Reviews of Elk River Falls (Tourist Attraction)

Trisha Hartman

Beautiful falls. Several places to take beautiful pictures. I highly recommend going to these falls. Be sure to wear shoes that are not slick on the bottom. It is a great hike and just so beautiful. Bring your swim suit and a towel. Good place to picnic and there are shaded places to hang out too. There is a fantastic place to swim below the falls. This place is dog friendly too!

Jeff Keeter

Disappointed that people won't have the decency to take their trash out with them when they leave.

Erin Church

Beautiful waterfall

Kelley Harrell, M.Div.

Beautiful place. It hasn't changed in years.

Lisa Magni

No hike waterfall. Gorgeous.

Geo Min

Really cool waterfall

Steven Lambert

Visited here in July of 2013 with some friends; despite the steep, muddy hike going down and back up, the hour and a half spent hanging out here were all worth the visit!

Vance Powell

The falls are beautiful, and it's an easy hike to them even with kids. HOWEVER, I live 30 Minutes away and spend an hour cleaning up all of the tourist trash every time I go. People do not respect the environment and leave trash every where. So if you visit PLEASE CLEAN UP AFTER YOURSELF!!!

chuck cagle

Warning elk river falls road is horrible potholes everywhere nice day trip cost me 500 in tires and wheel the town has been starting 2 fix roads residents say but over a year later no work very nice people live near nice pond area on road helped me out of bad situation ,,,I will call town hall. They need 2 do something about road. ,,,they are Little potholes. And potholes about same size of wheelbarrow. Also falls are spectacular don't stand at top without good shoes don't jump don't swim just look and say ahhh that is you get there with all the potholes again falls are 5 star county giving only way 2 falls 2 stars for the road

Garry Walsh

Great place to visit, just please be safe

Tori JENSEN

Short but sort of difficult hike. Lots of root labyrinths must watch your step. Take it slow it's worth it.

Tammy Geigel

Beautiful place

Ildiko Faklya

Nice, relaxing place with a beautiful waterfall. If the weather is warm enough you can even go into the water.

Kelly Ehlers

Amazing place to go! Short hike, but up and down terrain. Bring swim suits,towls, small snacks and plenty of water to drink.

Arthur Lyman

Beauty in nature that you can get close to.

Shannon Price

GREAT PLACE TO COME OUT TO ENJOY THE PEACE OF THE OUTDOORS!!!

Melissa Kiker

Because I love water falls, I was excited to check this out. The hike to the falls wasn't a difficult one but be careful, especially if you have children, because there are no railings to hold on to for security. Worth the very short walk.

Mel Johnson

Beautiful falls and a very short walk

Bill Fenner

Local tourist attraction, many years of enjoying this scenery

Josh Chambers

Short easy hike to the falls would be great place to swim in the summer.

B Jolly

This Water Fall is superb. One of the best parts about this spot is that you can perch on the rocks less than 60 yards downstream, lay back and soak up the view. In addition, you can swim in the pools below the falls. I give it a four because its only a five minute walk from the parking area which makes it a bit crowded.

Kid Den

Great falls

Sabrina Compton

Trail to waterfall is directly beside parking lot. Stairs for rough spots. Taken care of. Beautiful place

Samuel Hoepner

Long driver thru twisted roads just to see a small waterfall

Maheen Khan

It is beautiful, but I will repeat the same as everyone else - do NOT swim in the water here, and do not take the slippery rocks warning lightly!! I accidentally slipped on the rocks just at the shore and I almost got pulled by the current. Even as a moderate swimmer this was an extremely scary experience.

Osvel Molina

The drive from the highway is a little long an sketchy but worth it. Easy trail to the waterfall. It was completely empty in January

Carla Reavis

Nice falls...short hike to the base.

Stephanie Steele

Easy moderate trail. Nice waterfall. No handicap trails.. and some areas are steep. But not hard at all if u take ur time.

