About this spot
Talking Falls (also called Road Prong Falls) is an ~80-foot cascade on Road Prong Creek in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, reached via a roughly 2-mile hike from the Chimney Tops trailhead along Road Prong Trail, which includes at least one creek crossing. Multiple independent hiker accounts describe a deep basin pool at its base suited for a summer dip, though it's far less visited than the park's marquee falls. The water is cold enough to cause shock even in summer, and rocks around the pool are typically slick with algae. GSMNP officially discourages swimming near any waterfall and treats rock jumping as a finable offense, so treat this as a wade-and-cool-off pool, not a jumping spot, and never approach the lip above.
Safety first. Cliff jumping is inherently dangerous and can cause serious injury or death. Conditions — water depth, submerged hazards, and access — change constantly. CliffScout is community-sourced reference information, not a guarantee a spot is safe. Always assess the conditions yourself before jumping, and never jump where you're unsure. You assume all risk.