Upper Bald River Falls is a waterfall on Bald River in Monroe County, Tennessee, in the Blue Ridge region, with a total height of about 15 feet. It lies about 14 miles northwest of Murphy and roughly 49.2 miles south of Knoxville as the crow flies.
At 15 feet it is on the modest side for Tennessee, where the typical waterfall with a recorded height stands around 30 feet; it ranks 240th of 332. 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. Bald River carries 7 recorded waterfalls; the biggest of them reaches 80 feet.
There are 30 recorded waterfalls in Monroe County. Brookshire Creek Falls, a 9-foot block waterfall, is under a mile away. Torino Falls, a 12-foot tiered waterfall, is about 2.9 miles away. Shallow Falls, a 13-foot block waterfall, is about 3.8 miles away.
Upper Bald River Falls is located at 35.2717° N, 84.1392° 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.