The Bald River is a river

River

A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...

 located in Monroe County, Tennessee in the Cherokee National Forest

Cherokee National Forest

The Cherokee National Forest is a large National Forest created on July 19, 1936, by U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt, operated by the U.S. Forest Service and encompassing some 640,000 acres .-Location:...

. It is a tributary of the Tellico River

Tellico River

The Tellico River rises in the westernmost mountains of North Carolina, but it flows mainly through Monroe County, Tennessee. It is a major tributary of the Little Tennessee River and the namesake of Tellico Reservoir, a reservoir created by Tellico Dam, which impounds the lower reaches of the...

. 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

United States Forest Service

The United States Forest Service is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 155 national forests and 20 national grasslands, which encompass...

 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

East Tennessee

East Tennessee is a name given to approximately the eastern third of the U.S. state of Tennessee, one of the three Grand Divisions of Tennessee defined in state law. East Tennessee consists of 33 counties, 30 located within the Eastern Time Zone and three counties in the Central Time Zone, namely...

. 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

North Carolina

North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...

 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

Babcock Lumber Company

The Babcock Lumber Company was founded in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1887 and conducted logging operations in the eastern United States. In 1951 the company diversified into building material distribution...

 during the early 20th century, from their local base of operation at Tellico Plains

Tellico Plains, Tennessee

Tellico Plains is a town in Monroe County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 859 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Tellico Plains is located at ....

. The present road up the Tellico River was built on the old logging railroad bed built by Babcock. The Bald River and 3721 acres (15.1 km²) of its watershed are now part of the Bald River Gorge Wilderness

Bald River Gorge Wilderness

Bald River Gorge Wilderness is a wilderness area of Cherokee National Forest that lies within Monroe County in the U.S. state of Tennessee, designated in 1984. Its elevation is above sea level. It is administered by the United States Forest Service....

, designated as a wilderness area by the U.S. Forest Service in 1984.