Upper South

States: North Carolina

Start near: Asheville (about 40 min to Brevard) · Greenville, SC (about 50 min to Brevard) · Knoxville (about 1 h 30 min to Murphy)

US 64: The Waterfall Byway

Brevard to Murphy, falling water all the way

US 64: The Waterfall Byway is a ~120-mile back-roads route from Brevard to Murphy on US 64, driven in 2 days, that stays off I-40 (by 50 miles) through the Upper South.

Open the interactive map →

Drive

Brevard → Murphy

Distance

~120 miles

Time

2 days

Highways

US 64

Avoids

I-40 (by 50 miles)

Region

Upper South

Transylvania County claims 250 waterfalls and US 64 spends this whole run collecting them: Looking Glass and the ride-it-yourself Sliding Rock up the Pisgah spur, Dry Falls where the road's own river pours over a walkable ledge, and Cullasaja's gorge-wall miles. Between cascades: Brevard's white squirrels, Highlands' cool plateau, ruby buckets at Franklin's gem mines, and the Ten Commandments spelled out five feet tall on a Murphy mountainside.

📍 Forest Heritage byway waysides in Pisgah; the falls mostly announce themselves.

The drive, segment by segment

Land of Waterfalls

Brevard → Cashiers · ~30 mi

The Pisgah spur's falls, then up the escarpment past Toxaway to the plateau.

• 🌿Looking Glass Falls & Sliding Rock — Pisgah Forest

  A 60-foot roadside classic, then the 60-foot natural waterslide the Forest Service staffs with lifeguards. Yes, you ride it. Yes, it's cold.

• 🛸Brevard's white squirrels — Brevard

  A leucistic squirrel population, carnival-escape lore attached, that the town protects by ordinance and celebrates with a festival.

The Highlands Plateau

Cashiers → Franklin · ~35 mi

Whiteside's cliffs, Highlands' cool main street, and the Cullasaja Gorge's white-knuckle wall.

• 🌿Whiteside Mountain — Cashiers

  Sheer 700-foot cliffs on some of the oldest exposed rock on the continent; the loop trail rides the rim.

• 🌿Dry Falls — Highlands

  Walk behind the 75-foot curtain on the Cullasaja Gorge road and stay dry, roughly; the gorge miles beyond are the byway's thesis.

To the Hiwassee

Franklin → Murphy · ~55 mi

Gem country, the Nantahala's shadow, and the biblical mountainside at Fields of the Wood.

• 🛸Franklin gem mines — Franklin

  The Gem Capital's Cowee Valley mines sell buckets of dirt with rubies and sapphires statistically inside; children and honest adults love it equally.

• 🛸Fields of the Wood — Murphy

  A 66-acre biblical theme park crowned by the Ten Commandments in five-foot concrete letters up a mountainside. Free, earnest, unforgettable.

Tips and best time to go

• The Cullasaja Gorge stretch is narrow with the wall on one side and air on the other; drive it in daylight.
• Sliding Rock runs staffed hours in summer; off-season riders assume the briskness alone.

Frequently asked questions

How long is US 64: The Waterfall Byway and how many days does it take?

US 64: The Waterfall Byway is about 120 miles and takes 2 days at a back-roads pace.

Where does US 64: The Waterfall Byway start and end?

It runs from Brevard to Murphy.

Which highways does US 64: The Waterfall Byway follow?

It follows US 64.

Which interstate does US 64: The Waterfall Byway replace?

It avoids I-40 (by 50 miles), using US 64 instead.

How many stops are on US 64: The Waterfall Byway, and what are the highlights?

6 stops are mapped, including Looking Glass Falls & Sliding Rock, Brevard's white squirrels, Whiteside Mountain, Dry Falls and Franklin gem mines.

When is the best time to drive US 64: The Waterfall Byway?

The atlas’s seasonal note for this route: “Sliding Rock runs staffed hours in summer; off-season riders assume the briskness alone.”

Worth a detour

• Gorges State Park — Rainforest-wet gorge country and the Rainbow Falls trail; the wettest corner of the state earns the name.
• John C. Campbell Folk School — Craft classes at Brasstown since 1925: blacksmithing, weaving, woodcarving; visitors welcome, Saturdays sing.

Spurs & side-roads

• Pisgah's US 276: Looking Glass & Sliding Rock