Mitchell Falls

Mitchell's Falls, 1859
Location Blue Ridge Mountains, Yancey County, North Carolina
Type Slide
Total height 25 feet (7.6 m)

Mitchell Falls is a 25-foot (7.6 m) waterfall located on private property in Yancey County, North Carolina on the slope of Mount Mitchell, the highest mountain in the Appalachian Mountain chain, and highest point in the eastern United States. Both the falls and the mountain are named for Elisha Mitchell, a professor who, while confirming his measurements of the mountain, fell over a rocky ledge above the falls to his death on June 27, 1857.[1]

Visiting the falls

Image of Mitchell Falls from 1859 book

The falls are located on private property. Access to the falls is normally prohibited but has been allowed in the past to groups by special permission. As the landowner has been a strong, environmentally-conscious steward for the tract of land on which the falls lie, people wishing to visit the falls are highly encouraged to respect this, and not to trespass in an attempt to see the falls but wait until such a trip is organized .

Confusion

There is some confusion as to which waterfall in the area is actually Mitchell Falls. The Kevin Adams book North Carolina Waterfalls misidentified the falls from mislabeled photographs by George Masa and Rufus Morgan. The author has since updated his website with the corrected information.[2] The 45-foot falls listed in the Adams book were the falls photographed by George Masa. All three falls, Mitchell Falls, those photographed by George Masa, and those photographed by Rufus Morgan, are on private property.

Nearby falls

References

  1. ↑ Adams, Kevin (2005). North Carolina Waterfalls. John F. Blair Publisher. pp. 153–154. ISBN 0-89587-320-6.
  2. ↑ Kevin Adams Online Supplementary to North Carolina Waterfalls
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