Cherohala Skyway - Bald River Falls

The Cherohala Skyway connects Tellico Plains, Tennessee, with Robbinsville, North Carolina.  The 43-mile route through the Cherokee and Nantahala National Forests has been designated a National Scenic Byway.  The route follows the Tellico River for the first five miles out of Tellico Plains before turning away to begin climbing the mountains.  At this point, I turned onto Forest Service Road 210 to continue to follow the river upstream.  FS 210 is paved and at several locations there are gravel pullouts large enough for one or more vehicles.  I stopped at a larger one of these about two miles up the road and walked down to the river.  Since my visit was in mid-June 2012, the water volume was down considerably from its spring peak.

View downstream

View upstream

Small rapids

Rockpile

About three miles further upstream, the road crosses the river on a substantial bridge.  Just beyond the bridge is a fairly large gravel parking area that has recently been improved with timber shoring and a short set of timber steps leading to a shady "beach" area along the river.

Continuing up the road another mile leads to a second bridge, this time over the Bald River.  Bald River Falls can be seen from the bridge.  Immediately beyond the bridge is a paved parking area for several vehicles.

 

The skyway website is http://www.cherohala.org.