closed, you can continue into Cherokee on US19 and look for a right turn on to US441 Newfound Gap Rd to get to Big Cove Rd that way.

Once you are parked, look for the stairs behind the new kiosk and begin the hike there. I noticed part of the way up that the steps seemed to be in sets of 3 - 3 steps, then a short landing. The new wooden hand railing is well done also and mimics the angles of the steps.

In your research you may have come across Upper Mingo Falls. I've been once and am not planning to go back. Once you get to the top of the steps, there's a short section of trail before you get to Mingo Falls. To get to the upper falls, you would leave the main trail in this section and climb steeply up a scramble trail. Kevin Adams has specific directions in his book North Carolina Waterfalls if you want more detailed instructions.

The old viewing platform across the creek in front of Mingo Falls was wooden and shook at bit when people walked on it. That was not good for us folks who use a tripod for photography. The new platform is metal with metal benches. It's quite a bit more steady, but still shakes a bit with foot traffic. Below is a shot of the new platform, then various shots of the falls from past visits.

Mingo Falls 9-30-25

Mingo Falls 5-8-09

Mingo Falls 10-10-25

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