Bad Branch Falls

Worth the drive

Is it plungeworthy?

60feet tall

A plunge on Bad Branch.

Scale43/60

Documentation15/20

Character14/20

The details

Type: Plunge
Watercourse: Bad Branch
Coordinates: 37.07901, -82.7703

Get directions →

About Bad Branch Falls

Bad Branch Falls is a 60-foot plunge in Kentucky, on Bad Branch.

It's fullest after rain, and flow can drop off during dry spells — plan around recent weather.

Plungeworthy rates Bad Branch Falls 7.2/10 — worth the drive. The score weighs its scale, how confidently it's mapped, and its character.

What you'll find

Sixty feet of mountain water in Kentucky's wildest corner: Bad Branch State Nature Preserve on Pine Mountain, where the hemlock gorge hosts the state's only nesting ravens. An old timber road climbs to the falls; the High Rock loop keeps going for the view.

Getting there

Trailhead: Bad Branch preserve lot on KY-932, southeast of Whitesburg
Parking: Gravel lot, ~10 cars, no facilities
Road: Paved to the lot
Hike: 2 mi round trip (moderate)
Heads up: Connects to the 42-mile Pine Mountain State Scenic Trail for the ambitious.

When to go

Spring for wildflowers and flow, fall for color; winter ices the final ledges.

Rules & fees

Fee / pass: None
Dogs: Not allowed — statewide nature-preserve rule
Warnings: Rock ledges near the falls are slick; this is a preserve — take nothing, leave nothing.

Researched from KY EEC — Bad Branch State Nature Preserve · Wikipedia — Bad Branch Falls SNP. Conditions change — verify before you drive. Been to Bad Branch Falls recently? Post a conditions report below.

Where it is

Before you go

The pin marks the feature, not a trailhead or a legal route in. Some sit on private land or need a real hike, and conditions change with season and rain. Check local access, don't trespass, and never enter water — hot or cold — where it isn't safe.