Bexter Myers

This water fall is never disappointing because the water flow is always rushing♡

Katherine Denman

Nice somewhat ready home to reach the falls

Geary Cloward

Beautiful place!! A small walk to the falls from the parking area. Mildly rough terrain with roots, stones, and some declining steps. No rails or safety guards in place so watch the kids near falls!!!!

mirabella dobrie

This location is absolutely breath taking... You feel calm almost instantly, is a very cautious location , definitely not a place where you want to good around, bad injuries could happen. The waterfall is a must see when visiting the area. Getting there is very interesting and you feel like you are completely lost until you reach an end and realize that you have arrived. But don't turn around is worth the interesting drive

Double Luck

Parking is limited and is not paved but the walk is pretty easy. The waterfall is beautiful and peaceful but we caught it when only a few people were there.

wade saine

Very pretty. Nice place to visit

Christy Thrift

Not safe place to swim or jump into the water. I am on a search and rescue team and have been to many body recoveries already this year. Below the surface is a cave system that is about 25 feet below the surface. This creates hidden currents and dangerous undertows. After floods trees are also swept into the falls creating very dangerous swimming conditions. Please DO NOT SWIM OR JUMP HERE. Very gorgeous place to see and look at but DO NOT GET IN THE WATER!!!!

Jeni Wren

Simply amazing. So beautiful.

James Roberts

Very short walk down an easy trail. The rewards can be priceless. Bring swimming trucks and make it a day

Lori Abundis-Ortiz

My grandkids love swimming in the cold mountain water.

juan gallego

An easy less than .5 mile hike to this 50ft waterfall that drops into a crystalline water pool! Perfect for the hot summer days.

Amanda Springer

Beautiful outdoors. Short walk to the waterfall. Can be very crowded, hard to find a place to park.

Ralph Weaver

Awesome place, beautiful and majestic. Dont jump in the top of the falls, that kills people (seriously, they have signs and newspaper cut outs on site.)

Victoria Hamilton Lee

Easy short hike. Doable with kids if you take your time. They will definitely need lots of supervision hand holding. The falls are beautiful.

Rosalie Morace

Quite a drive on a country road, then a bit of a rocky walk to the falls, but worth it if you like waterfalls.

Brenda Tyner

Nice place to visit...dirt road to fall and not much parking. Short hike but a bit tricky walking around fall..watch the little ones. Locals warn of dangerous under tow near the fall.

Misty Jones

If you go here, please, .for the love of God,. DO NOT JUMP OR GET IN THE POOL!!!! PEKPEO ARE DYING EVERY YEAR!!!!! I was born and raised in Avery County and Elk Falls is a beautiful, but deadly, attraction. The undertow is way too strong for an advanced swimmer, much less anyone who is not very experienced..... PLEASE STAY OUT OF THE WATER!!!

Malinda Reconco

Went this morning with my kids. Beautiful. Took lots of pics, beautiful waterfall. We took our shoes off and rolled up our pants. Stepped in the water, was chilly, but clean.

Dennis Terry

Had a great time love the River and the falls.

Missy Vandyke

Very pretty and easy to get to, walk is short.

Brad Thompson

Super easy hike to the falls and so beautiful and yet people hardly come here! Definitely a diamond in the rough

Matt Ross

Short hike to a great view. Keep a close watch on the children, can be dangerous

JOHN ROSS

Little bit of a drive but worth hiking to.

Barbara Cole

Very good place to hike to on such a hot day...and the hike is not too strenuous

Brian Jessup

Beautiful waterfall with nice swimming area.

Sharon Boehmer

Great hike that is truly in the woods. Well marked, but still very primative. Falls are nice but hard to climb down to, be careful.

C Mcgee

Very beautiful, about a 5 min walk from parking area. Parking area limited to about 20 vehicles. Be careful after rain, leaves can be slick, most exposed roots on path are worn smooth and very slick on dry days. Definitely tricky for elderly to get to the bottom of the falls, without falling themselves. Must keep kids within arm's length until you get to the bottom of the trail... Could be dangerous.

Dori Breisch

Beautiful! Hard to park though! Be ready to walk some stairs!

Ryan Holden

It was an amazing hike. I came with the in laws and we all had fun. The water was quite cold, but there was plenty of open area for swimming. There were a few snakes to watch out for, but nothing too serious. I will definitely go back again!

Harold &alisha Wingate

Beautiful

Evan Johnson

Beautiful.

Javier Gillette

Beautiful waterfalls! These are about 25 minutes from Banner Elk, follow the signs all the way to the end of the road and enjoy the view on the way there! Park and follow the trail to the waterfall. Be careful with dogs and children as there are no barriers and people and pets have drowned in this area.

Julia Baskin

Wonderful outing. Minimal walking to falls.

Joe Cephus

One of my favorites! We had it all to ourselves on a June late morning. A couple hours later and no where to park.

Jose Martin Ferreira

This is one of the beautifull natural places in North Carolina i've ever being. Thanks GOD.

