Cascades Preserve – Falling Waters Trail -

Falling Waters Trail is the signature hike and central spine at Cascades Preserve — the 130-acre protected hardwood forest located just outside Kernersville, NC, near the town of Oak Ridge in Guilford County. The trail is a 1.53-mile loop marked by White Diamond blazes, and both of the preserve’s other trails feed directly off of it — making Falling Waters the natural starting point for any Cascades Preserve visit.

The trail’s most memorable moments come from the cascading water over rocks along the creeks — a landscape feature that gives the preserve and its signature trail their name. The cascades flow most notably after rainfall, when the creek water level rises, and the water-over-stone effect is at its most visually and audibly distinctive.

Be sure to check out the YouTube video and pictures below to get a feel for Falling Waters Trail before you go — or to relive the visit after.

The Trail Experience — 1.53 Miles Through Woodland and Rocky Creeks

The 1.53-mile loop is rated moderate — largely due to some tree roots along the path and mild elevation gains rather than any strenuous terrain. The trail is marked by White Diamond blazes and is generally accessible, but hikers should watch their footing on the root-crossed sections.

The forest composition along the trail includes young pines, towering oaks, and abundant ferns, giving the walk a mixed-canopy woodland character that shifts with the seasons. The trail is particularly rewarding in the fall, when the hardwood forest’s color changes bring the surrounding landscape to life.

The Central Spine of the Cascades Preserve Trail Network

Falling Waters Trail also serves as the central spine of the Cascades Preserve trail network — both of the preserve’s other trails feed directly off of it. For visitors interested in extending the hike beyond the 1.53-mile main loop, two natural add-on options are available.

The Headwaters Trail is a 2.2-mile out-and-back hike marked by Blue Circle blazes — the preserve’s longest single-trail extension option. Adding the Headwaters Trail to a Falling Waters loop gives hikers a substantial half-day outing rather than a short-hike experience.

The Keyauwee Trail is a 0.5-mile loop marked by Red Diamond blazes — a shorter add-on option for hikers who want to explore a bit more of the preserve without substantially extending the visit. Between the Falling Waters Trail spine and the two side extensions, visitors can build a Cascades Preserve hike ranging from ~1.5 miles to over 4 miles, depending on which combinations they choose.

Getting There and Practical Details

The Falling Waters Trail parking is located across from the preserve entrance on Goodwill Church Road. That informal roadside parking is the standard access point for visiting the preserve — no dedicated parking lot at the trailhead, just curbside parking along the road.

Once on the trail, the primary practical consideration is being mindful of the tree roots that cross parts of the path. Beyond that, the trail is well-suited for most hikers — including families with children, casual walkers, and photographers taking their time to enjoy the creek features.

Good to Know

Location: Cascades Preserve, just outside Kernersville, NC, near the town of Oak Ridge in Guilford County
Trail length: 1.53 miles (loop)
Trail blaze: White Diamond
Difficulty: Moderate — due to tree roots along the path and mild elevation gains
Role within the trail network: Central spine — both of the preserve’s other trails feed directly off of Falling Waters Trail
Signature landscape feature: Cascading water over rocks along the creeks (most notable after rainfall)
Forest composition: Young pines, towering oaks, and abundant ferns
Best season: Rewarding year-round; particularly notable in fall for hardwood color changes and after rainfall for cascade water flow
Extension options:
Headwaters Trail — 2.2-mile out-and-back (Blue Circle blazes)
Keyauwee Trail — 0.5-mile loop (Red Diamond blazes)
Parking: Roadside parking across from the preserve entrance on Goodwill Church Road (no dedicated parking lot)
Safety note: Watch for tree roots along the path
Full preserve context: Cascades Preserve main sub-page
Full trail catalog: Cascades Preserve Trail List
Deep-dive resource: Hike the Cascades Preserve trail guide blog post
Cost: Free
Best for: Casual and moderate-difficulty hikers, birdwatchers, photographers (especially of rocky-creek landscape features), families with children looking for a manageable-distance woodland hike, and Piedmont Triad hikers looking for a rocky-creek landscape close to home
Pair with: The broader Cascades Preserve experience; the Headwaters Trail or Keyauwee Trail for extended Cascades Preserve hiking; the full Kernersville attractions cluster, including the 1880 Körner’s Folly historic home, the Paul J. Ciener Botanical Garden, the Kernersville Auto Museum, and Triad Park (including the Carolina Field of Honor veterans memorial)

A Kernersville Highlight

Falling Waters Trail is the kind of stop that stays with you for the rocky-creek water features along its 1.53-mile loop. The cascading water flow after rainfall gives the trail its most memorable visual and audible signature — the source of the preserve’s name and a genuinely distinctive water-and-stone landscape element for a Piedmont Triad natural area.

The trail network extension options round out the appeal. Between the Headwaters Trail out-and-back, the Keyauwee Trail loop, the fall foliage, and Falling Waters’s role as the central spine that anchors the whole Cascades Preserve trail network, Falling Waters has become one of the more consistently rewarding short-hike destinations anywhere in the greater Winston-Salem / Piedmont Triad metropolitan region.