What Do You Do Near Pisgah Forest When It Rains? A Plan for the Wet Day

Rain near Pisgah Forest is a waterfall day, then a Brevard afternoon, then a fire. The falls run biggest in the hours after a good rain, the trailhead lots empty out, and the two easiest waterfalls near the house are a roadside stop and a short walk. When you have had enough wet, downtown Brevard is a dry afternoon with coffee, a bookstore, and a taproom. The house has a gas fireplace on both levels for the rest of it.

So do not sit at the window waiting for it to quit. Here is the plan we give guests when the forecast turns.

Where do you go first when it is raining?

To the waterfalls, and go while it is still raining or right after. This is the part most visitors get backwards. They wait for the sun, and by then the water has dropped and the lots are full. In the rain you get the falls at full volume and the parking to yourself.

Looking Glass Falls is the easy call. It is 23 minutes from the house on US 276, and you can see the whole 60-foot drop from the roadside deck without getting your shoes wet. After rain it roars. The stairs to the base get slick, so hold the rail and keep kids close. Details in our Looking Glass Falls guide.

Moore Cove Falls is three minutes farther up the same road, about 26 minutes from the house. In a dry week it is a thin lace of water over a rock overhang. After rain it fills out into a real curtain, and that is when it is at its best. The walk is short and mostly easy, but the low spots near the creek turn to mud. Wear the shoes you do not care about. Our Moore Cove guide has the trail.

Photo: Bill McMannis, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Triple Falls in DuPont is 12 minutes the other direction, and the three wide ledges look like a different waterfall when the river is up. Stay on the trail and off the rock when it is running high. Our Triple Falls guide covers the walk.

What should you skip in the rain?

Anything with a creek crossing, and anything high and exposed. Streams in Pisgah rise fast after rain, and a crossing that was ankle deep at breakfast can be pushy by lunch. Our guides for Graveyard Fields and Daniel Ridge Falls both say the same thing: do not cross water that looks high. Save them for the day after.

Skip the balds too. Black Balsam Knob has no shade and no shelter, and weather up there turns cold and windy with little warning. Sliding Rock closes for lightning, heavy rain, and high water, so check before you drive up. And if you fish, look at the Davidson River before you commit. It rises and colors fast, and a little rain can turn it off for the day.

What is there to do indoors in Brevard?

More than you would guess for a town this size, and it is all walkable. Downtown Brevard has a bookstore, Highland Books, and coffee at Cup and Saucer on Main Street. Two small museums sit within a few blocks of each other, the Transylvania Heritage Museum and the Veterans History Museum of the Carolinas. Both open seasonally, spring through fall, so check before you go.

When the coffee wears off, the breweries have room to sit inside. Oskar Blues has an indoor taproom, Ecusta Brewing has a big indoor space in an old plant building, and Brevard Brewing is right on Main Street. The Hub and Pisgah Tavern is the bike shop with a bar attached, which is where riders end up when the trails are too wet to ride.

We do not list hours or prices for other people’s businesses, because they change. Look them up the morning you go.

What do you do back at the house?

Get warm and cook something. There are gas fireplaces on both levels, so nobody has to fight over the good couch. The kitchen has a gas stove, a Bunn dual-pot coffee maker for the early crew, and all the cookware, so a rainy afternoon is a good excuse to make the meal you would not bother with at home. There are TVs on both levels and WiFi.

The hot tub does not care that it is raining. Neither, after ten minutes, will you.

What should you bring for a rainy day in Pisgah?

• A real rain shell, not a windbreaker. Pisgah rain is steady, not a passing shower.
• Shoes you can get muddy, and a dry pair in the car.
• A towel for the car, for you and the dog.
• A trash bag for wet clothes so they do not soak the seats.
• An offline map. Cell service dies as soon as you leave the main road.
• A second plan. If Sliding Rock or a forest road is closed, the waterfall down the road is open.

Is the day after the rain the best day?

Usually, yes. The falls are still high, the air is clear, the trails have started to drain, and the crowds have not caught up. If you get one wet day and one clear one, spend the wet one at the roadside falls and in town, and spend the clear one on the trail you actually came for.

Where to stay for a wet weekend in Pisgah

Most places near Pisgah give you a bed and hope for good weather. This one is built for what happens after the miles, in any weather. Hang the wet shells in the gear garage, hose the mud off the boots by the garage door, flip on the fireplace, and let the day catch up to you. Looking Glass Falls is 23 minutes away, Triple Falls is 12, and Brevard is a short drive, so a rainy day is a full day.

If you are watching a wet forecast and wondering whether to come anyway, come anyway. Check dates at Pisgah Base Camp, and we will send you a plan for the days you booked, rain or shine.