Cullasaja Falls (/ˌkuːləˈseɪdʒə/)[1] is a waterfall in southwestern North Carolina. The waterfall is located on the Cullasaja River in the Nantahala National Forest and is part of the Mountain Waters Scenic Byway. Cullasaja comes from a Cherokee word meaning "honey locust place".
| Cullasaja Falls | |
|---|---|
 Cullasaja Falls in the fall | |
 | |
| Location | Macon County, North Carolina |
| Coordinates | 35°06′59″N 83°16′10″W / 35.116397°N 83.269527°W |
| Type | Cascade |
| Total height | 200 ft (61.0 m) - Disputed (see Geology Section) |
Geology
editThe falls is the last major waterfall on the Cullasaja River.[2] The falls is a long cascade over the course of 0.2 miles (.3 km).
The height of the falls is given as 200 ft (61 m) in Kevin Adams' book, North Carolina Waterfalls[2] and 250 ft (77.1 m) by NCWaterfalls.com.[3]
Visiting the falls
editIt is easy to catch a glimpse of the falls while driving by; however, getting a better view of the falls is not easy. The falls are located beside of a series of blind curves on U.S. 64, with sheer rock cliffs above and below the road. There is only one small pull-off near the falls, but walking on the road puts visitors in danger of being hit by a passing vehicle.
Activities
editThough difficult to reach, some use the falls as a place for leisure activities such as swimming (in the pool below) or rappelling.
Nearby falls
editReferences
edit- ^ Talk Like A Tarheel Archived 2013-06-22 at the Wayback Machine, from the North Carolina Collection's website at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 2013-02-08.
- ^ a b Adams, Kevin (2005). North Carolina Waterfalls. John F. Blair. p. 470. ISBN 0-89587-320-6.
- ^ NCWaterfalls.com
External links
edit- North Carolina Waterfalls
- "Cullasaja Falls". National Forests in North Carolina. Archived from the original on 2006-12-07. Retrieved 2006-12-01.
- "Cullasaja Falls". Carolina Clips. Archived from the original on 2010-10-26. Retrieved 2010-01-28.
- TopoQuest map of Cullasaja Falls