Lower Falls
North Carolina · height not recorded · Stone Mountain State Park · Last verified 2026-05-15
Lower Falls is at 662 cfs of flow today, on the upper end of typical conditions.
Right now
Streamflow
662 cfs
YADKIN RIVER AT ELKIN, · 1h ago
Today
65°F
Sunny
Tonight
42°F
Mostly Clear
Today's daylight
Sunrise 7:40 AM · Sunset 6:36 PM · 10h 56m
Snapshot built 11m ago. Sources: USGS · NWS RNK.
No verified photo yet
Lower Falls is a waterfall in North Carolina. Height has not been officially recorded. Access details and conditions have not yet been verified in person by Fallspots — the data on this page comes from OpenStreetMap and USGS GNIS.
Lower Falls is in North Carolina. The falls are inside Stone Mountain State Park. The base sits at roughly 1,502 feet of elevation. Drive time is about 14 minutes from Hays. OpenStreetMap shows a trail within 60 meters of the marked location, though the name isn't recorded. No public parking is recorded within 2 km, so a longer approach is likely. It draws modest visitor attention — busier weekends, quiet weekdays. Source records come from OpenStreetMap.
Entry is free. Dogs on leash are welcome on the access trail.
Is the water flowing right now?
Most waterfall sites don't tell you this. The waterfall itself is almost never gauged, but a USGS streamgage in the same watershed can tell you whether snowmelt has started, peaked, or run dry.
USGS gage 02112250 · 14.1 mi away
YADKIN RIVER AT ELKIN, NC
— Distant gauge — proxy reading, not on the same drainage.
View live discharge data →
30-day streamflow
Below 30-day average↻ Same date last year: 648 cfs · 102% of last year — similar
When to go (from the climate data, not our opinion)
Monthly averages from Open-Meteo's reanalysis dataset (2020–2024). Highlighted months are when we think the waterfall is at its best — but the numbers are the numbers regardless.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip (in) | Snow days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 48 | 31 | 4.9 | 4.2 |
| Feb | 53 | 34 | 4.8 | 2.8 |
| Mar | 62 | 40 | 4.6 | 0.4 |
| Apr | 68 | 45 | 4.3 | 0.2 |
| May | 75 | 54 | 4.9 | 0 |
| Jun | 83 | 62 | 3.3 | 0 |
| Jul | 88 | 67 | 3.8 | 0 |
| Aug | 85 | 66 | 5.1 | 0 |
| Sep | 78 | 60 | 5.2 | 0 |
| Oct | 70 | 50 | 3.2 | 0 |
| Nov | 59 | 40 | 3.1 | 0.2 |
| Dec | 51 | 34 | 3.7 | 2 |
Source: Open-Meteo Historical Weather API · ERA5 reanalysis 2020–2024.
Compare to nearby falls
If this one isn't the right fit, here's how it stacks up against the closest documented falls. Every column is filterable on the site — not buried in 13,000 reviews.
| Waterfall | Distance | Height | Trail | Dogs | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lower Falls (this page) | — | — | — | Y | Free |
| Middle Falls | 0 mi | — | — | Y | Free |
| Stone Mountain Falls | 1 mi | — | — | Y | Free |
| Bullhead Creek Falls | 2 mi | — | — | Y | Free |
| Widows Falls | 2 mi | — | — | Y | Free |
| Upper Widows Creek Falls | 3 mi | — | — | Y | Free |
Questions visitors ask about Lower Falls
Answers built from our structured data. If a question isn't here, the fact is unverified — we'd rather omit than guess.
Is Lower Falls in a national or state park?
Yes — Lower Falls is inside Stone Mountain State Park. We inferred this from OpenStreetMap protected-area polygons; if you find we got the boundary wrong, please report it. See the park page for fees, hours, and current conditions.
Can I bring my dog to Lower Falls?
Yes — dogs are allowed (Stone Mountain State Park permits leashed dogs in most areas). Inferred from park type; check the official site for trail-specific restrictions. Always leash and pack out waste.
Is there a fee to visit Lower Falls?
No entrance fee. Stone Mountain State Park is free to access. Some trailheads may charge a parking fee separately.
How far is Lower Falls from a major city?
Lower Falls is 10 miles from Hays (about 14 minutes' drive).
More waterfalls in North Carolina
Where it is
36.3748, -81.0411
Sources and live status
Where we got the data, and where to check current conditions before you drive.
Last verified by Fallspots: 2026-05-15
Been there?
Marina and Theo verify pages one road trip at a time. If you've been to Lower Falls recently, your local knowledge improves the page for everyone. Pick the kind of contribution that fits — every email lands in our inbox and gets read (and credited when we publish).
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Something we should know — best time, parking trick, that hidden viewpoint.
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