Upper Burningtown Falls is one of the recorded waterfalls on Downes Branch in Macon County, North Carolina, in the Blue Ridge region. It lies about 6.8 miles west of Franklin and roughly 57.3 miles southeast of Knoxville as the crow flies.
No height measurement has been recorded for it yet. The water comes down as a cascade, descending over a series of rock steps rather than in a single drop.
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. Downes Branch carries 2 recorded waterfalls along its course.
There are 49 recorded waterfalls in Macon County. Burningtown Falls, a 30-foot horsetail waterfall, is under a mile away. Fall Branch Falls, is under a mile away. Indian Camp Creek Falls, 50 feet high, is about 2.5 miles away.
Upper Burningtown Falls is located at 35.2065° N, 83.4985° 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 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.