Bald River Falls

Bald River Falls in Cherokee National Forest | Hiking the Bald River Trail | Tellico Plains, TN | January 2023

Today was another rainy day, but rainy days make for the best waterfall hikes, so we picked one nearby and went for it. We started on the Cherohala Skyway, but before the road started going up into the mountains, we turned onto River Road which follows the river to the falls. The views along the road were stunning, with a mist hanging over the water, a heavy flow of water rushing over rocks, and bright green moss on the rocks and tree branches giving a strong rainforest vibe. I kept thinking how I’d be content to even just walk along this road since the views were this great.

We reached Bald River Falls, which was right off the road, and they were so much more impressive than we were expecting. Tall and wide, the water crashing over the edge; to the right side stood a cliff with a taller and more narrow waterfall. We bet that during the summer this would be a popular place, but now in the off season had plenty of parking and only a couple groups. We parked in the nearby pull out and first walked over to enjoy the falls. Then we prepared for our hike on the Bald River Trail.

The trail began with steps and a couple switchbacks leading up to the top of the waterfall. Despite the rain, the steps and path up to the top were in good condition and it felt safe to hike up them. From here, the trail continued following the river back for quite a ways. We studied the map at the top to make a plan. It looked like we could do a 3 mile loop hike with a little road walk at the end, and since we had enjoyed the road so much that sounded like a fun idea. And so we began heading further back on the trail following the river.

The views along this trail were just as great as the ones along the drive, only with a slightly smaller river. The trail started out easy and wide, then narrowed as it progressed deeper into the valley. There weren’t many unobstructed views, but the combination of the rushing water and the misting fog made for a great ambience. At one point, we came across this giant cave, which wasn’t very deep but was still cool. Eventually the trail left the side of the river and started switchbacking up the hill. It wasn’t too difficult, but it was at this point that I decided I’d rather do the loop hike so I wouldn’t have to hike down the steeper, muddier parts. Of course the other trail could be even steeper and muddier than this one, but that’s always a risk I’m willing to take.

We came to the trail junction, then began taking the other trail that would lead us up and over the ridge and back down to the road. The beginning was the steepest as it ascended the hill, but going down the other side was pleasant and more level than we expected. We hiked back down, eventually reaching a stream which we had to cross over a few times before finally coming to the stairs which took us back to the road. From here, we had about a half-mile road walk.

The views that we admired on the way up; mist shrouded streams and green moss, and a few lesser waterfalls and rapids were just as enjoyable on the walk back to the car…except the amount of trash on the side of the road. How hard is it to keep bottles and cans in one’s car until they return home or find a recycling bin??

Back at the car, we decided to keep driving up the river thinking that maybe it linked back up with the Cherohala Skyway. We were wrong, as the road continued going further and further South – but we did find a small cabin community, and a ton of campgrounds. We could have taken this road quite a ways, and we’ll definitely save this area for future adventures, but today we turned around at the state line.

We enjoyed all the things we did around Tellico Plains, but the Cherohala Skyway drive and hikes we did around it were our favorite adventures from our week here — if you’re ever on the skyway, taking the forest road just to see Bald River Falls is totally worth it, especially after it rains!