Cherohala Skyway

A late July 2013 thunderstorm interrupted my hiking plans, so I decided to head to the Cherohala Skyway for some roadside views of Bald River Falls, Baby Falls on the Tellico River and the vista from Turkey Creek overlook.  The Skyway begins in Tellico Plains, Tennessee and continues to Santeetlah Gap near Robbinsville, North Carolina.  About five miles from the beginning of the Skyway at TN 68, a well-signed junction with US Forest Service road 210, also known as River Road, leads to both waterfalls in an additional seven miles.  FS 210 is a well maintained two-lane paved road without shoulders or guardrails in most places.  Continuing up the Skyway  a total of 16 miles leads to the Turkey Creek overlook.

Bald River Falls

By volume of water, Bald River Falls is one of the largest waterfalls in East Tennessee.  Just upstream of its confluence with the Tellico River, the Bald River drops about 90 feet in a series of vertical drops and slides.  All of the pictures below were taken from the FS 210 bridge over the Bald River.

Closeup view of the falls

View from the middle of the bridge

View of the lower slide

Baby Falls

Continue about ¼ mile on FS 210 beyond the Bald River bridge to a parking area on the left.  Baby Falls on the Tellico RIver is accessible by following a roadside path downstream a few dozen yards.  The parking area also includes a set of vault toilets, but no running water or formal picnic area.  The Tellico River drops about 15 feet over the falls.  While the plunge pool looks like an inviting swimming hole, it has proven deadly in the past.  Please use extreme caution if you plan to wade or swim in the river.  

View from the parking area

Another view from the parking area

Above the brink of the falls

Side view

Downstream view from the path

Another downstream view

Tellico River downstream of the falls

Turkey Creek Overlook

The Turkey Creek overlook has a large parking area with picnic tables and vault toilets.  At an elevation of approximately 2560 feet or more than one thousand feet above the valley hilltops, this is a favorite location for viewing sunsets along the Skyway.

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