Accessibility – Hard+
Height: Approx 80′
Distance – 4.4 (out and back)
Beauty – 6
Photo rating – 7
Solitude – 3
GPS Info: LAT 35.60201 LONG -82.24743
Last Visited – 02-27-2026
Last updated – 02-27-2026
Where to park: There is a large parking area at the end of Catawba River Road, but it fills up very quickly on the weekends. The GPS is: 35.62131, -82.23049.
The Hike: There are two routes to Upper Catawba Falls, the Catawba Falls River Trail and the Catawba Ridge Trail, which make a loop. I hiked the Catawba Falls River Trail a few years ago, but it was before the steps.
Upper Catawba Falls is incredible, but it’s not as incredible as it used to be; that’s the price of easier access. The entire river right side is open where the new Catawba Ridge Trail reaches the falls. The trail is actually a road, and there is a bench. There are also numbered rescue points every tenth of a mile, so you can provide your location to make rescue easier. The hike wasn’t too bad, about 2.2 miles one way, but the switchbacks at the outset are no joke. You’ll be climbing for the first 1.6 miles, picking up 900 feet of elevation before it heads down to the base of the falls.
The trail has a slight detour at the falls, and the observation deck is gone; only the footers are left. I don’t know if I ever need to come back to see it when the deck is rebuilt. There was almost no one at Upper Catawba Falls on this visit, but it was on a Friday in February. I’m sure the collection pool will look like the main falls in the summer. It’s funny that Catawba Falls used to be a stop on my way somewhere else, and on this visit, Upper Catawba took that role. I was only there today to make the hike to David’s Falls, which is upstream. One thing I’ve heard people talk about is the steps, but I can’t speak to the steps coming up from Catawba Falls, since my route was an out-and-back on the Catawba Ridge Trail. One thing I can tell you is the truck noise on I-40 is pretty loud on top of the ridge. Water was way better on my last visit, so same old picture.
