Straight Branch Falls is a waterfall on Straight Branch in Washington County, Virginia, in the Blue Ridge region, with a total height of about 20 feet. It lies about 10.6 miles south of Glade Spring and roughly 42.2 miles northeast of Johnson City as the crow flies.
At 20 feet it is on the modest side for Virginia, where the typical waterfall with a recorded height stands around 69 feet; it ranks 44th of 53. The water comes down as a horsetail, where the water keeps some contact with the bedrock as it falls.
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.
There are 7 recorded waterfalls in Washington County. Big Rock Falls, a 6-foot block waterfall, is about 2 miles away. Gentry Creek Falls, an 80-foot tiered waterfall, is about 5.4 miles away across the state line in Tennessee. Backbone Falls, a 40-foot horsetail waterfall, is about 6.6 miles away across the state line in Tennessee.
Straight Branch Falls is located at 36.6447° N, 81.7155° 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 position was verified on aerial imagery. Details on trails, parking and access have not been documented for this waterfall yet.