K1 Gilpin

Reviews seemed mixed so I wasn't sure what to expect, but here's a stay at giving a complete picture. The Google directions were excellent and the road ends at the falls parking lot with a circle. It was a rainy day so I imagine it gets much busier and parking could easily be an issue. The path to the falls is a mixed bag. In places there are boards and stair cases but in others the path is very poor and would be challenging for anyone with mobility issues. Along the path are multiple warning signs of the danger of the falls including one that there have been over a dozen deaths. It is very tempting and easy to walk out on the rocks at the top of the falls just to try to see them, but the signs kept us firmly on the trail. A fence or barrier here might not be a helpful deterrent as we saw a group of young people head to the edge. Once you get to the bottom of the falls, you get to see the beauty of the falls and the pool at the bottom. It truly is beautiful. Because of the narrow rock ledge that you get onto to see them, it only takes a few people to make it feel crowded. Opposite the falls, there's a Sandy area where several families were playing. While protected, shallow and safe, it was dirty. There were discarded diapers in the water, trash and in one area it smelled as though someone had used the bushes as a bathroom. Several people were in the river beyond the rocks and we saw several in the "pool"as well even though it was clear some struggled with the currents. It was relatively accessible and a pretty fall but sad to see it trashed as it was and it didn't make me eager to return.

C T

So pretty. Very easy hike.

Crystal Jackson

BEAUTIFUL Waterfall!!! Easy hike and view.

Rachel Lentz

We read and understand all cautions given. It is appreciated that the concern is shown, however, if you understand waterways, and when it is ok and not ok to swim in waterways that are fed through rainfall, and you dont do anything foolish, you should be just fine here and have an amazing experience!!! The hike is pretty and not too difficult, the rocks and swimming experience are one of a kind. We highly recommend visiting Elk River Falls, you will NOT be disappointed!

Ericka Keiger

A little bit of a drive and hidden way past residential area but worth the drive. Very short hike but BEAUTIFUL. Heed the rocks can be slippery and dangerous, 12 people have died there. If you pay attention you won't have any problems

Brian Wehner

Great water fall close to NC/TN line. 4 miles or so off main road driving, dirt parking lot towards end of road. Only about 1/4 mile flat walk to top of falls. Another 1/8 mile down stairs to bottom of waterfall. Signs everywhere to not jump from top of falls.

Phil Netteler

Nice area, cool waterfall. Terrible parking.

Theresa Murray

Short hike to a must see waterfall and nice place to take a dip in the heat of the summer.

peggy barlow

Was amazing view of the water fall, It was my husband's first time to see it he is 67years old was born in Avery county lived there for 8years moved to Tennessee Roan Mountain lived there the rest of his life, He really enjoyed seeing the water fall had a wonderful trip!!!!!!

Saul Rivera

Amazing what God's hands can do! Beautiful!

Jesse Downing

Elk River Falls is a truly amazing and beautiful place. Unfortunately, the dangers are hidden by its beauty. My brother died two years ago jumping from the falls. Jumping or swimming there is VERY dangerous. Many people have died there this year. Aside from jumping or getting in the water, it is worth the visit.

Frank Carroll

This is an absolutely beautiful place to visit. The hike isn't too difficult so just about anyone can get around and the falls are absolutely stunning. If you enjoy experiencing nature, hiking, swimming, or photography this is the perfect place to go.

Stacy Brown

Well-maintained, short trail to falls. If your dog likes to swim, I recommend keeping he/she on a leash until you get to the bottom. Beautiful falls.

Dan C.

Great short hike with beautiful waterfall that has swimming AT THE BOTTOM. Do NOT dive from the top. Walk the short walk and enjoy the views, sounds and setting.

The Traveling Rose

Short hike to beautiful falls. There's a point above the falls to overlook and then one at the base. Pretty easy hike with one set of steep stairs.

Ellie Miron

Most beautiful waterfall! It is a short hike to the falls, but amazing. First the trail will take you to the upper falls, then it continues to the base of the falls. Swimming is a great option but DO NOT JUMP HERE. Great photo opportunities and could spend many hours at this location.

Silas Moorefield

One of the coolest plases to go around here. But dont jump from the top of the water fall. Its always ice cold even in the middle of the summer.

Anand Richard

An easy hike to beautiful falls. However this area can be dangerous if you're not careful. The entire hiking path is wide open with very limited railings or fences for support or protection. It is not safe for families with young children.

