Upper Grotto Falls is a waterfall on Roaring Fork in Sevier County, Tennessee, in the Blue Ridge region, with a total height of about 20 feet. It lies about 4.7 miles southeast of Gatlinburg and roughly 33.2 miles southeast of Knoxville as the crow flies.
At 20 feet it is on the modest side for Tennessee, where the typical waterfall with a recorded height stands around 30 feet; it ranks 199th of 332.
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. Roaring Fork carries 5 recorded waterfalls; the biggest of them reaches 140 feet.
There are 37 recorded waterfalls in Sevier County. Grotto Falls, a 25-foot plunge waterfall, is under a mile away. Twin Falls, a 140-foot horsetail waterfall, is under a mile away. Dome Cascade, a 90-foot horsetail waterfall, is under a mile away.
Upper Grotto Falls is located at 35.6706° N, 83.4480° 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.