# 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. - **Drive:** Brevard → Murphy - **Distance:** ~120 mi - **Days:** 2 - **Highways:** US 64 - **Avoids:** I-40 (by 50 miles) - **Region:** Upper South - **Themes:** Natural Beauty, Oddities & Roadside Wonders, Small Towns, Local Tours & Outfitters 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. Markers: 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. Stops: - **Looking Glass Falls & Sliding Rock** (Pisgah Forest) · Natural Beauty — 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) · Oddities & Roadside Wonders — 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. Stops: - **Whiteside Mountain** (Cashiers) · Natural Beauty — Sheer 700-foot cliffs on some of the oldest exposed rock on the continent; the loop trail rides the rim. - **Dry Falls** (Highlands) · Natural Beauty — 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. Stops: - **Franklin gem mines** (Franklin) · Oddities & Roadside Wonders — 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) · Oddities & Roadside Wonders — 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. ## 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 ## 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.” ## Connects with - [North Georgia Gold & Apples](https://dixieroadtrip.com/routes/north-georgia-gold) — Dahlonega → Brasstown Bald - [Blue Ridge Parkway & the Smokies](https://dixieroadtrip.com/routes/blue-ridge) — Roanoke → Cherokee (+ Smokies spurs) - [SC 11: The Cherokee Foothills](https://dixieroadtrip.com/routes/cherokee-foothills) — Gaffney → Walhalla --- Canonical URL: https://dixieroadtrip.com/routes/waterfall-byway Publisher: Dixie Media (Dixie Road Trip, https://dixieroadtrip.com/) Last updated: 2026-10-05