The Bald River is a river located in Monroe County, Tennessee in the Cherokee National Forest. It is a tributary of the Tellico River. Just before it empties into the Tellico, the river falls over a large waterfall, Bald River Falls, which is variously reported as being between 80 and 100 feet (25 and 30 m) high. The river then flows under a bridge on Forest Service Road 120 (the falls and the river mouth are both very readily visible from the bridge). The falls is regarded as the most impressive and scenic waterfall in East Tennessee. The river is short in length but powerful as it flows through a steep, densely wooded valley and it is constantly replenished by the area's frequent rains. It rises just north of the North Carolina state line near the crest of the Unicoi Mountains and flows northeast for a short distance before turning to the northwest.The forests of the Bald River basin and the Tellico River basin were almost completely logged by the Babcock Lumber Company during the early 20th century, from their local base of operation at Tellico Plains. The present road up the Tellico River was built on the old logging railroad bed built by Babcock. The Bald River and 3721acre of its watershed are now part of the Bald River Gorge Wilderness, designated as a wilderness area by the U.S. Forest Service in 1984.
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