Paige Johnson

River was extremely high but we still enjoyed the hike & the waterfall! ❤️

Cindy King

Lovely...other than trash people have left

April Lyle

Nice short hike, to large pretty falls

Phillip Holland

Great place to visit! Beautiful!

Rodney Jagessar

beautiful hideaway. not a long hike bit rough terrain

Jed Perlowin

It was a really nice little (short) hike, good for people who are not in the best of shape. Great falls, very picturesque.

Paul Ingram

Beautiful but dangerous I would also suggest not to swim or jump off the falls

Andrew Bryan

Awesome views, easy walk and good swim whole.

LaShea Whitaker

I'm a local. Please please please do not get in the water anywhere around the waterfalls! And DON'T JUMP off falls, it is so dangerous. The water in the bowl area below the falls has a lot of undertow you can't see. These falls have taken many lives! It is not worth it. Please if you plan on visiting don't chance swimming of jumping!

Nydian Coker

Elk River Falls is beautiful! When this picture was taken, it had stopped raining after a couple of days so the water was ferocious. Usually, it's calm enough to swim in the it a little further down from waterfall in this beach area. Many people picnic there too. It was flooded this day. The "beach" area is great but hard to get to. There's a steep hill to get down. It's not a long walk down though, just steep and hard to get to with kids, a bunch of stuff or pregnant. There's also a trail to hike after seeing the falls. Trail is beginner-moderate in intensity. Very fun experience.

Nicole Prainito

So pretty and peaceful!!! The water was clear and cool, butterflies everywhere, beautiful waterfall! Definitely a must see!!

Sean Woolrich

Nice waterfall. Not much of a trail

Kendra Reese

Beautiful waterfall, keep hiking to Jones falls and makes a nice day trip.

David Michael

Great falls. Easy access. Sit for hours.

Diana Jones

Easy trail; breath taking!

Alberto Zea

Full nature. Good to spend a 2 hrs trip.

Glenn Brackett

The weather was quite cold when we went but the view was worth braving the elements. Pictures do not convey the absolute beauty of this place. The trails can become challenging, but not impossible. We saw deer, a buck, turkeys...

Bryanna Faugno

Really short hike, not hard but does have a lot of steep parts that might not be good for kids and older folks. Beautiful waterfall, but you do need to be careful as it has claimed lives. The way down to the lower level of the falls is really tricky, it's a steep rock face with some cinder blocks acting as steps. It would be easy to fall and hurt yourself. I didn't see any snakes but was warned by another visitor that they had seen them there before.

Richard Manning

This is just one of those cool places to be

Steven White

Awesome experience. Easy hike, relatively short distance. Great sitting and relaxing area around the falls where the lagoon is. In addition, the road leading to the small parking area has a nice feel to it as you pass by the homesteads tucked away. Well worth the trip.

Zach Chandler

Beautiful waterfall and really good swimming area. Great family spot and only a 10 minute hike! I loved it. Went there in the summer amd the winter. Winter is gorgeous when it snows. Had a blast and will gobthere alot more in the future. Definately recommend.

Darren Wellenreiter

Cool off-the beaten -path waterfall. They were re-paving the road to it this past weekend, so it should be an even smoother drive now!

James Mckay

Always an amazing Trip

Susana Martinez

View was amazing!! The hike to the waterfall was very easy. Water was chilly but we enjoyed swimming

STEVE MCNEW

Worth the look.

Keri Bond

This place is amazing! You can walk around the top of the falls and hike to down below. Great view from a rock path that goes into the water! The hike gets a little steep going down but I watched a few kids handle with no problems.

Richard Laurie

Great falls,easy hike in

Don Bivens

Beautiful and dangerous falls. No hike

Maria Garcia

Beautiful, breath of fresh air Gods gift to us.

Angie Maines

I love it up the small little hike and you there

Brandy Quinn

Easy secluded hike. Peaceful and powerful fall

Debbie Craig

We had a great time here. The falls are secluded and there's a boulder at the base of the falls to relax and enjoy the scenery. We swam in the pool with my sons Labrador and really enjoyed this waterfall and natural pool.

Josh Poland

A hidden wonder of the world! I've been going here for years and it's still awe inspiring.

