Rattlesnake Creek Falls is a 25-foot waterfall on Rattlesnake Creek in Swain County, North Carolina, in the Blue Ridge region. It lies about 9.8 miles southwest of Bryson City and roughly 50.5 miles southeast of Knoxville as the crow flies.
At 25 feet it is on the modest side for North Carolina, where the typical waterfall with a recorded height stands around 50 feet; it ranks 223rd of 288.
The Blue Ridge is the highest part of the southern Appalachians, a range of forested peaks and coves with oak, hickory, tulip poplar and hemlock and spruce-fir on the summits, in one of the wettest climates in the East. Steep mountain streams drop over granite, gneiss and quartzite ledges, giving the region hundreds of waterfalls.
Swain County holds 22 recorded waterfalls, and several are close by. Bird Falls, 200 feet high, is about 3.7 miles away. Buckner Branch Falls, 140 feet high, is about 3.8 miles away. Townhouse Branch Falls, 30 feet high, is about 4.4 miles away.
Rattlesnake Creek Falls is located at 35.3035° N, 83.5264° W. The listing is based on the World Waterfall Database, one of the sources compiled by the U.S. Geological Survey in its inventory of waterfalls and rapids of the conterminous United States. The creek name is confirmed against the federal Geographic Names Information System. The exact position has not yet been verified on aerial imagery, so treat the map pin as approximate. Details on trails, parking and access have not been documented for this waterfall yet.