Triple Falls

Worth the drive

Is it plungeworthy?

45feet tall

A 3-tier tiered on Little River.

Scale40/60

Documentation20/20

Character20/20

The details

Tiers: 3 drops
Type: Tiered
Watercourse: Little River
Coordinates: 35.19831, -82.6169

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About Triple Falls

Triple Falls is a 45-foot tiered in North Carolina, on Little River. The water falls in 3 distinct tiers.

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

Plungeworthy rates Triple Falls 8/10 — worth the drive. The score weighs its scale, how confidently it's mapped, and its character.

What you'll find

Three cascades totaling 125 feet on one frame — the postcard of DuPont State Recreational Forest and a Hunger Games filming location, drawing 700,000 hikers a year. Honest 2026 status: the trail and overlook are open; the close-up base stairs and the Grassy Creek bridge are still fenced off from Helene damage, and the barricades carry real fines.

Getting there

Trailhead: Hooker Falls Access Area (closest) or High Falls Access Area, Buck Forest Road, Cedar Mountain
Parking: Paved lots at both; High Falls has the visitor center
Road: Paved to both lots
Hike: 1 mi round trip, 120 ft of climb (easy-moderate)
Heads up: Half a mile each way from Hooker Falls parking to the overlook. Add Hooker and High Falls for the classic 3-mile triple bill.

When to go

Spring for flow, mid-October for foliage — with the crowds to match. Open 5am–10pm year-round.

Rules & fees

Fee / pass: None — free
Dogs: Leashed
Hours: 5am–10pm daily
Camping: None in the forest; private campgrounds a few miles out
Warnings: Multiple deaths here from climbing the rocks between the cascades. Stay off the closed stairs — the forest service is citing trespassers.

Researched from NC Forest Service — DuPont closures · Friends of DuPont Forest — Triple Falls. Conditions change — verify before you drive. Been to Triple 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.