Highlands, North Carolina

Highlands is a small mountain town in the southern Appalachians of western North Carolina, situated at 4,118 feet elevation, one of the highest incorporated towns east of the Rocky Mountains. The surrounding Nantahala National Forest and the Blue Ridge Escarpment create an environment of exceptional botanical diversity, with more than 40 species of wild orchid documented in the area. Dry Falls, a few miles north on US 64, allows visitors to walk behind a 75-foot waterfall without getting wet due to the ledge's overhanging profile.