Splash Dam Falls is a two-drop cascade on the Elk River in Carter County, Tennessee, near the North Carolina line, with a total drop of about 8 feet — too low, by one current listing, to count as a true waterfall.
The falls
The current lidar-based figure for the two drops is about 8 feet total, with the taller step measured at 4 feet, down from the roughly 25 feet recorded earlier. Other trail guides put the same drop anywhere from 10 feet to about 35 feet. The cascade sits on an Elk River hiking route that joins the Appalachian Trail near the Tennessee-North Carolina line.
Getting there
The route starts on a gated road to the left of the Elk River Falls trail, in the Cherokee National Forest's Watauga Ranger District, staying downstream of the river without crossing it before joining the Appalachian Trail. It is a moderate, 3.6-mile, two-hour outing. A March 2026 hiking-club report found the forest road in good condition but noted ATV traffic and cut locks at the Elk River gate; no official closure notice, fee or permit requirement is documented.
When to go
Recent trail-condition reports date to March 2026; conditions can change with weather and gate access.
On site
The descent to the base is a tricky rock scramble. The corridor has seen off-highway-vehicle damage and unauthorized gate access.
Nearby
Mountaineer Falls is about 0.2 mile away, Jones Falls about 0.8 mile, and Elk Falls, across the state line in North Carolina, about 1 mile.
Distances are straight-line.