Accessibility – Easy

Height: Approx 60′

Distance – 1.0 (out and back)

Beauty – 6

Photo rating – 7

Solitude – 5

GPS Info: LAT 35.7772 LONG -82.0618

Last updated – 07-17-2017

Toms Creek Falls is a 60′ waterfall near Marion, NC. The waterfall is in Pisgah Forest and accessed from NC221 North of US40 and South of the Blue Ridge Parkway. The hike to the waterfall is along a nicely graded trail with a couple of moderate switchbacks near the falls. There is a viewing deck that I didn’t much care for since the angle to the face of the falls was weird. Without much effort you can also get down to the base of the falls for a better view

To get to Tom’s Creek Falls coming from US40 you have two choices depending on your direction of travel. If you’re coming from I-26 heading east you can take exit 72, Old Fort and follow US70 to NC221. If you’re heading east you can take Exit 85 and get onto NC221 North. Regardless of which direction you’re coming from, you’re going to head North on NC221 from the intersection with US70. At 5.5 miles you’re going to make a left onto Huskins Branch Rd. The road is paved most of the way with only the middle section gravel. I found this odd. The parking area is on the right 1.2 miles from NC221. If you miss it, the road ends just ahead and you can turn around. The parking area is gravel and bordered by a split-rail fence.

The trail starts at the kiosk and follows a fairly level path all the way to the falls. Very close to the falls a side trail will head up to the right. This leads to another viewing area and then down to the base. I was there just after the rains and getting down the short scramble to the base of the falls was no issue. You can make your way out into the creek if you want to use the pile of boulders as a foreground object. One unique feature of this waterfall is the way the water funnels down at the base into a V back in a rocky area before spreding out again. This aspect of the falls was what appealed to me. To get a good view of the convergence, you do need to climb up there over some slippery rocks. The final two pictures are from this closer vantage. Overall the waterfall was OK but it was this lower section with the rocks and the V that made this one as nice as it was.

This waterfall is good for everyone and my guess is, it could see a fair amount of traffic on a nice sunny day. It makes a nice stop on the way to the Blue Ridge and it would be a fun place for the kids to splash around some. It struck me as a place where people might linger for a while, making it hard to get good shots. We had it to ourselves on a gloomy Thursday evening after several hours of thunderstorms.