On our way back from Baby Falls, we found parking was available at Bald River Falls so we stopped for a quick visit. Together, the two plunges of Bald River Falls are approximately 80 feet high. With our visit in early April 2019, we expected to see more signs of spring.
To reach Bald River Falls from the Tellico Plains, Tennessee, Visitor Center, drive about five miles east on the Cherohala Skyway (TN-165) then turn right on paved River Road (National Forest System Road 210). Drive about 6 miles to the bridge over Bald River. The waterfall is easily viewed on the right. After crossing the bridge, there is a paved parking lot on the right. Parking is provided for about a dozen vehicles.
The scenic drive along the Tellico River to Bald River Falls and beyond is one of my favorites. These images are from a visit in October 2011.
The most scenic portion of the Tellico River is the gorge located along River Road (US Forest Service road 210) in Cherokee National Forest east of Tellico Plains, Tennessee.
We drove the scenic River Road from the Cherohala Skyway to Bald River Falls and Baby Falls on the first day of February 2014. We stopped several times to marvel at the ice formations along the Tellico River on the way to the falls.
Ice and white water
Ice on the Tellico River
Caney Branch near the Tellico Ranger Station
Tellico River from the Ranger Station bridge
Clear water below a sheet of ice
Beautiful colors on the river
Frozen from bank to bank
Ice melting along a wet weather drainage
Still water and ice along the Tellico River
Turbulent section of the river
Icicles and ice flows along the emerald green Tellico River
Icicles hang off the rock ledges
A shallow, fast flowing section of the Tellico River...
...leads to a deeper ice covered section
A crack forms in the thin ice on the Tellico River
