Crabtree Falls is located in the Crabtree Meadows Recreation Area at Milepost 339.5 of the Blue Ridge Parkway (about 45 miles north of Asheville) and is accessed by a 2.5 mile moderate loop hiking trail. The wooded hike is a beautiful walk. The 70-foot waterfall is definitely worth the trip!
To access the hiking trail, watch for signs for the Crabtree Meadows Camping area. Near the entrance is a gift shop and restaurant, along with helpful workers if you have questions. Follow the road into the campground about 1/4 mile. Just past a small info booth, you will see a parking lot on the right with a sign for the Crabtree Falls Trailhead. The camping area is closed in the off season (November through mid April), so you may have to park outside the gate and walk in an extra 1/4 mile. Take the trail from the parking area to a 'T' intersection. The trail to the right is shorter and somewhat easier. It's mostly downhill to the waterfall (just under a mile).
A bridge over the creek in front of the falls offers great views. There are even better views on the other side of the creek, and you can walk up to the base of the falls. The photos on this page were taken after a good bit of rain. So the water flow is much less during dryer times of the year.
You can either return the same trail or complete the loop (adds an extra 1/2 mile) by climbing the stairs across Big Crabtree Creek and continuing up and along the creek for the 1.6-mile hike back to the parking area. The first part just after the waterfall is the steepest. When you get closer to the campground, spur trails will head off to the right into the campground, but continue to the left until you get to the 'T' - turn right to get back to the parking area.
There is a large picnic area a bit south on the Parkway. Crabtree Meadows marks the last stretch of the Parkway through the Blue Ridge Mountains before it turns westward into the Blacks, Craggies, Pisgahs and Balsams before entering Great Smoky Mountains National Park. In the early summer, the Meadows becomes a showplace of wildflowers, including the hawthorne, beard tongue, mountain laurel, and gentian.
The camping area features 71 tent and 22 RV sites with sanitary dump stations, ranger programs and access to hiking trails. Each loop has a common comfort station with running water. It is open approximately May through October. The charge per night for each campground site is $14.00. The daily permit is valid only at the campground where purchased and until noon the following day. Parkway campgrounds have sites that will accommodate trailers up to 30 feet in length. No water or electrical hookups are available to individual sites.
Nearby is Linville Falls.
Download the PDF of the Crabtree Falls hiking map provided by the National Park Service. |
