Twisting Falls is a waterfall on Elk River in Carter County, Tennessee, in the Blue Ridge region, with a total height of about 30 feet. It lies about 5.8 miles northeast of Roan Mountain and roughly 21.8 miles east of Johnson City as the crow flies.
At 30 feet it is taller than the typical Tennessee waterfall of about 30 feet, ranking 136th of 332 with a recorded height. The water comes down as a block waterfall, wider than it is tall, spilling over a broad ledge.
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. Elk River carries 2 recorded waterfalls, and Twisting Falls is the tallest of them.
There are 17 recorded waterfalls in Carter County. Mountaineer Falls, a 20-foot plunge waterfall, is about 1.2 miles away. Splash Dam Falls, a 25-foot tiered waterfall, is about 1.3 miles away. Jones Falls, a 100-foot tiered waterfall, is about 2 miles away.
Twisting Falls is located at 36.2315° N, 81.9754° 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.