Wilson Creek is located in the Grandfather District of the Pisgah National Forest, in the northwestern section of Caldwell County, North Carolina.

Wilson Creek has a water system that originates near Calloway Peak and stretches for 23 miles (37 km) before joining with John's River.

Mortimer, once the largest community in the Wilson Creek area, was the site of the Ritter Lumber Company sawmill.

The week before, torrential rain had already saturated the ground and heavy lumbering aggravated the speed of the water rushing through the gorge.

Only a few residents and homes remain upstream at Edgemont, with most of the downstream area maintained for public use by the US Forestry Service.