Lower Cascades is a waterfall

Waterfall

A waterfall is a place where flowing water rapidly drops in elevation as it flows over a steep region or a cliff.-Formation:Waterfalls are commonly formed when a river is young. At these times the channel is often narrow and deep. When the river courses over resistant bedrock, erosion happens...

 in North Central North Carolina

North Carolina

North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...

, located in Hanging Rock State Park

Hanging Rock State Park

Hanging Rock State Park is a North Carolina state park in Stokes County, North Carolina in the United States. The park is north of Winston-Salem and is located approximately from Danbury in Stokes County.-History:...

 in Stokes County.

History

The falls was first seen by Europeans when German naturalist Lewis David von Schweinitz discovered it, and was originally named Schweinitz Falls (or Cascades).

Geology

The waterway is Cascades Creek, which flows through Hanging Rock State Park

Hanging Rock State Park

Hanging Rock State Park is a North Carolina state park in Stokes County, North Carolina in the United States. The park is north of Winston-Salem and is located approximately from Danbury in Stokes County.-History:...

. The falls has an overhanging bluff and a large plunge pool at the base.

Visiting the Falls

The falls are open to the public and are accessible beginning at a parking area on the side of Hall Road. Visitors may take a moderate-difficulty 0.3-mile (.5 km) trail to the falls. The trail used to be extremely difficult at the end with a dangerous cliff scramble, but has been made much easier by the addition of a set of stairs to the plunge pool.

Nearby Falls

Hanging Rock State Park hosts 4 other waterfalls:

• Tory's Falls
  Tory's Falls (Hanging Rock)
  Tory's Falls, also called Tory Falls and Torys Falls is a waterfall in North Central North Carolina, located in Hanging Rock State Park in Stokes County.-History:...
  
  
• Upper Cascades
  Upper Cascades (Hanging Rock)
  Upper Cascades is a waterfall in North Central North Carolina, located in Hanging Rock State Park, in Stokes County.-Geology:The waterway is Cascades Creek, which flows through Hanging Rock State Park...
  
  
• Window Falls
  Window Falls (Hanging Rock)
  Window Falls is a waterfall in North Central North Carolina, located in Hanging Rock State Park in Stokes County.-Geology:The subject watercourse is Indian Creek, which flows through Hanging Rock State Park...
  
  
• Hidden Falls
  Hidden Falls (Hanging Rock)
  Hidden Falls is a waterfall in North Central North Carolina, located in Hanging Rock State Park in Stokes County.-Geology:The waterway is Indian Creek, which flows through Hanging Rock State Park, which continues down to Window Falls.-Visiting the Falls:...
  
  

External links

• North Carolina Waterfalls - Lower and Upper Cascades