An approximately 80-foot cascade where Tom Branch slides down a rock face into Deep Creek in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, just north of Bryson City. It sits only about 0.3 mile from the Deep Creek Trailhead and is part of the Deep Creek Waterfall Loop.
Its 80 ft drop is taller than about 63% of the 775 waterfalls we track.
Tom Branch Falls sits on Tom Branch (at Deep Creek). It lies in Swain, North Carolina. The site is on public land managed by Great Smoky Mountains National Park (NPS).
This is a short hike waterfall: reached by a short trail, generally under about a mile each way. The walk in is brief — comfortable shoes are usually all you need. The walk to the main viewpoint runs about 0.6 miles round trip. The nearest town is Bryson City.
When to go: spring. Flow usually peaks after snowmelt and heavy rain and tapers through late summer — a quick look at recent streamflow and the managing agency's conditions page can save a wasted trip.
