Mingo Falls
North Carolina · 120-foot drop · Last verified 2026-05-15
Flow at Mingo Falls is 146 cfs today, around its seasonal average.
Expect dry conditions today — don't drive out for this one. Flow is at 146 cfs (bottom 3% of the last 30 days, vs. 206.5 cfs average). The 7-day NOAA forecast shows no significant rain.
Right now
Streamflow
146 cfs
OCONALUFTEE RIVER AT BIRDTOWN, · 1h ago
Today
67°F
Sunny
Tonight
41°F
Mostly Clear
Today's daylight
Sunrise 7:47 AM · Sunset 6:46 PM · 10h 58m
Snapshot built 10m ago. Sources: USGS · NWS GSP.
Mingo Falls is a waterfall in Swain County, North Carolina. It drops roughly 120 feet. Access details and conditions have not yet been verified in person by Fallspots — the data on this page comes from OpenStreetMap and USGS GNIS.
Mingo Falls sits in Swain County, North Carolina. The base sits at roughly 2,693 feet of elevation. Drive time is about 5 minutes from Cherokee. 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 and USGS GNIS.
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 03512000 · 6.6 mi away
OCONALUFTEE RIVER AT BIRDTOWN, NC
View live discharge data →
30-day streamflow
Below 30-day average↻ Same date last year: 159 cfs · 92% of last year — similar
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mingo Falls (this page) | — | 120 ft | — | — | — |
| Buckshot Falls | 4 mi | — | — | N | — |
| Fountain Branch Falls | 4 mi | — | — | — | — |
| Big Boy Falls | 4 mi | — | — | N | — |
| Chasteen Creek Cascade | 4 mi | — | — | N | — |
| Great Blue Heron Falls | 4 mi | — | — | N | — |
Related waterfalls
Similar height (~120 ft)
- Faux Falls120 ft
- High Falls120 ft
- Ramona Falls120 ft
- Upper Latourell Falls120 ft
- Western Falls120 ft
Questions visitors ask about Mingo Falls
Answers built from our structured data. If a question isn't here, the fact is unverified — we'd rather omit than guess.
How tall is Mingo Falls?
Mingo Falls is 120 feet (36.6 m) tall. Height is sourced from OSM.
How far is Mingo Falls from a major city?
Mingo Falls is 3 miles from Cherokee (about 5 minutes' drive).
More waterfalls in North Carolina
Where it is
35.5318, -83.2749
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
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