Mary Baker

Easy hike to enjoy an amazing waterfall! Enjoyed the drive to the falls and the short, easy to maneuver hike to bith the top and the bottom of the falls. Excellent place to photograph or have photos made there. Definitely great for the family or romantic walk.

jim catalfamo

driving here made me wonder if i was on the right path and just before i was going too turn around i found it. no fancy parking lot and a wood sign with Elk River Falls carved into it. but easy to hike to and i see plenty of people haven't respect the falls because there has been life lost here. i was the only one there so i had it all to myself and enjoyed the falls for a few hours

Creighton Carroll

This is an awesome set of falls. Very short trail. There are stops at the top, middle, and bottom. The path goes a short distance down and has many tree roots to navigate over with many acting as steps. It looks like a great place to play in the water when the temperature gets warm enough.

Dean Prevette

Short hike over rough terrain for an excellent view. Best to photograph in the early part of the day.

shelby restivo

Beautiful place to chase waterfalls

lori cobb

Beautiful waterfall. Fairly short walk to the falls. I wouldn't recommend going if you have mobility issues. Some places are a bit tricky to navigate. It's not super strenuous, but requires stepping up and down large rocks and roots that are used for stairs...and even where there are actual wooden stairs, they are very steep. That being said, my 70 plus parents only had a little difficulty.

Emily Edwards

I have been visiting the Falls since college (almost 20 years now) and it is a gorgeous attraction with a fun little country drive to get to. I also advise everyone to be cautious and not to jump the falls or swim. I have seen people being airlifted out of the area too many times because of this.

Karen Tracy

Great watering hole where you can cool off on a hot day. Lots of rocks and roots to climb. Trail to main falls is short (.45mile round trip), but steep. There is a moderately calm pool near the parking turn around loop. Parking is tight. There is a 2 mile nice paved road that turn to rock surface as you approach the park.

James ES44AC -2

Great place to visit. Short hike to the falls. It is steep in places, just be aware. Well worth the hike.

EA Alvarez

We enjoyed every minute spent by the waterfall. Its so peaceful and the kids didn't mind the clear cold water. We saw trout coming down the waterfall. A bit off climbing but well worth it. Very clean place!!!! Take your camera and capture the beauty.

Beowulf Grendel

Very beautiful scenery and if caught at the right time the area will be swarming with butterflies. Just be careful the rocks can be slippery and falling or jumping off the falls have resulted in many deaths.

Terry Gunnell-Beck

Fun waterfall with swimming areas below.

Banks Dixon

Elk River Falls is quite beautiful. The parking area is pretty small and on nice weekends it can get overly crowded.

jonathan hollar

Beautiful place to visit

Kimberly Mitchell

Relatively easy trail, but people leave trash

Catspjamas Everhart

Easy hike, parking can be crowded on weekends in the summer. The hike starts at the top of the falls and then goes down to the bottom. There is a large natural swimming hole at the base of the falls, but it gets deep quickly, so not good for little ones that can't swim. Most families, with small children, play in the river above the falls, it's shallow and not a strong current. If you plan on swimming, wear rubber soled shoes, the rock gets slippery when wet.

ABDULKARIM ALSAAB

Nice place I Came from Riyadh The Capital of SAUDI ARABIA I Spent a day in This Lovely Water Fall I Tray to Swim but it was Cold For me. I Stay in a cabin in Roan mountain. I will Definitely come back again.

Kenneth Rybeck

A drive to get there but worth it

Dave Mortimer

Beautiful

Earth_ Orange

Beautiful falls. Easy hike

patrick kennedy

Very nice some trash and graffiti

Eric Kelch

Next time I will have my trunks

Some Guy

Easy, short hike down to the falls. Nice swimming hole but the water was freezing.

Tim Hensley

Awesome Place

Ashley Kozlowski

Beautiful fall and kids also had a great time splashing around

ashley whaley

Love this place. Lots of stairs and such for the climb down.

Kathy Reed

Stunning views of nature! The trail is a little slippery so exercise caution.

Amanda Dabb

Beautiful falls. Can't say more than that. Go see it for yourself!

Kevin Wilson

Love em very nice easy to walk to

Mychelle Stanley

Easily accessible. Great views

Janis Ross

Beautiful, breathtaking and majestic. I will be back.

Tj Ward

Short hike to beautiful falls. I had a nice time hopping rocks and swimming below the falls. Expect a bunch of people on nice days.

Justin Willis

Stunning views and not far from the parking area. Fantastic spot to go have a picnic on top of a waterfall or below to see the cascading water. Theres some trash built up in what looks,like a beaver dam that broke loose so I'm sure parks service will clean that up but,it was gorgeous otherwise.

wendy nunnally

Love it..Back to nature...Love the waterfall ❤