Kelly Falls
Greene County, Tennessee
Your visit at a glance
- Waterfall height
- 12 ft (3.6 m)
- Location
- Greene County, Tennessee
- Access status
- Partial guide: usual access road closed by flood damage; alternate drive to the falls not described
- The walk
- Under 0.1 mile (Waterfall Hero)
- Ground & access
- Roadside viewing. The scramble path down to creek level is steep, and rocks around the falls are slippery.
Kelley Falls (also spelled Kelly Falls) is a 15-foot waterfall on Paint Creek in the Paint Creek Corridor of the Cherokee National Forest. The Forest Service lists an overlook for the falls along the corridor road. Waterfall Hero describes parking at a small pull-off on the right of Lower Paint Creek Road (FR 41), 0.5 mile past Paint Creek Campground, just before the waterfall, then walking across the road to the top of the falls. A scramble path a little further down the road leads to creek level. The Forest Service says the usual approach on Rollins Chapel Road is closed by flood damage and that the corridor is reached by Paint Mountain Road to Lone Pine Gap. No source describes the drive from Lone Pine Gap to the falls, so check the Forest Service page before going.
Plan your visit
Roadside pull-off on Lower Paint Creek Road (FR 41), then across the road to the top of Kelley Falls
Waterfall Hero lists the hike length as under 0.1 mile from a pull-off just before the falls. It does not say whether that is one way or round trip.
Roadside viewing. The scramble path down to creek level is steep, and rocks around the falls are slippery.
Where to start
Small pull-off on the right of FR 41 just before the falls, at 35.97636, -82.85023 per Waterfall Hero; other pull-offs are before and after the falls. Park completely off the road.
Timing & water
The corridor is open year-round. Flood damage has closed the Rollins Chapel Road approach; the Forest Service directs visitors to Paint Mountain Road to Lone Pine Gap.
Before you go
The Forest Service says there is no fee for day use in the Paint Creek Corridor.
Visitor informationVisit sources
More waterfalls nearby
Within 40 straight-line miles. Road and trail distances will differ.
- Dudley FallsSource-reviewed roadside view and parking10 ft (3 m) · Greene County, TN1.4 miSW
- Ricker Branch FallsRoadside view across Forest Road 41 from a parking area15 ft (4.5 m) · Greene County, TN1.5 miSW
- Spring Creek FallsRoadside pullout; short path to a bluff viewMadison County, NC6.4 miS
- Needles FallsMadison County, NC7.4 miS
- Camp Creek Falls148 ft (45 m) · Greene County, TN7.4 miNE
- Hickey Fork FallsNational forest trail; steep path at the endMadison County, NC7.5 miE
- Wolf Creek FallsPartial guide: unofficial approaches and long gravel roads; exact falls not confirmed by coordinates30 ft (9.1 m) · Cocke County, TN8.8 miSW
- Margarette FallsRoute and parking researchedGreene County, TN9.2 miNE
- Cliff Dwellers Cascade15 ft (4.6 m) · Cocke County, TN12 miSW