Toms Creek Falls is a waterfall

Waterfall

A waterfall is a place where flowing water rapidly drops in elevation as it flows over a steep region or a cliff.-Formation:Waterfalls are commonly formed when a river is young. At these times the channel is often narrow and deep. When the river courses over resistant bedrock, erosion happens...

 in the Pisgah National Forest

Pisgah National Forest

Pisgah National Forest is a National Forest in the Appalachian Mountains of western North Carolina. It is administered by the United States Forest Service, part of the United States Department of Agriculture. The Pisgah National Forest is completely contained within the state of North Carolina...

 in McDowell County, North Carolina

McDowell County, North Carolina

-Cities and towns:*Marion *Old Fort-Unincorporated places:*West Marion*Little Switzerland*Nebo*Glenwood*Pleasant Gardens*North Cove-Education:The following is a list of schools located in McDowell County:*Marion Elementary School...

, near the town of Marion

Marion, North Carolina

Marion is a city in McDowell County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 7,943 at the 2008 estimated census. It is the county seat of McDowell County.-Geography:Marion is located at ....

.

Geology

The 60-foot falls are located on Toms Creek. The creek flows over several cascading upper sections of bedrock into a near-vertical lower cascade, ending in a small scoop in the rocks. A wide, flat pool area is at the base, located in a gully that has large amounts of mica

Mica

The mica group of sheet silicate minerals includes several closely related materials having highly perfect basal cleavage. All are monoclinic, with a tendency towards pseudohexagonal crystals, and are similar in chemical composition...

 embedded in the rock.

Visiting the Falls

From the junction of US 221 and US 70 in Marion, go north on US 221 for 5.6 miles. Turn left on Huskins Branch Rd. and go 1.2 miles to a small parking area located before the bridge that crosses Toms Creek. From the Parking lot, follow the moderate-difficulty 0.4 mile trail to a short, moderately steep climb and scramble down to the base of the falls. A small creek crossing used to be required, but a bridge has been built over the creek. An old mine is located just downstream of the plunge pool.